In ``On the Waves,' an estranged father travels to Venice with his 7-year-old daughter, hoping to amuse her. These stories are freighted with a magnificence of language that reveals Brodkey's singular ability to convey the truth and complexity of a moment in time, frequently as seen through the eyes of a child.
This collection of 18 stories, while perhaps slaking temporarily the thirst of Brodkey aficionados, will at the same time contribute to the excitement and speculation with which his novel in progress continues to be anticipated.
A voice all too rarely heard, Brodkey's exalted reputation is based on one collection of short stories published 30 years ago ( First Love and Other Sorrows ) and occasional stories that have appeared in magazines since that time.
