Many colorful and diverse characters people Malamud's stories, but he is best known for the kind of character who is typically a loser, such as Sam Tomashevsky in "The Cost of Living," or Rosen in "Take Pity." His losers evoke sympathy for their sad lot, not always of their own making, although cleverer persons might foresee the inevitable disasters facing them and do something to head them off.

Not all of the characters are Jewish: Mr. and Mrs. Panessa in "The Bill" have experiences similar to Sam and Sura Tomashevsky, and the unlucky women in "Life Is Better Than Death" and "The Maid's Shoes" are both Italian. Malamud's special talent seems to be in portraying older people, lonely bachelors or widowers, such as the would-be painter, Ephraim Elihu, in "The Model" or Dr. Simon Morris in "In Retirement." Their loneliness speaks to a universal human condition, and their...