Written in the full heat of the Great Depression, Jack Conroy's A World to Win bears the marks of the labor struggles and union strikes he witnessed in the early 1930s. Like Dickens, Conroy evokes compassion and warmth for his absurd, comic, tragic characters through caricature, using parody to extract humor from their gray, circumscribed lives. Set in St. Louis, the narrative centers on Leo and Robert Hurley, two half brothers who are divided by education and aspirations. Leo is an unlikely proletarian hero who gains ...
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Written in the full heat of the Great Depression, Jack Conroy's A World to Win bears the marks of the labor struggles and union strikes he witnessed in the early 1930s. Like Dickens, Conroy evokes compassion and warmth for his absurd, comic, tragic characters through caricature, using parody to extract humor from their gray, circumscribed lives. Set in St. Louis, the narrative centers on Leo and Robert Hurley, two half brothers who are divided by education and aspirations. Leo is an unlikely proletarian hero who gains political consciousness in spite of himself. Robert has literary pretensions (but little talent) and a head clogged with genteel romance and Victorian poetry. As they grope toward reconciliation, they come into contact with hybrids of artistic milieus, radical politics, and labor activism that were particular to the Popular Front era. The introduction by Douglas Wixson shows how Conroy's writing is embedded in his experiences and also how his flawless ear for language shapes both form and character in the novel. Moving readers from a sentimentalized concern for the poor to a more concrete contemplation of the social and political conditions that characterize their lives, A World to Win serves as a reminder of the continuing importance of a dedication, like Conroy's, to giving voice to the voiceless.
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Add this copy of A World to Win (Radical Novel Reconsidered) to cart. $89.75, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by University of Illinois Press.
Add this copy of A World to Win to cart. $107.00, good condition, Sold by Macaver Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pine Bluff, AR, UNITED STATES, published by Covici, Friede.
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Seller's Description:
Good. No dust jacket. Ex-library. Cover frayed along edges. Binding still tight, but book tilted. Penciled name on cover page and various library stamps. 348 p. 20 cm.
Add this copy of A World to Win (Radical Novel Reconsidered) to cart. $114.10, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by University of Illinois Press.
Add this copy of A World to Win to cart. $207.00, very good condition, Sold by Waverley Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Monica, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1935 by COVICI, FRIEDE..
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Very Good+ dust jacket. A near fine copy in a Vg. + dj. (Couple of small chips at spine ends, with short edge tears & light touches of shelfwear to dj. ) A better than average copy of the author's SECOND novel.
Add this copy of A World to Win to cart. $232.00, like new condition, Sold by Books Of Choice rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bloomington, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1935 by Covici Friede.
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Seller's Description:
Fine book in a fine dust jacket. 348 pages First edition, first printing. His second book, A Ridout Novel. Dust jacket design by Andor Braun. Fine book in a near fine dust jacket with the spine slightly darkened. Price clipped with a new $2.50 price stamped next to the clip. A beautiful copy!
Add this copy of A World to Win to cart. $302.00, like new condition, Sold by Jeff Bergman Books ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Flemington, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1935 by Covici Friede.