In conferring upon Mississippi native Elizabeth Spencer (1921-2019) the
2013 Rea Award for the Short Story, the jury said that at the then age
of ninety-two, she "has thrived at the height of her powers to a degree
that is unparalleled in modern letters." Over a celebrated six-decade
career, Spencer published every type of literary fiction: novels and
short stories, a memoir, and a play. Like her best-known work, The
Light in the Piazza, most of her narratives explore the inner lives of
restless, searching southern women. Yet one mercurial male character,
Edward Glenn, deserves attention for the way he insists on returning to
her pages. Speaking of Edward in unusually personal terms, Spencer
admitted a strong attraction to his type: the elusive, intelligent
southern man, "maybe an unresolved part of my psyche."
In The Edward Tales, Sally Greene brings together the four narratives
in which Edward figures: the play For Lease or Sale (1989) and three
short stories, "The Runaways" (1994), "Master of Shongalo" (1996), and
"Return Trip" (2009). The collection allows readers to observe Spencer's
evolving style while offering glimpses of the moral reasoning that lies
at the heart of all her work. Greene's critical introduction helpfully
places these narratives within the context of Spencer's entire body of
writing. The Edward Tales confirms Spencer's place as one of our most
beloved and accomplished writers.
