Please help me remember the title and author of a short story I read maybe 15 years ago. A handicapped woman, living with her sister and her sister's family, sees a man in church she feels quite sure is the devil. In order to get away from him, she struggles to regain the physical independence she had given up. (She had gone into a wheelchair because walking was possible, but too painful.) She does manage to become self-sufficient enough to move out on her own--and then wonders if it was worth it, after all. I am almost sure the author was Italian. Can anyone help?
posted by uans on Nov 16, 2009 - 0 answers

My uncle recently mentioned to me that he's never read any book written by a woman. Apparently this is because he doesn't think they'll be any good - he seems to think women can only write romance novels. I find this both horrific and hard to believe, but he seemed serious. So, Hive Mind, I need your help in drafting a list of the very best books written by female authors. Help me teach him the error of his ways! [more inside]
posted by badmoonrising on Jul 29, 2009 - 92 answers

Say I'm writing a story and I want to emulate the old practice of referring to proper nouns by initials: i.e. Dr. M— from the town of S—. Where and when did this start? Why did they do this? (It hides the person's name, but from the author's perspective, is it to give his story an air of veracity, as with Defoe and Cervantes's works?) Would some names remain hidden and others not? Do I hide the last name only? If a man came from Monte Cristo, would I write M— C— or simply M—? I want as much information on this as possible. The name of this practice, if there is one, might be useful.
posted by Busoni on Apr 7, 2009 - 13 answers

Are there any reasonably well-known (or even famous) writers who are truly multi-genre? [more inside]
posted by wackybrit on Nov 10, 2008 - 54 answers

ProseFilter: Nabokov's Lolita was once hailed as "a love letter to the English language." I'm looking for modern and contemporary authors with similar aspirations. [more inside]
posted by zoomorphic on Sep 12, 2008 - 43 answers

I am trying to get a better understanding of Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" **Spoiler Alert** [more inside]
posted by madmamasmith on Jul 28, 2008 - 13 answers

What are your favorite short stories or short story collections, anthologies etc. [more inside]
posted by Salvatorparadise on May 28, 2008 - 54 answers

What literature is written about Spain or the experience of living in Spain by American authors? [more inside]
posted by mizrachi on Apr 6, 2008 - 17 answers

How do I pronounce some of my favorite authors' names? (Names inside.) [more inside]
posted by Darth Fedor on Mar 26, 2008 - 26 answers

Lit-crit/what the hell is the word I'm looking for? [more inside]
posted by jonmc on Dec 2, 2007 - 23 answers

Help me to let go of my bias against women's fiction. What fiction books written by women would a "real" man like? [more inside]
posted by Xurando on Feb 13, 2007 - 77 answers

Song ideas for a mix tape themed around writers and/or literature, please. [more inside]
posted by ifjuly on Apr 30, 2006 - 63 answers

Recent Canadian Lit. Recommendations? [more inside]
posted by misozaki on Feb 25, 2006 - 24 answers

I'm trying to get into reading again, and am looking for fiction authors who write well-defined characters and seem genuinely to like people. [more inside]
posted by Tuwa on Mar 26, 2005 - 55 answers