Fielding Dawson is one of the most prolific fiction writers in contemporary American literature. He has published well over 200 short stories, 197 of which are in his collections. Dawson is also an exhibiting artist specializing in photocollage and drawing; in his early career he was more well known for his drawings than his writing. Dawson's fiction resembles that of no other American writer. Though literary influences are detectable, and Dawson acknowledges them, no other American writer regularly produces the kind of compelling prose that Dawson does, but few other contemporary American writers are more ignored than he is. The reasons for the neglect are obvious and predictable. Dawson has resolutely refused to compromise his aesthetic standards by writing stories with clearly evident plots peopled with cleverly developed and easily recognizable characters with whom the mass of readers can identify. In short, he has refused to satisfy the demands of...