''Three Thousand Dollars'' is a 1989 short story collection by American author

David Lipsky David Lipsky (born July 20, 1965) is an American author. His works have been The New York Times Best Seller list, ''New York Times'' bestsellers, ''New York Times'' New York Times Notable Book, Notable Books, ''Time (magazine), Time'', Amazon's ...

. It revolves around the New York City

Art world The art world comprises everyone involved in producing, commissioning, presenting, preserving, promoting, chronicling, criticizing, buying and selling fine art. It is recognized that there are many art worlds, defined either by location or alt ...

, university life, and issues of growing up. Individual chapters were published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

Mississippi Review The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's, ...

'', '' The Henfeild Prize Stories'', and ''

The Best American Short Stories ''The Best American Short Stories'' is a yearly anthology that's part of ''The Best American Series'' published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the ''BASS'' has anthologized more than 2,000 short stories, including works by some of the ...

'', among others.

Story

''Three Thousand Dollars'' marks the first appearances by Joan and Richard Freely, main characters in Lipsky's novel '' The Art Fair''. Critics found resemblances to Lipsky's own mother, the abstract-expressionist painter Pat Lipsky. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' noted that Lipsky's collection provided "astonishing insights into the machinations of the New York city art world." The ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' called Lipsky's portrait of the art world "treacherous, sly and amusing." Lipsky wrote the collection when he was 22 and a student in the MFA program at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. Novelist John Gregory Brown explained, "It was kind of apparent that Lipsky might have the brightest future of anyone

ere Ere or ERE may refer to: * ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal * ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies * Ere language, an Austronesian language * Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...

Reception

The book was well-received upon publication. Lipsky was seen to possess "unlimited depth and range of vision," with the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' calling the work "an irresistible debut." Stories were compared to the works of

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940), widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and exces ...

. Yearly round-up '' Magill's Literary Annual'' called the book "a vivid artistic rendition of the experience of growing up, a series of brilliant reflections and poignant insights," adding, "Lipsky’s subtle, fine humor and his irreverently inquiring voice always succeed." The ''

Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, the largest newspaper in Rhode Island, US. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspaper had won four ...

'' addressed Lipsky's "near-perfect pitch for dialogue." The ''

'', while noting the book's "astonishing insights" into the art world concluded, "Lipsky has given his contemporaries a general autobiography, one that will fit the majority with only minor adjustments." The trade publication ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' summarized, "Critics loved Lipsky's short story collection."

Honors

* Henfield Prize Stories 1992 * Best American Short Stories of 1986

References

External links

David Lipsky on fiction and non-fiction with Brian Koppleman at Slate's The MomentNew York Magazine on David Lipsky and the Art WorldDavid Lipsky web page about ''Three Thousand Dollars''Los Angeles Times on ''The Art Fair''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Thousand Dollars 1989 short story collections Short stories set in New York City Short stories set in the 1980s Family saga novels Simon & Schuster books

Story

Reception

See also

Honors

References

External links