Richard Ford's place in American letters has been established by his five novels, and many critics consider him one of the finest contemporary short-story writers as well. While he is often discussed as a "regionalist" author, Ford rejects that designation. His fiction examines America as a whole through its constituent parts, employing a wide-ranging perspective that accords with his ambition--echoing William Dean Howells--"to create a literature worthy of America."

A self-described "Aristotelian" and realist, Ford nevertheless delves into abstract philosophical concerns, such as transcendentalism, solipsism, and the ways in which people employ language to create their own versions of reality. His major theme may be contradiction, as it manifests itself between doing and saying, prescription and symptom, event and its subsequent reporting. His writings, fiction and nonfiction, address the limits and efficacy of individualism. Examining the conflicting forces acting on individuals, Ford's writing underscores the inconsistency of...