Even before the publication of The Public Burning (1977) made him famous, Robert Coover had already achieved a solid reputation, mostly among academics and college audiences, as one of the most original and versatile prose stylists in America. In his earlier three book-length works of fiction (The Origin of the Brunists, The Universal Baseball Association, and Pricksongs and Descants), Coover's ability to create and control a dazzling variety of styles and voices had been very evident. But it was not until The Public Burning appeared that Coover's place as a major figure in contemporary fiction became assured. Many of the central issues in The Public Burning are well in evidence in Coover's earlier fiction and were certainly clearly defined in The Origin of the Brunists. His new book, however, narrated in part by Richard Nixon and dealing with the highly controversial Rosenberg trial, was seen by many critics--and the...