Among the contemporary masters of the short story, none surpasses James Salter. We have followed his work for decades and have heard him reading many times but never more wonderfully than at a nightclub in the Bowery in November 2005 at our first Narrative Night, where he performed “Palm Court” from his collection Last Night. Salter’s readings are rich with his ability to embody the characters he dramatizes, in this case two lovers whose story spans early and late midlife. The recording here is a transcendent occasion of storytelling art. Salter also spoke extemporaneously about the nature of art and of a life lived for art.
