Ruffin's New Book Receives Good Reviews, Selling Well
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Paul Ruffin |
Sam Houston
State University's resident professional poet and writer, Paul
Ruffin, has a new book out that has received a number of favorable
reviews and is doing well in sales.
Jesus in
the Mist, Ruffin's third collection of short stories,
was released this month by the University of South Carolina
Press. It consists of short stories originally published in
such journals as Connecticut Review, Idaho Quarterly, New Mexico
Humanities Review, and Southern Review.
The stories
are set primarily in the Deep South, and mostly in Ruffin's native
Mississippi.
Ruffin, distinguished
professor of English, teaches creative writing, edits The Texas
Review and directs the Texas Review Press. He has published two
novels, and five collections of poetry with a sixth due out next
year.
Jesus in
the Mist has been ranked as high as 55 on Amazon.com's "Hot
New Releases."
Pam Lange did
a review for the Dallas Morning News that also appeared in a
number of other publications:
"Like
Flannery O'Connor, Paul Ruffin, an English professor at Sam Houston
State University, speaks in parables.
"His stories,
set for the most part in hardscrabble Alabama, Mississippi and
Texas, minutely examine the moral issues behind the religious
persuasions of 'good country people.' What, for example, is the
significance of the crowded faith-healing sessions, where the
blind, halt and lame see and walk after the laying on of hands?
The evangelists are clearly cynical con artists, but the people
believe, and their belief holds great power.
"Like
the parables of Jesus, Paul Ruffin's parables take on the Pharisees
and Samaritans of the rural South, questioning the received wisdom
of the community, the certainty of small-town morality. Dr. Ruffin's
childhood in this land of absolutes has given him a perfect ear
for the speech of the region: World War II veterans fought in
'Yerp' and the 'shurf' is called regularly to keep the peace.
"This
is a place where violence and racism still hold sway, and he's
not afraid to spell it out in detail. As O'Connor once said,
'For the blind you draw large pictures; for the deaf you shout.'
"The title
story tells of a man who leaves his wife and home because he
sees Jesus' image in the foggy mirror of a Holiday Inn. He's
able to re-create the image with a vaporizer in the back of his
truck and travels the South collecting monetary tributes for
the miraculous vision. It's a very funny story, but Dr. Ruffin
treats his character gently: This ;is a man who believes in miracles.
The tension is between belief and disbelief. Like Jesus' stories,
these are more complex than they seem."
Glenn Dromgoole
wrote:
"A warning
to those who might be put off by strong language: Ruffin's stories
are peppered with vivid dialogue. Despite the title, these stories
aren't likely to be told in Sunday school."
The New York
Strand Bookstore:
"Collectively,
these stories paint a panoramic view of southern culture as dynamic
characters encounter destiny--and sometimes each other. With
topics ranging from race, class, abuse, and poverty to mythology
and morbidity, the stories here will captivate and entertain
any reader."
From Library
Journal:
"Flawed,
stubborn characters pursuing their dreams and on a quest to understand
their purpose dominate these stories, which paint a realistic
picture of the social tensions of the time. (1960s) Recommended
for academic literature collections."
Jesus in
the Mist may be purchased at bookstores, amazon.com,
barnesandnoble.com or Ruffin directly. He may be reached by
phone at 936.294.1429 or e-mail at eng_pdr@shsu.edu.
—END—
SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Sept. 25, 2007
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