De Vries's style and narrative technique are often surrealistic, and he mentions surrealism and surrealists in all but two of his twenty-six books. Yet, in fifty years of commentary on De Vries, scarcely any notice has been taken of these surrealist elements.

Praise for the print edition:" ... no other reference work on American fiction brings together such an array of authors and texts as this.

Provides up-to-date profiles on the careers of leading and emerging poets.

Includes more than 360 interpretative essays on works of twentieth-century fiction published in the United States and Latin America.