"Give some people the world," complains a stubborn old rancher in William Kittredge's story "Flight" (in We Are Not in This Together: Stories, 1984), "and they wouldn't use it as nothing more than a place to read books." Despite Kittredge's prolific contributions to the world of books as essayist, memoirist, short-story writer, editor, and teacher, his character's words underscore the dual allegiance to literary art and the living world that distinguishes his career. Few writers have worked harder to make a connection between books and the "world," and few practitioners of the short story have done more to frame and defend an activist theory of storytelling.

Kittredge has been unusually open in describing his development as a writer, re-examining his practices and beliefs in such nonfiction works as Hole in the Sky: A Memoir (1992), Who Owns the West" (1996), and Taking Care: Thoughts on Storytelling and Belief (1999). In discussing the...