The Shawl (Ozick Novel)
Encyclopedia
The Shawl is a story collection consisting of a short story
and a novella
by Cynthia Ozick
. Published in 1989, the book consists of two separately published yet connected stories, "The Shawl" and "Rosa".
.
Rosa (the novella): takes place many years later, with Rosa having retired to Florida
after destroying her shop in New York. Rosa spends much of her days by herself in a small hotel room, writing letters.
See, for one, William Abrahams' introduction to Prize Stories: O. Henry Awards, 1981, where he predicts this story will endure. "The Shawl" is a short short story, a stream of consciousness magical realism piece that will burn in the memory of many people.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and a novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by Cynthia Ozick
Cynthia Ozick
Cynthia Ozick is an American short story writer, novelist, and essayist. She is the niece of the Hebraist Abraham Regelson.-Background:Cynthia Shoshana Ozick was born in New York City, the second of two children...
. Published in 1989, the book consists of two separately published yet connected stories, "The Shawl" and "Rosa".
The Stories
"The Shawl": deals with a woman, Rosa, her niece and her baby daughter living in the Nazi Concentration Camps towards the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Rosa (the novella): takes place many years later, with Rosa having retired to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
after destroying her shop in New York. Rosa spends much of her days by herself in a small hotel room, writing letters.
Reception
The collection, "The Shawl" is considered one of Cynthia Ozick's best works.See, for one, William Abrahams' introduction to Prize Stories: O. Henry Awards, 1981, where he predicts this story will endure. "The Shawl" is a short short story, a stream of consciousness magical realism piece that will burn in the memory of many people.