I am somewhat of a meliorist. That is to say, I act as an optimist because I find I cannot act at all, as a pessimist. One often feels helpless in the face of the confusion of these times, such a mass of apparently uncontrollable events and experiences to live through, attempt to understand, and if at all possible, give order to; but one must not withdraw from the task if he has some small things to offer - he does so at the risk of diminishing his humanity.

Bibliography
For a complete list of works see Bernard Malamud bibliography


Novels
The Natural (1952)
The Assistant (1957)
A New Life (1961)
The Fixer (1966)
The Tenants (1971)
Dubin's Lives (1979)
God's Grace (1982)


Story collections
The Magic Barrel (1958)
Idiots First (1963)
Pictures of Fidelman (1969)
Rembrandt's Hat (1974)
The Stories of Bernard Malamud (1983)
The People and Uncollected Stories (includes the unfiniBernard Malamudd novel The People) (1989)
The Complete Stories (1997)


Short stories
"The Mourners" (1955)
"The Jewbird" (1963)


Books about Malamud
Smith Janna Malamud. New York Routledge 2011. ' 'A remarkably consistent writer' he goes on 'who has never produced a mediocre novel.

Bernard Malamud (April 26 1914 – March 18 1986) was an American author of novels and short stories. His baseball novel The Natural was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford.