In these eleven short stories by a true master of the form, Grant Tracey guides us across a wide expanse of time and place but always deep into the interior lives of the characters we encounter. From 1918 New York to 1971 Toronto to contemporary Cedar Falls, Iowa - instantly we become involved in the complex relationships of movie actors, college professors, school custodians, teenagers, housewives - always firmly and richly enmeshed in their cultures via copious allusions to history, literature, cinema, TV, and the slang that punctuates their spot-on dialogue. Final Stanzas is a tour de force by a writer who is always mindful of his craft and attentive to the minutest of details.