The Canal (Critical Overview)

Critical Overview

During his lifetime, Richard Yates was read and respected by other writers to a much greater degree than he was read by the general public. His 1961 novel, Revolutionary Road, sold well, and over the years, it continued to be widely known, mostly due to its being assigned in literature classes. But from 1961 until Yates died in 1992, his literary career was a long slide into oblivion.

In 2001, though, The Collected Stories of Richard Yates was published, sparking admiration from all corners of the literary world. "The Canal" first appeared in print in this book, though many of the other stories from the collection had been previously published. Esquire magazine named the collection one of the "Best Books of 2001," noting, "It's simply criminal that [these stories] were out of print so long." Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, writing in the Library Journal, warns readers that Yates's world-view can be bleak but tells them out-right that "Despite the general pessimism of the stories, they never seem contrived or self-indulgent." She goes on to recommend the collection for all academic and larger public libraries. In Booklist, Brad Hooper goes even further with his praise, asserting that "No public library catering to short story lovers should be without this career-encompassing collection of the work of an important American story writer." He ends his review by noting that Yates "deserves a wider audience among contemporary fiction readers."

The admiration for this book is best summed up by John de Falbe, who wrote a long review of it for The Spectator. "Though many aspects of the world he describes have gone, the stories transcend time," de Falbe writes. "They are about loneliness and loss, failure and dreams, dignity and grace. They are tough, unsentimental, compassionate and beautiful in their apparent simplicity."