Berkman, Pamela Rafael

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BERKMAN, Pamela Rafael

PERSONAL: Married Mehran Saky (a filmmaker).

ADDRESSES: Home—Glendale and Berkeley, CA. Office—Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 989 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103. Agent—Jenny Bent, Harvey Klinger, Inc., 301 West 53rd St., New York, NY 10019. E-mail—[email protected]; [email protected].

CAREER: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, San Francisco, CA, editor; writer.

AWARDS, HONORS: Chosen by Book magazine as one of its newcomers of 2003.

WRITINGS:

Her Infinite Variety: Stories of Shakespeare and the Women He Loved, Scribner (New York, NY), 2001.

The Falling Nun, and Other Stories, Scribner (New York, NY), 2003.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Courtesan of Verona: Mercutio's Story, a novel about a character from Romeo and Juliet; short fiction.

SIDELIGHTS: Pamela Rafael Berkman's two short-story collections focus largely on women's experiences and viewpoints, although her first, dealing with the women in William Shakespeare's life and work, naturally seeks to portray the English playwright and poet's mindset as well. Her second leaves Shakespeare's period for modern times, exploring the concerns of independent, offbeat young urban women.

Her Infinite Variety: Stories of Shakespeare and the Women He Loved consists of ten stories. Some of the tales included imagine Shakespeare at various points in his life, from childhood to the approach of death, and focus on his interaction with his mother, wife, lovers, and daughters, as well as Queen Elizabeth I. Others provide an expanded look at female characters from his plays, such as Lady Macbeth, Titania, and Ophelia. The latter stories "have their own sorts of interest," observed a Kirkus Reviews critic, who nevertheless preferred the pieces on Shakespeare's life. "No Cause," about the marriages of the Bard's daughters, is particularly "ambitious," the critic remarked, adding that perhaps the best story in the collection and "most deft with its learning" is "Diamonds at Her Fingertips," in which a dying Shakespeare remembers Elizabeth I. The volume as a whole is "pleasant" and "amiable," the reviewer concluded.

The Falling Nun, and Other Stories features twelve tales of young women seeking satisfaction through love, sex, and unconventional forms of spirituality and self-expression. The title story is about a group of women who have decorated their office with small plastic figurines of nuns and view the toppling-over of one of the religious figures as a good omen for their love lives. Other stories show protagonists discovering new depths of emotion after getting a tattoo, attempting faith healing for carpal-tunnel syndrome, or engaging in sexually aggressive behavior toward men. A Kirkus Reviews contributor found the characters undeveloped and the collection "dreary," uplifted only by "the thinnest veil of a childish understanding of spirituality." A Publishers Weekly reviewer, however, thought the stories "fresh and vibrant," displaying "an uncanny understanding of a particular contemporary subclass of young women" and portraying them "emphatically and vividly." The reviewer predicted that the book would appeal to young women who are drawn to "mildly subversive" spiritual practices. Palm Beach Post critic Dan Neal saw broader appeal in the stories, advising readers: "Persevere past the narrow subject matter, and you'll find stories that are complex and masterfully crafted." Neal added, "Fiction this finely tuned, this smart, this multilayered and engaging is a rare pleasure and an impressive accomplishment."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2001, review of Her Infinite Variety: Stories of Shakespeare and the Women He Loved, p. 431; November 15, 2002, review of The Falling Nun, and Other Stories, p. 1656.

Publishers Weekly, December 23, 2002, review of The Falling Nun, and Other Stories, p. 44.