Three Thousand Dollars
Three Thousand Dollars is a 1989 short story collection by American author David Lipsky. It revolves around the New York City Art world, university life, and issues of growing up. Individual chapters were published in The New Yorker, Mississippi Review, The Henfeild Prize Stories, and The Best American Short Stories, among others.
 | |
| Author | David Lipsky |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | September 1, 1989 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 240 pp (first edition, hc) |
| ISBN | 9780671673468 (first) |
| OCLC | 19814712 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3562.I627 T47 1989 |
| Followed by | The Art Fair |
Story
Three Thousand Dollars marks the first appearances by Joan and Richard Freely, main characters in Lipsky's novel The Art Fair. Critics found resemblances to Lipsky's own mother, the abstract-expressionist painter Pat Lipsky. The Los Angeles Times noted that Lipsky's collection provided "astonishing insights into the machinations of the New York city art world."[1] The Wall Street Journal called Lipsky's portrait of the art world "treacherous, sly and amusing."[2]
Lipsky wrote the collection when he was 22[3] and a student in the MFA program at Johns Hopkins University. Novelist John Gregory Brown explained, "It was kind of apparent that Lipsky might have the brightest future of anyone [here]."[4]
Reception
The book was well-received upon publication. Lipsky was seen to possess "unlimited depth and range of vision,"[5] with the San Francisco Chronicle calling the work "an irresistible debut." Stories were compared to the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald.[6][7] Yearly round-up Magill's Literary Annual called the book "a vivid artistic rendition of the experience of growing up, a series of brilliant reflections and poignant insights," adding, "Lipsky’s subtle, fine humor and his irreverently inquiring voice always succeed."[8] The Providence Journal addressed Lipsky's "near-perfect pitch for dialogue."[7] The Los Angeles Times, while noting the book's "astonishing insights" into the art world concluded, "Lipsky has given his contemporaries a general autobiography, one that will fit the majority with only minor adjustments." The trade publication Booklist summarized, "Critics loved Lipsky's short story collection."[9]
See also
References
- Kendall, Elaine (December 22, 1989). "BOOK REVIEW : Marking the Potholes, Pitfalls". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
- Flam, Jack (August 30, 1989). "BOOKSHELF : New Face In Fiction". The Wall Street Journal.
- Farley, Christopher (August 1, 1989). "Ivy Leaguers Climb Rapidly in the World of Books". USA Today.
- Duffy, Jim, "Absolutely Unexpected," Johns Hopkins Magazine, November 2003.
- Combrey, Richard, "Reading for a Cold Winter's Night," San Francisco Chronicle, December 31, 1989.
- Kendall, Elaine (December 22, 1989). "Marking the Potholes, Pitfalls for Eighties Youth". Los Angeles Times.
- Whitcomb, Robert (January 7, 1990). "Three Thousand Dollars". The Providence Journal.
- Magill, Frank (Ed.) "Three Thousand Dollars," Magill's Literary Annual 1990, pps. 801-805.
- Seaman, Donna (May 15, 1996). "The Art Fair". Booklist.