Marya: A Life
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 First edition | |
| Author | Joyce Carol Oates |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | novel |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton |
Publication date | 1986 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| ISBN | 978-0525243748 |
Marya: A Life is a novel by Joyce Carol Oates first published in 1986 by E. P. Dutton and reprinted by Berkley Books.[1] The work was reissued by Ecco Press in 2014.[2]
Reception
New York Times literary critic Mary Gordon, praising Marya: A Life as Oates's "strongest book in years," laments that the descriptive authority of the narrative declines with the rising fortunes of the protagonist.[6] As Marya ascends from her impoverished condition into the upper echelons of academia, Oates "unerring" powers of description are diminished:
When Marya's life materially improves, the novel grows weaker...when Marya prospers, Miss Oates grows abstract. This is because its strength emanates from the brilliance of Miss Oates's descriptions of objects and places.[7]
Gordon notes that the autobiographical elements in the novel comport with aspects of Oates's early family history and her subsequent literary career.[8]