| 1981 | Ellis Island and Other Stories. Helprin's collection ranges widely in subject matter and style, from the epistolary "Letters from the Samantha" to the highly praised "Ellis Island," an immigrant's account of his arrival in the foggy, strange environment of the New World. Born in New York City, a Harvard graduate, Helprin served in the Israeli Air Force. His previous books were A Dove of the East and Other Stories (1975) and Refiner's Fire (1977). |
| 1983 | Winter's Tale. The novel concerns Peter Lake, a murderer whose talent is operating machines that run the city. Part fantasy, part historical novel, Helprin's book establishes his reputation as an important and ambitious contemporary novelist. |
| 1991 | A Soldier of the Great War. Helprin powerfully relates the often incredible adventures of Alessandro, an Italian officer on the Austro-Italian front in World War I. Told in flashbacks from the old veteran's point of view, it is a harrowing tale of his long march from the edge of Rome to his village. Critics note Helprin's gift for mesmerizing narrative scenes, in which Alessandro reveals both the horror and the romance of war. |
| 1995 | Memoir from Antproof Case. Helprin's novel features an elderly American in hiding in Brazil, reviewing his life: his childhood in New York, his stay in a Swiss asylum, his involvement in World War II, his marriage, and the circumstances resulting in his aversion to coffee. |
The Chronology of American Literature, edited by Daniel S. Burt. Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
