Craig Davidson – författare

When a pair of fighters step into an illegal ring, sometimes only one walks out.This is the story of two men from radically different backgrounds, but with one thing in common. For Rob, it’s a question of talent and duty. For Paul, it’s one of fear.In the bloody world of bare-knuckle boxing the stakes are mercilessly high. Testing the difficult relationships between fathers and their sons, The Fighter explores the lengths to which these men are driven for self-knowledge, and the depths they will plumb in order to belong.

Rust and Bone conjures a savage world of prizefighters, gamblers and sex addicts; dogs fight to the death and bare-knuckled men fight for survival on the most extreme margins.And yet these gritty stories are tempered by gentleness, the quiet understanding in the most intimate relationships. A whale trainer’s accident, a boy’s life endangered – where human vulnerability is so close to the surface, the humanity of these characters heralds redemption and hope.

In steel-tipped prose, Craig Davidson conjures a savage world populated by fighting dogs, prizefighters, sex addicts, and gamblers. In his title story, Davidson introduces an afflicted boxer whose hand never properly heals after a bone is broken. The fighter's career descends to bouts that have less to do with sport than with survival: no referee, no rules, not even gloves. In "A Mean Utility" we enter an even more desperate arena: dogfights where Rottweilers, pit bulls, and Dobermans fight each other to the death.Davidson's stories are small monuments to the telling detail. The hostility of his fictional universe is tempered by the humanity he invests in his characters and by his subtle and very moving observations of their motivations. He shares with Chuck Palahniuk the uncanny ability to compel our attention, time and time again, to the most difficult subject matter.

Set in the Niagara Falls of Craig Davidson’s imagination—known as "Cataract City"—the superb stories of Cascade shine a shimmering light on this slightly seedy, slightly magical, slightly haunted place. The six gems in this collection each illuminate familial relationships in a singular way: A mother and her infant son fight to survive a car crash in a remote wintry landscape outside of town. Fraternal twins at a juvenile detention center reach a dangerous crisis point in their entwined lives. A pregnant social worker grapples with the prospect of parenthood as a custody case takes a dire turn. A hardboiled ex-firefighter goes after a serial arsonist with a flair for the theatrical even as his own troubled sister is drawn toward the flames. These are just some of the unforgettable characters animating this stellar collection that crackles with Davidson’s superb craft and kinetic energy: in the steel-tipped prose, in the psychological perspicacity, and in the endearing humor.

It is often said that the greatest journeys begin with a single step. And in the case of a formerly great author, living in the fallen remains of Communist Russia, it is the discovery of a long-abandoned and partial manuscript, that starts a grand journey, into life, death, and all things in-between.Zoyzuban, a science fiction scribe, whose work benefited from the Soviet Union''s existence, was in search of an answer, to further his career, to return to the pinnacle of his previous glory. Upon finding an earlier work from decades prior, he decides to use his talent, and accumulated experience, to revise and rebuild the novel he started long ago.Teaming up with a former cosmonaut, one who walked upon the lunar and martian surfaces, the two collaborate, and combine their talents and memories.A story is told, and a world generated.The novel produced traverses from the early days of Soviet rocketry, to beyond the descent of Apollo 11, as a Russian manages to walk upon the lunar surface. But as the work continues, storm clouds begin to brew, and seeds are ultimately sown for disaster.And in the end, news to challenge a friendship...From the creator of Horatio Smith, comes a story of alternate history, and a journey into imagination and creativity.

When a pair of fighters step into an illegal ring, sometimes only one walks out.This is the story of two men from radically different backgrounds, but with one thing in common. For Rob, it’s a question of talent and duty. For Paul, it’s one of fear.In the bloody world of bare-knuckle boxing the stakes are mercilessly high. Testing the difficult relationships between fathers and their sons, The Fighter explores the lengths to which these men are driven for self-knowledge, and the depths they will plumb in order to belong.

In steel-tipped prose, Rust and Bone conjures up a world of hard-scrabble pugilists, fighting dogs, sex addicts and others held captive by their own bad luck and bad decisions. This is a debut collection that pulls no punches: characterized by bold insights and raw power, each story illuminates the darkness with moments of surprising redemption to build a humane and wholly gripping account of what it means to be on the margins.