Understories

Bookseller Michele Filgate introduced Tim Horvath to Bellevue and is a big champion of his work. She has already started to spread the word about the collection through Twitter and is drumming up other fans, including the wonderful author/ bookseller Emma Straub. Bellevue has developed a remarkable track record with short story collections through Widow and The Odditorium. Recent coverage has included the front page of the New York Times Book Review, Elle and All Thing Considered reviews, a Bookworm interview, and an author op-ed in O, The Oprah Magazine. Horvath, in particular, should be a natural for interviews and off-the-book-page coverage because of his fascinating research into neuroscience and literature, and the fact that some of his stories are informed by his own experiences working in a psychiatric hospital.Full of speculative daring, though firmly anchored in the tradition of realism, these stories easily stand in the company of modern and contemporary masters such as Julio Cortázar, Steven Millhauser and Jim Shepard. Whether making offhand references to Mystery Science Theater, following the imaginary travels of a library book, or providing a new perspective on Heidegger’s philosophy and forays into Nazism, Horvath’s writing is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.