William H. Gass
(Warren)
“Henry Pimber had lain with lockjaw in that bed, and the Reverend Jethro Furber had planted prayers around it like a hedge, and later Israbestis had followed him downstairs, the minister cursing Nature, Man, and God, at every step.”
Omensetter’s Luck (1966) was William H. Gass’ first novel. It is set in the fictional town of Gilean, Ohio and revolves around the emotional and spiritual breakdown of Furber over his jealousy of Brackett Omensetter.
Gass was a renowned writer and critic, and among the most influential American postmodernist writers along with John Barth, John Hawkes, and Donald Barthelme. In addition to Omensetter’s Luck, Gass wrote the acclaimed novels The Tunnel (1995) and Middle C (2013), and seven volumes of essays, three of won National Book Critics Circle awards.
Gass died in 2017.
If you enjoyed Omensetter’s Luck, we suggest these Ohio side trips:
- Gass’ Fiction and the Figures of Life
- Edward Loomis’ Vedettes
- Eugene Marten’s Firework
- David Hoenigman’s Burn Your Belongings