Transgressions
Overview

Transgressions picks up where the sixties and seventies left off, presenting work by masters of the “experimental” movement as well as debuting young writers who find new ways to offer traditional forms.”

“As the reader will surely see, some of the stories are honestly experimental, a few are demonstrations, others are designed for subversion, not a small number teach…and I detect signs of improvisation here and there, the energy of exercise, satire’s smile, fantasy’s furbelows and feathers, novelty’s enterprise, the sweat of concision; and, of course, most pieces are a mix of this or that, with even a little of the calm and customary to cool the dish.”
—William Gass from the foreword

“I can’t remember boundary crossing that gave me as much pleasure and hope for the future of innovative fiction as this high libido literary entertainment.”
—Laurance Goldstein

The American cultural tumult of the 1960s provided the impetus for fiction writers to break literary conventions by abandoning traditional plot structure, authorial voice and even the bedrock of English punctuation and grammar. Transgressions is one of the results of these pioneering efforts. Pulled together by past and present editors of the Iowa Review, it is a fairly comprehensive anthology of new experimental short stories that ranges from the lyrical to the ridiculous.
—Publishers Weekly

The cumulative effect of the collection is invigorating and should bring recognition to some lesser-known writers whose originality deserves applause.
—Kirkus Reviews