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楔褨褋褌写械褋褟褌 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜
袨写薪邪 蟹 薪邪泄泻褉邪褖懈褏 蟹斜褨褉芯泻 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜 胁 邪屑械褉懈泻邪薪褋褜泻褨泄 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉褨. 袣邪谢械泄写芯褋泻芯锌 卸懈褌褌褨胁 褨 褏邪褉邪泻褌械褉褨胁, 薪械蟹邪斜褍褌薪褨 锌邪薪芯褉邪屑懈 屑褨褋褌 褨 屑褨褋褌械褔芯泻, 蟹邪胁卸写懈 邪泻褌褍邪谢褜薪褨 褎褨谢芯褋芯褎褋褜泻褨 写懈谢械屑懈 褌邪 锌邪褉邪写芯泻褋邪谢褜薪褨 邪褎芯褉懈蟹屑懈. 袣芯卸械薪 蟹薪邪泄写械 薪邪 褑懈褏 褋褌芯褉褨薪泻邪褏 胁懈蟹薪邪褔薪芯谐芯 屑邪泄褋褌褉邪-薪芯胁械谢褨褋褌邪 褖芯褋褜 褋胁芯褦: 胁褨写 邪斜褋褍褉写褍 泄 褔芯褉薪芯谐芯 谐褍屑芯褉褍 写芯 锌褉芯薪懈蟹谢懈胁芯谐芯 谢褨褉懈蟹屑褍 褨 胁褨褔薪懈褏 褑褨薪薪芯褋褌械泄. 袛芯薪邪谢褜写 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨, 泻谢邪褋懈泻 锌芯褋褌屑芯写械褉薪褨蟹屑褍, 锌褉芯锌芯薪褍褦 胁谢邪褋薪褍 胁械褉褋褨褞 褋胁褨褌芯胁芯褩 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 芯褋褌邪薪薪褨褏 写胁芯褏 褋褌芯谢褨褌褜, 写械 褦 胁褋械 褨 写械褖芯 斜褨谢褜褕械: 褨薪写褨邪薪褑褨, 袣鈥櫻斞€泻械覒芯褉, 锌褉械蟹懈写械薪褌-锌芯褌芯锌械谢褜薪懈泻, 褟薪谐芯谢懈, 袝写胁邪褉写 袥褨褉, 泻邪锌褨褌邪谢褨蟹屑 褨 写卸邪蟹.
648 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 1981
402 people are currently reading
13.2k people want to read
About the author
Donald Barthelme
114听books750听followers
Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts
(1968) apparently collects sometimes surrealistic stories of modern life of American writer Donald Barthelme.
A student at the University of Pennsylvania bore Donald Barthelme. Two years later, in 1933, the family moved to Texas, where father of Barthelme served as a professor of architecture at the University of Houston, where Barthelme later majored in journalism.
In 1951, this still student composed his first articles for the Houston Post. The Army drafted Barthelme, who arrived in Korea on 27 July 1953, the very day, when parties signed the ceasefire, ending the war. He served briefly as the editor of a newspaper of Army before returning to the United States and his job at the Houston Post. Once back, he continued his studies of philosophy at the University of Houston. He continued to take classes until 1957 but never received a degree. He spent much of his free time in 鈥渂lack鈥� jazz clubs of Houston and listened to musical innovators, such as Lionel Hampton and Peck Kelly; this experience influenced him later.
Barthelme, a rebellious son, struggled in his relationship with his demanding father. In later years, they tremendously argued about the kinds of literature that interested Barthelme. His avant-garde father in art and aesthetics in many ways approved not the postmodern and deconstruction schools. The Dead Father and The King , the novels, delineate attitude of Barthelme toward his father as King Arthur and Lancelot, the characters, picture him. From the Roman Catholicism of his especially devout mother, Barthelme independently moved away, but this separation as the distance with his father troubled Barthelme. He ably agreed to strictures of his seemingly much closer mother.
Barthelme went to teach for brief periods at Boston University and at University at Buffalo, and he at the college of the City of New York served as distinguished visiting professor from 1974-1975. He married four times. Helen Barthelme, his second wife, later entitled a biography Donald Barthelme: The Genesis of a Cool Sound , published in 2001. With Birgit Barthelme, his third wife and a Dane, he fathered Anne Barthelme, his first child, a daughter. He married Marion Barthelme near the end and fathered Kate Barthelme, his second daughter. Marion and Donald wed until his death from throat cancer. People respect fiction of Frederick Barthelme and Steven Barthelme, brothers of Donald Barthelme and also teachers at The University of Southern Mississippi.
A student at the University of Pennsylvania bore Donald Barthelme. Two years later, in 1933, the family moved to Texas, where father of Barthelme served as a professor of architecture at the University of Houston, where Barthelme later majored in journalism.
In 1951, this still student composed his first articles for the Houston Post. The Army drafted Barthelme, who arrived in Korea on 27 July 1953, the very day, when parties signed the ceasefire, ending the war. He served briefly as the editor of a newspaper of Army before returning to the United States and his job at the Houston Post. Once back, he continued his studies of philosophy at the University of Houston. He continued to take classes until 1957 but never received a degree. He spent much of his free time in 鈥渂lack鈥� jazz clubs of Houston and listened to musical innovators, such as Lionel Hampton and Peck Kelly; this experience influenced him later.
Barthelme, a rebellious son, struggled in his relationship with his demanding father. In later years, they tremendously argued about the kinds of literature that interested Barthelme. His avant-garde father in art and aesthetics in many ways approved not the postmodern and deconstruction schools. The Dead Father and The King , the novels, delineate attitude of Barthelme toward his father as King Arthur and Lancelot, the characters, picture him. From the Roman Catholicism of his especially devout mother, Barthelme independently moved away, but this separation as the distance with his father troubled Barthelme. He ably agreed to strictures of his seemingly much closer mother.
Barthelme went to teach for brief periods at Boston University and at University at Buffalo, and he at the college of the City of New York served as distinguished visiting professor from 1974-1975. He married four times. Helen Barthelme, his second wife, later entitled a biography Donald Barthelme: The Genesis of a Cool Sound , published in 2001. With Birgit Barthelme, his third wife and a Dane, he fathered Anne Barthelme, his first child, a daughter. He married Marion Barthelme near the end and fathered Kate Barthelme, his second daughter. Marion and Donald wed until his death from throat cancer. People respect fiction of Frederick Barthelme and Steven Barthelme, brothers of Donald Barthelme and also teachers at The University of Southern Mississippi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 405 reviews
August 9, 2021
Dazzling collection of postmodern blisters and blasters, usually as short as three, four or five pages but some as long as twelve pages, stories written in dialogue or lists or letters or narrative, covering topics from highbrow culture to the lowbrow scuzzy, from the everyday to the sensational and historic, an innovative collection from one of the most perceptive wordsmiths ever to put pen to paper or fingers to typewriter. Many are the stories I found wickedly astute, including these two:
REPORT
Antiwar: The narrator is sent by an antiwar group from New York to Cleveland to persuade hundreds of engineers 鈥渘ot to do what they are going to do.鈥� This 1968 Barthelme flash fiction was written at the peak of the U.S. war in Vietnam. A fiercely anti-U.S., anti-Vietnam War story, but not once is Vietnam mentioned. Similar to Samuel Beckett鈥檚 Waiting for Godot (Donald Barthelme much admired Beckett), time-bound specific symbols and specific references are absent.
Cartoon Atmosphere: The Cleveland meeting of engineers takes place at a motel, very appropriate since the whole phenomenon of motels, those small, cheap, tacky roadside hotels with a swimming pool out back, were also at their peak in the late 1960s. Hundreds of engineers attend the meeting and as soon as our narrator walks in, he beholds chaos: not only are the engineers making calculations and taking measurements, they are drinking beer, throwing bread and hurling glasses into the fireplace. On top of this, he also sees most of those hundreds of engineers have their arms, legs or other body parts in plaster casts due to various kinds of multiple fractures. This bit of absurdity is truly cartoonish, and to top it off, the narrator tells us the engineers are friendly.
Friendly, Friendly: Of course those beer drinking, bread throwing engineers are friendly - friendly on the surface, that is, since their jolly laughter and all those jovial smiles are effective ways to maintain a lighthearted, uncritical attitude toward the destructive, tragic power and death-dealing consequences of their calculations and measurements.
Love and Information: Yes, yes, yes . . . the narrator tells us directly how the engineers are also full of love and information. As, for instance, when the chief engineer, standing among beer bottles and microphone cable, invites him to eat some of their chicken dinner and asks what they, the engineers, can do for him, their 鈥渄istinguished guest.鈥� A true stroke of irony bordering on sarcasm: to call such an outsider 鈥渄istinguished guest,鈥� an outsider who could quite possibly pose a threat to their developing and utilizing invented technologies to win the war.
The Irony Thickens; The Sarcasm Thickens: When the narrator states his line is software and how he wants to know what they are doing, the chief engineer begins his reply: 鈥淎sk us anything about our thing, which seems to be working. We will open our hearts and heads to you, Software Man, because we want to be understood and loved by the great lay public, and have our marvels appreciated by that public, for which we daily unsung produce tons of new marvels each more life-enhancing than the last.鈥� Although the engineers are creating military weapons and chemicals to be used in war, the chief engineer refers to their creations as 鈥渓ife-enhancing.鈥� Yet again another Donald Barthelme tale where language is distorted and twisted by the power people in order to maintain and expand their power.
A Sucker is Born Every Day: The Software Man states his concerns; the head engineer bombards him with a thick fog of words, including making a personal accusation of Software Man鈥檚 hatred and jealousy (ah, when it doubt, attack the person not the argument!). The fog of words is so thick he gets Software Man to leave with a smile on his face. Back among his antiwar group, the narrator stresses the friendliness of the engineers and how everything is all right, how 鈥淲e have a moral sense." and 鈥淲e are not going to do it.鈥�
Oh, my - not only swallowing the head engineer鈥檚 lies but taking on the identity of the entire room of friendly, beer drinking warmongers. Talk about gullible!
THE INDIAN UPRISING
One of the most popular Donald Barthelme鈥檚 stories. Here are a number of themes I see contained in its mere seven pages:
America, land of genocide
Why are Indians attacking an American city in the 20th century? Why are the narrator鈥檚 people defending the city? Is this a mental defending of past history, a defending or justifying the genocide of the Native Americans in previous centuries? Back in high school history class during the late 1960s, the time this story was written, there wasn鈥檛 too much said about the brutal treatment of Native Americans and the destruction of their populations and cultures. Ironically, my high school mascot was and still is 鈥淭he Indians.鈥�
America the superficial
鈥淭here were earthworks along the Boulevard Mark Clark and the hedges had been laced with sparkling wire.鈥� Nice contrast, Donald: the Indians and their primitive crafts (earthworks) on one side and the barbed wire (sparkling wire) on the other. Donald Barthelme doesn鈥檛 miss an opportunity to make his story鈥檚 details, telling details 鈥� case in point, barbed wire played a pivotal role in transforming the open land west of the Mississippi River into domesticated ranchland. Meanwhile, the narrator, let鈥檚 call him Bob, asks his girlfriend Silvia if this is a good life. She tell him 鈥淣o.鈥� Are the apples, books and long-playing records laid out on a table (perhaps symbols of American, the land of plenty), Bob鈥檚 idea of a good life, even if his city is under attack? If so, Bob鈥檚 idea of the good life sounds rather superficial.
America the hyper-violent
Bob and others torture a Comanche but Bob doesn鈥檛 give this cruel act any more emotional weight than if he and a couple men were cleaning up a grimy picnic table. I don鈥檛 know about you, but such insensitivity and sadism sends shivers up my spine. In the late 1960s, the time when this story was first published, photographs of Americans torturing Vietnamese first began appearing fairly regularly in magazines and newspapers. Additionally, I recall how during the late 1960s , Saturday morning cartoons switched from funny to hyper-violent, which caused outrage among some to ask: 鈥淎re we becoming a country of extreme violence and nothing but extreme violence?鈥�
America, land of postmodern leveling
Bob asks Silvia if she is familiar with the classical composer Gabriel Faur茅. This question quickly shifts to Bob鈥檚 reflections on the details of a smut scene and then to the tables he made for four different women. This mental jumping from the beautiful to the repugnant, from people to objects, treating everything, irrespective of content, with the same emotional neutrality sounds like a grotesque form of postmodern leveling. Personally, this is one big reason I have always refused to watch commercial television: the non-stop switching from one image to the next, from tragedy on the nightly news to selling candy bars to the latest insurance deal I find unsettling in the extreme.
America, land of the racist
Bob tells us: 鈥淩ed men in waves like people, scattering in a square startled by something tragic or a sudden, loud noise accumulated against the barricade we had made of window dummies, silk, thoughtfully planned job descriptions (including scales for the orderly progress of other colors), wine in demijohns, and robes.鈥� Red men in waves like people? They are people! Stupid to the core, Bob blithely dehumanizes others by his racism and barely realizes he is doing so. Donald Barthelme wrote this with a light touch, but I couldn鈥檛 imagine an author damning his own society and culture with more vitriol and scorn. John Gardner wrote how Barthelme lacked a moral sense. What the hell were you thinking, John?!
America, the land of hard drugs
To combat the uprising, Bob notes: 鈥淲e sent more heroin into the ghetto.鈥� And the emphasis is on 鈥渕ore鈥� since it is well documented how the U.S. government permitted and even encouraged the influx of hard drugs into poor black neighborhoods. Ironically, the outrage over the widespread use of hard drugs began once drug usage and addiction entered the fabric of middle class suburbia. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 alone in detecting a direct link between the use of drugs -- hard drugs, prescription drugs, recreational drugs - and the emotional numbness people have to the ocean of detritus overwhelming their lives.
America, the land of booze and passion
Bob actively participates in more extreme torture. Doesn鈥檛 bother Bob in the least. Bob simply gets more and more drunk and falls more and more in love. Even when he hears children have been killed in masses, Bob barely reacts. Have some more booze, Bob, as that will solve all your problems. All this Bob stuff occurring in a world where, 鈥淭he officer commanding the garbage dump reported by radio that the garbage had begun to move.鈥� Also, 鈥淪trings of language extend in every direction to bind the world into a rushing, ribald whole.鈥� Have another drink, Bob, and convince yourself you are falling more and more in love.
August 29, 2023
I spent this past summer with Barthelme鈥檚 Sixty Stories never far from my side as my most recent 鈥榙ashboard book鈥�. The stories contained in this hilarious and bizarre collection are rarely more than 5-10pgs in length, making them a perfect companion to turn to whenever you find a few spare moments where you want to simple get-in-and-get-out while still walking away with a headful of ideas to chew on. The stories are as varied as the horizon viewed through a travelling car, often as pretty as the sunset or as gloomy as pouring rain. With strong influences of (of whom Barthelme was quick to admit in interviews, saying 鈥�I'm enormously impressed by Beckett. I'm just overwhelmed by Beckett, as Beckett was, I speculate, by Joyce.鈥� in an interview with Jerome Klinkowitz), , and , Barthelme creates powerful scenes of absurdist black-comedy that both challenge the intellect and tug the heartstrings as his characters play out their sad fates upon the page.
Each story is a breath of fresh air, even from one another. The styles, themes and lexicon of each story vary, often dramatically, illustrating Barthelme鈥檚 wide linguistic and narrative aptitudes. It would be hard for a reader to not find at least a few stories that seem geared to them, making this collection rather accessible to a large audience. While I greatly enjoyed most of these stories, finding a few filler tales along the way, I feel that some of the ones I disliked aren鈥檛 necessarily 鈥榖ad鈥�, but just not for me, whereas another reader might particularly enjoy the ones I did not. Much of the enjoyment comes from being able to deduce what Barthelme is trying to get across; these stories read like an elaborate joke and sometimes a reader won鈥檛 鈥榞et it鈥� on the first attempt (there were a few that I finished, thought 鈥榳hat the hell?鈥� and had to carefully go back through). Some of the language and stylistic choices are bewildering, but often they were just the sort of unique postmodernist obfuscation or structure that I really love.
The stories are often strange, surrealistic, and absurd, yet done with just the right amount of flair and subtlety. Barthelme鈥檚 surrealist narratives seem to be a precursor to more modern types of bizarre fiction, however, Barthelme is never 鈥榳eird for the sake of weirdness鈥� and the absurdist qualities of Barthelme feel more dreamlike, where each aberration of normalcy seems to fit right it and it isn鈥檛 until the dreamer awakes that they notice anything was amiss. Everything is grounded in the theme and overall message of the story, and you will find King Kong as a history professor socializing at a party, an adult stuck in middle school to do a clerical error, a reptilian lesbian confronting the infidelities of her human lover, a city wide balloon and an extraterrestrial president with possible mind-control all read with surprising normalcy.
The comparisons to other great authors, especially the postmodernists like Pynchon, is difficult to avoid in a collection with such a wide range of styles as this one. There are straightforward, 3rd person tales, claustrophobic first person rants, 3rd person rants (occasionally in one, long multi-paged sentence) stories done entirely through dialogue which calls to mind William Gaddis, and a few stories that are more an exploration of an idea, such as the essay-like qualities of On Angels that recalls Borges. I鈥檝e wondered how much of Barthelme that David Foster Wallace read, as the story Robert Kennedy, Saved From Drowning read as if it was an early version of DFW鈥檚 own Lyndon. Barthelme鈥檚 Mr. Sandman, in which a man writes a letter to his girlfriend鈥檚 therapist in a highly self-conscious manner arguing that it is her faults and flaws that he is in love with and of which he does not want tampered with (it is a rather touching story), is another story where DFW was immediately brought to mind. For anyone with a burning love for Wallace as I have, this collection has many examples that will satisfy that particular thirst. There are a surprisingly large amount of touching stories, and an equal amount of comically cynical stories of adultery, failures and frustration with the social structure. It is his cynical side that really gets me, such as the story mocking the Phantom of the Opera, having him an old, pathetic man who鈥檚 theatrics of appearing and disappearing in an flash annoy his only friend, his constant longings for lost love reduced to mere whines, and the wonderful concluding sentence of 鈥�until the hot meat of romance is cooled by the dull gravy of common sense鈥�. Compare that to the way he is able to move from an intellectual inquiry of signs and symbols in The Balloon to an extremely moving and romantic final paragraph. Simply put, this guy works pure magic.
For anyone who loves the postmodernists and would like to be moved or posed with an intellectual puzzle in small, bite-sized doses, then this collection is just begging to be added to your bookshelf. The philosophic, emotional and societal investigations are sharp and witty, the humor dark, and the settings surreal. This collection will reinstate your beliefs in the powers of language and literature and you will be pleasantly surprised with what he can do in a short amount of space.
4.5/5 (rounded up)
If you would like to wet your whistle with Barthelme鈥檚 wit, here are a few stories to try:
(often considered one of his best)
(for LOST fans, try not to think of the Hatch)
Also, here is an insightful article on 60 Stories from The New York Times:
Each story is a breath of fresh air, even from one another. The styles, themes and lexicon of each story vary, often dramatically, illustrating Barthelme鈥檚 wide linguistic and narrative aptitudes. It would be hard for a reader to not find at least a few stories that seem geared to them, making this collection rather accessible to a large audience. While I greatly enjoyed most of these stories, finding a few filler tales along the way, I feel that some of the ones I disliked aren鈥檛 necessarily 鈥榖ad鈥�, but just not for me, whereas another reader might particularly enjoy the ones I did not. Much of the enjoyment comes from being able to deduce what Barthelme is trying to get across; these stories read like an elaborate joke and sometimes a reader won鈥檛 鈥榞et it鈥� on the first attempt (there were a few that I finished, thought 鈥榳hat the hell?鈥� and had to carefully go back through). Some of the language and stylistic choices are bewildering, but often they were just the sort of unique postmodernist obfuscation or structure that I really love.
The stories are often strange, surrealistic, and absurd, yet done with just the right amount of flair and subtlety. Barthelme鈥檚 surrealist narratives seem to be a precursor to more modern types of bizarre fiction, however, Barthelme is never 鈥榳eird for the sake of weirdness鈥� and the absurdist qualities of Barthelme feel more dreamlike, where each aberration of normalcy seems to fit right it and it isn鈥檛 until the dreamer awakes that they notice anything was amiss. Everything is grounded in the theme and overall message of the story, and you will find King Kong as a history professor socializing at a party, an adult stuck in middle school to do a clerical error, a reptilian lesbian confronting the infidelities of her human lover, a city wide balloon and an extraterrestrial president with possible mind-control all read with surprising normalcy.
The comparisons to other great authors, especially the postmodernists like Pynchon, is difficult to avoid in a collection with such a wide range of styles as this one. There are straightforward, 3rd person tales, claustrophobic first person rants, 3rd person rants (occasionally in one, long multi-paged sentence) stories done entirely through dialogue which calls to mind William Gaddis, and a few stories that are more an exploration of an idea, such as the essay-like qualities of On Angels that recalls Borges. I鈥檝e wondered how much of Barthelme that David Foster Wallace read, as the story Robert Kennedy, Saved From Drowning read as if it was an early version of DFW鈥檚 own Lyndon. Barthelme鈥檚 Mr. Sandman, in which a man writes a letter to his girlfriend鈥檚 therapist in a highly self-conscious manner arguing that it is her faults and flaws that he is in love with and of which he does not want tampered with (it is a rather touching story), is another story where DFW was immediately brought to mind. For anyone with a burning love for Wallace as I have, this collection has many examples that will satisfy that particular thirst. There are a surprisingly large amount of touching stories, and an equal amount of comically cynical stories of adultery, failures and frustration with the social structure. It is his cynical side that really gets me, such as the story mocking the Phantom of the Opera, having him an old, pathetic man who鈥檚 theatrics of appearing and disappearing in an flash annoy his only friend, his constant longings for lost love reduced to mere whines, and the wonderful concluding sentence of 鈥�until the hot meat of romance is cooled by the dull gravy of common sense鈥�. Compare that to the way he is able to move from an intellectual inquiry of signs and symbols in The Balloon to an extremely moving and romantic final paragraph. Simply put, this guy works pure magic.
For anyone who loves the postmodernists and would like to be moved or posed with an intellectual puzzle in small, bite-sized doses, then this collection is just begging to be added to your bookshelf. The philosophic, emotional and societal investigations are sharp and witty, the humor dark, and the settings surreal. This collection will reinstate your beliefs in the powers of language and literature and you will be pleasantly surprised with what he can do in a short amount of space.
4.5/5 (rounded up)
If you would like to wet your whistle with Barthelme鈥檚 wit, here are a few stories to try:
(often considered one of his best)
(for LOST fans, try not to think of the Hatch)
Also, here is an insightful article on 60 Stories from The New York Times:
Currently reading
March 15, 2014The first thing I ever read from the field of cognitive linguistics, which has stayed with me till the present moment, was Mark Turner's notion that "one reads Shakespeare in order to have a brain that has read Shakespeare." The original context was something about Hirsch's crap about cultural literacy and a rebuttal of the notion that we read Shakespeare simply to attain a few cultural benchmarks (blech), as if cocktail party conversation were the final arbiter of literary merit and purpose. Anyway, I liked Turner's point, and I really like what Barthelme is doing to my brain this week. I wouldn't say he's altering it so much as bringing forth latent tendencies...sort of like applying cognitive makeup to enhance what's already there. And truly, is there a better, more consummate ending to a short story than this: "Then we shook hands, Mrs. Davis and I, and she set out Ralphward, and I, Maudeward, the glow of hope not yet extinguished, the fear of pall not yet triumphant, standby generators ensuring the flow of grace to all of God's creatures at the end of the mechanical age." ?
August 29, 2010
Barthelme is the short story writer for me. I loved these mad, witty, clever but not clever-clever, surreal and speculative stories. Barthelme has a style and range utterly unique to him and uses a fragmented, avant-garde approach to tell his cryptic and weirdly moving stories.
I can't pick a favourite from these. They were dazzling, one and all. Hooray for discovering new writers!
I can't pick a favourite from these. They were dazzling, one and all. Hooray for discovering new writers!
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March 12, 2024芯褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 褑褟 泻薪懈谐邪 屑邪褦 袙袠袣袥挟效袧袨 蟹屑褨褋褌芯胁薪褨, 锌芯屑褨褉泻芯胁邪薪褨 褌邪 谐谢懈斜芯泻芯 薪邪褋懈褔械薪褨 褋屑懈褋谢邪屑懈 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟, 褟 褉芯蟹褉芯斜懈胁 胁谢邪褋薪褍 褕泻邪谢褍 芯褑褨薪泻懈. 胁芯薪邪 胁懈谐谢褟写邪褦 褌邪泻:
斜芯谢写 - 锌芯胁薪芯褌褨谢械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟
褨褌邪谢褨泻 - 锌褨写褋褌褍锌薪械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟
斜械蟹 蟹屑褨薪 - 锌谢褞谐邪胁械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟
褋褌褉邪泄泻 - 褕邪谢邪薪写邪 褕谢邪泻芯斜谢芯泻褨胁
邪薪写械褉谢邪泄薪 - 谐邪褉屑懈写械褉
褨 蟹邪褉邪蟹 屑懈 蟹 胁邪屑懈, 谢褞斜褨 写褉褍蟹褨, 芯褑褨薪懈屑芯 泻芯卸薪械 蟹 褕褨褋褌懈写械褋褟褌懈. 泻芯卸薪械. 蟹 褕褨褋褌懈写械褋褟褌懈. 蟹 60. 泻芯谢懈褋褜 胁 谢邪屑锌芯褔泻邪褏 斜褍谢芯 褋褌褨谢褜泻懈 胁邪褌褌, 泻芯卸薪邪 胁邪褌褌懈薪泻邪 泄 泻芯卸械薪 胁邪褌褌懈褔芯泻 锌褉芯褋懈薪邪谢懈褋褟 胁褨写 锌械褉褕芯谐芯 卸 泻谢邪褑邪薪薪褟 胁懈屑懈泻邪褔械屑, 胁懈褕懈泻芯胁褍胁邪谢懈褋褜 胁 褕械褉械薪谐褍 泻芯谢芯屑, 褏邪锌邪谢懈 芯写薪械 芯写薪芯谐芯 蟹邪 褋胁芯褩 写褉褨斜薪械薪褜泻褨 胁邪褌褌褟褔褨 褉褍褔械薪褟褌邪 褨 谐芯谢芯褋薪芯 胁芯谢邪褞褔懈 蟹邪谐芯褉褟谢懈褋褜, 邪谢械 蟹邪褉邪蟹 褑械 谢懈褕械 泻褨谢褜泻褨褋褌褜 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜 斜邪褉褌械谢屑褨. 褩褏:
褕 褨 褋 褌 褜 写 械 褋 褟 褌 泻 褨 胁.
褨 薪械 褋屑褨泄褌械 胁褨写胁械褉褌邪褌懈褋褟, 斜芯 褟 胁邪褋 锌芯 邪泄锌褨褕薪懈泻褍 胁懈褔褨褋谢褞. 泻芯卸薪芯谐芯. 邪 褖械 褍 薪邪褋 斜褍写褍褌褜 褑懈褌邪褌懈. 褟 泻邪蟹邪胁? 褟 泻邪卸褍. 褍 薪邪褋 斜褍写褍褌褜 褑懈褌邪褌懈. 邪谢械 薪械 胁褋褞写懈. 褌褨谢褜泻懈 褌芯写褨, 泻芯谢懈 屑械薪褨 褑褜芯谐芯 蟹邪褏芯褔械褌褜褋褟. 褑懈褌邪褌懈 斜褍写褍褌褜 斜械蟹 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌褍, 斜芯 褟泻褖芯 褌褉芯褕泻懈 锌芯写褍屑邪褌懈 锌芯褉芯蟹屑懈褕谢褟褌褜 锌芯屑褨褉泻褍胁邪褌懈, 褌芯 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌 褍 泻芯卸薪芯谐芯 褋胁褨泄. 薪邪胁褨褌褜 蟹邪褉邪蟹 屑褨泄 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌 鈥� 褑械 屑褨泄 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌, 邪 胁邪褕 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌 鈥� 胁邪褕.
芯 褌 卸 械
褌
卸
械
1. 斜械褉械谐懈. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 携 褉芯蟹屑芯胁谢褟褞 蟹 褌芯斜芯褞, 鈥� 褋泻邪蟹邪胁 袝写胁邪褉写, 鈥� 褔械褉械蟹 褕懈褉芯泻褍 锌褉褨褉胁褍 薪械胁褨谐谢邪褋褌胁邪 褨 褌械屑褉褟胁懈. <鈥�> 效懈 薪械 屑褨谐 斜懈 褌懈 锌芯褌褉懈屑邪褌懈 褏胁懈谢懈薪芯褔泻褍 屑芯褩 泻邪褉褌芯薪泻懈?
2. 蟹芯谢芯褌懈泄 写芯褖. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袦芯卸谢懈胁芯, 胁邪褋 褨 薪械 褑褨泻邪胁懈褌褜 邪斜褋褍褉写, 鈥� 褋泻邪蟹邪谢邪 胁芯薪邪 胁锌械胁薪械薪芯, 鈥� 邪谢械 邪斜褋褍褉写 褌芯褔薪芯 褑褨泻邪胁懈褌褜褋褟 胁邪屑懈.
3. 褟 褨 屑褨褋 屑械薪写懈斜谢.
4. 斜芯 褟 褋邪屑械 褌芯泄.
5. 褉芯蟹泻邪卸械褌械 屑械薪褨.
6. 锌芯胁褨褌褉褟薪邪 泻褍谢褟.
7. 锌褉械蟹懈写械薪褌.
8. 谐褉邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 楔芯褌胁械谢谢 褌褉懈屑邪褦 泻邪屑褨薪褔懈泻懈 褌邪 谐褍屑芯胁懈泄 屑始褟褔懈泻 褍 褋胁芯褦屑褍 泻械泄褋褨 泄 薪械 写芯蟹胁芯谢褟褦 屑械薪褨 薪懈屑懈 谐褉邪褌懈褋褟.
9.邪谢褨褋邪.
10. 褉芯斜械褉褌 泻械薪薪械写褨, 胁褉褟褌芯胁邪薪懈泄 胁褨写 锌芯褌芯锌邪薪薪褟.
11. 蟹胁褨褌. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袦懈 屑邪褦屑芯 蟹谐褉邪褩 褉懈斜, 褖芯 薪邪锌邪写邪褌懈屑褍褌褜 薪邪 褩褏薪褨褏 褉懈斜.
12. 褌械谢械锌械薪褜.
13. 斜邪褔懈褕 屑褨褋褟褑褜?
14. 锌芯胁褋褌邪薪褟 褨薪写褨邪薪褑褨胁.
15. 泻邪褉褌懈薪懈 褉懈写邪薪薪褟 屑芯谐芯 斜邪褌褜泻邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袨写懈薪 褕谢褟褏褌懈褔 褩褏邪胁 胁褍谢懈褑械褞 褍 褋胁芯褦屑褍 械泻褨锌邪卸褨. 袙褨薪 锌械褉械褩褏邪胁 屑芯谐芯 斜邪褌褜泻邪.
16. 锌邪褉邪覒胁邪泄. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袩芯胁械褉褏薪褨 胁 袩邪褉邪覒胁邪褩 褌邪泻褨 谐谢邪写械薪褜泻褨, 褖芯 胁褋械 薪械 褌邪泻械 谐谢邪写械薪褜泻械 褑褨薪褍褦褌褜褋褟 薪邪写蟹胁懈褔邪泄薪芯 写芯褉芯谐芯.
17. 锌褉芯 邪薪谐械谢褨胁.
18. 锌褉懈褟褌械谢褜 锌褉懈胁懈写邪 芯锌械褉懈.
19. 卸懈褌褌褟 胁 屑褨褋褌褨. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袙 械谢械泻褌褉懈褔薪褨泄 泻芯屑锌邪薪褨褩 蟹邪锌邪薪褍胁邪谢邪 薪械褉胁芯蟹薪褨褋褌褜, 泻芯谢懈 写褍屑泻邪 袪邪屑芯薪懈 蟹邪锌褍褋褌懈谢邪褋褜 褍 锌邪褉邪锌褋懈褏芯谢芯谐褨褔薪懈泄 锌褉芯褋褌褨褉.
20. 泻始褦褉泻械覒芯褉 薪械褋锌褉邪胁械写谢懈胁懈泄 写芯 褕谢械覒械谢褟.
21.褋芯斜邪泻邪-胁懈锌邪写邪泻邪.
22.锌芯谢褨褑械泄褋褜泻懈泄 斜邪谢.
23. 褋泻谢褟薪邪 谐芯褉邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袨褋褌邪薪薪褨屑 褔邪褋芯屑 薪邪写屑褨褉薪芯 锌芯褋谢邪斜褕邪胁 锌褉懈褋褌褉邪褋薪懈泄 褨薪褌械褉械褋 写芯 褉械邪谢褜薪芯褋褌褨.
24. critique de la vie quotidienne.
25. 锌褨褋芯褔薪懈泄 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻.
26. tr盲umerei.
27. 锌褨写泄芯屑 泻邪锌褨褌邪谢褨蟹屑褍. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袟邪锌械褉械褔械薪薪褟 蟹邪锌械褉械褔械薪薪褟 蟹邪褋薪芯胁邪薪芯 薪邪 锌褉邪胁懈谢褜薪芯屑褍 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪薪褨 薪械锌褉邪胁懈谢褜薪懈褏 泻薪懈卸芯泻.
28. 屑褨褋褌芯 褑械褉泻芯胁.
29.写芯屑始褦.
30.胁械褔褨褉泻邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袥褞写懈薪邪 褋锌褉懈泄屑邪褦 褋胁褨褌 写械褖芯 褨薪邪泻褕械 锌芯褉褨胁薪褟薪芯 蟹 屑邪胁锌芯褞, 邪谢械 褑械 薪械 芯蟹薪邪褔邪褦, 褖芯 屑械薪褨 薪械 锌芯写芯斜邪褞褌褜褋褟 锌邪褉褎褍屑芯胁邪薪褨 薪芯褔褨.
邪薪褌褉邪泻褌 薪邪 薪械泄屑写褉芯锌懈薪谐: 褕褌懈斜谢械褌懈 斜芯褟谐褍蟹邪, 谢褞写胁褨谐 胁褨褌谐械薪褕褌邪泄薪, 屑邪褌褉懈褑褟, 械屑屑邪薪褍褩谢 褋胁械写械薪斜芯褉谐, 泻芯褏邪薪泻邪 胁褨褌谐械薪褕褌邪泄薪邪, 邪褎邪薪邪褋褨泄 邪褎芯薪褋褜泻懈泄, 邪褉褌褍褉 胁械谢谢褋谢褨 胁械谢谢褨薪谐褌芯薪, 锌邪薪 屑芯薪斜谢邪薪, 械谢谢邪 褎褨褑写卸械褉邪谢写. 芯写薪械-写胁邪 褨屑械薪褨 胁 褌械泻褋褌褨 薪械 蟹谐邪写褍胁邪谢芯褋褜. 褖械 芯写薪械 褟 胁懈谐邪写邪胁. 邪谢械 薪械 褌褍褌, 褉邪薪褨褕械, 褖械 胁 写懈褌懈薪褋褌胁褨 胁懈谐邪写邪胁. 褟 胁邪屑 褟泻芯褋褜 锌芯褌褨屑 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨屑.
31.械卸械薪褨 覒褉邪薪写械.
32.薪褨褖芯: 锌芯锌械褉械写薪褦 胁褉邪卸械薪薪褟.
33. 锌芯褋褨斜薪懈泻 写谢褟 褋懈薪褨胁. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袧褨褟泻芯褩 锌芯褌褉械斜懈 胁斜懈胁邪褌懈 斜邪褌褜泻邪 鈥� 泄芯谐芯 胁斜始褦 褔邪褋.
34.薪邪锌褉懈泻褨薪褑褨 屑械褏邪薪褨褔薪芯谐芯 胁褨泻褍.
35. 褉械斜械泻泻邪.
36. 蟹邪褏芯锌谢械薪邪 卸褨薪泻邪.
37. 褟 锌褉懈写斜邪胁 薪械胁械谢懈褔泻械 屑褨褋褌芯.
38. 褋械褉卸邪薪褌.
39. 褕泻芯谢邪.
40. 胁械谢懈泻褨 芯斜褨泄屑懈.
41. 薪邪褕邪 褉芯斜芯褌邪 褌邪 褔芯屑褍 屑懈 褩褩 褉芯斜懈屑芯.
42. 泻褉懈蟹邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袩芯胁褋褌邪薪褑褨 胁胁褨泄褕谢懈 写芯 泻谢褨褌芯泻 蟹 锌褉懈褉褍褔械薪懈屑懈 褌胁邪褉懈薪邪屑懈 泄 薪褨卸薪芯 蟹 薪懈屑懈 谐褉邪褞褌褜褋褟.
43. 泻芯褉褌械褋 褨 屑芯薪褌械褋褍屑邪.
44. 薪芯胁邪 屑褍蟹懈泻邪.
45. 蟹芯屑斜褨.
46. 泻芯褉芯谢褜 写卸邪蟹褍.
47.褉邪薪芯泻.
48. 褋屑械褉褌褜 械写胁邪褉写邪 谢褨褉邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 小屑械褉褌褜 袝写胁邪褉写邪 袥褨褉邪 褋褌邪谢邪褋褟 薪械写褨谢褜薪懈屑 褉邪薪泻芯屑 褍 褌褉邪胁薪褨 1888 褉芯泻褍. 袟邪锌褉芯褕械薪薪褟 褉芯蟹褨褋谢邪谢懈 蟹邪写芯胁谐芯 写芯 锌芯写褨褩.
49. 胁懈泻褉邪写械薪薪褟 褨蟹 褋械褉邪谢褞. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袆写懈薪械, 褖芯 锌械褉械胁械褉褕褍褦 泻褉邪褋褍 卸褨薪泻懈, 鈥� 褑械 写胁芯褌邪胁褉芯胁邪 斜邪谢泻邪, 锌芯褎邪褉斜芯胁邪薪邪 胁 褟褋泻褉邪胁芯-卸芯胁褌懈泄 泻芯谢褨褉.
50. 薪邪 褋褏芯写邪褏 泻芯薪褋械褉胁邪褌芯褉褨褩.
51. 褋褌褉懈斜芯泻. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袦械薪械 薪邪写懈褏邪褦 胁懈薪芯 屑芯卸谢懈胁芯褋褌械泄 褨 蟹褉芯褋褌邪薪薪褟 锌芯锌褍谢褟褉薪芯褋褌褨 褋胁褨褌谢邪.
52.邪褉褨褟.
53. 褋屑邪褉邪谐写. ________ ________ 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 笑械, 屑芯卸谢懈胁芯, 褔械褉械蟹 褋械锌褋懈褋 胁邪褕芯褩 锌褉芯褎械褋褨褩? 鈥� 胁懈褋谢芯胁懈胁 锌褉懈锌褍褖械薪薪褟 褋屑邪褉邪谐写.
54. 褟泻 褟 锌懈褕褍 锌褨褋薪褨.
55. 锌褉芯褖邪薪薪褟.
56. 褨屑锌械褉邪褌芯褉.
57. 褌邪褩谢邪薪写. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袧械 屑芯卸褍 锌芯胁褨褉懈褌懈, 褖芯 褋懈写卸褍 褨 褋谢褍褏邪褞 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写褜 褑褜芯谐芯 屑邪褉邪蟹屑邪褌懈泻邪 锌褉芯 泻邪褉褨 蟹 胁褍谐褉邪.
58. 谐械褉芯褩.
59. 斜褨褕芯锌.
60. 斜邪斜褍褋懈薪 写褨屑.
褟泻 斜邪褔懈褌械, 褋械褉械写 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜 斜褍谢懈 锌芯胁薪芯褌褨谢褨 泄 锌褨写褋褌褍锌薪褨, 锌谢褞谐邪胁褨 泄 锌褨写卸邪褉褨 (褌邪泻懈褏 薪械 斜褍谢芯), 褕邪谢邪薪写邪 褕谢邪泻芯斜谢芯泻褨胁 褨 锌芯胁薪懈泄 谐邪褉屑懈写械褉. 褟泻懈泄 胁懈褋薪芯胁芯泻 屑懈 蟹 褑褜芯谐芯 褉芯斜懈屑芯? 锌褨褕芯胁 褌懈 胁 褋褉邪泻褍,褋械屑褞械谢 斜械泻泻械褌褌 写芯薪邪谢褜写 斜邪褉褌械谢屑褨. 芯褋褜 褟泻懈泄.
馃枻
斜芯谢写 - 锌芯胁薪芯褌褨谢械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟
褨褌邪谢褨泻 - 锌褨写褋褌褍锌薪械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟
斜械蟹 蟹屑褨薪 - 锌谢褞谐邪胁械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟
邪薪写械褉谢邪泄薪 - 谐邪褉屑懈写械褉
褨 蟹邪褉邪蟹 屑懈 蟹 胁邪屑懈, 谢褞斜褨 写褉褍蟹褨, 芯褑褨薪懈屑芯 泻芯卸薪械 蟹 褕褨褋褌懈写械褋褟褌懈. 泻芯卸薪械. 蟹 褕褨褋褌懈写械褋褟褌懈. 蟹 60. 泻芯谢懈褋褜 胁 谢邪屑锌芯褔泻邪褏 斜褍谢芯 褋褌褨谢褜泻懈 胁邪褌褌, 泻芯卸薪邪 胁邪褌褌懈薪泻邪 泄 泻芯卸械薪 胁邪褌褌懈褔芯泻 锌褉芯褋懈薪邪谢懈褋褟 胁褨写 锌械褉褕芯谐芯 卸 泻谢邪褑邪薪薪褟 胁懈屑懈泻邪褔械屑, 胁懈褕懈泻芯胁褍胁邪谢懈褋褜 胁 褕械褉械薪谐褍 泻芯谢芯屑, 褏邪锌邪谢懈 芯写薪械 芯写薪芯谐芯 蟹邪 褋胁芯褩 写褉褨斜薪械薪褜泻褨 胁邪褌褌褟褔褨 褉褍褔械薪褟褌邪 褨 谐芯谢芯褋薪芯 胁芯谢邪褞褔懈 蟹邪谐芯褉褟谢懈褋褜, 邪谢械 蟹邪褉邪蟹 褑械 谢懈褕械 泻褨谢褜泻褨褋褌褜 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜 斜邪褉褌械谢屑褨. 褩褏:
褕 褨 褋 褌 褜 写 械 褋 褟 褌 泻 褨 胁.
褨 薪械 褋屑褨泄褌械 胁褨写胁械褉褌邪褌懈褋褟, 斜芯 褟 胁邪褋 锌芯 邪泄锌褨褕薪懈泻褍 胁懈褔褨褋谢褞. 泻芯卸薪芯谐芯. 邪 褖械 褍 薪邪褋 斜褍写褍褌褜 褑懈褌邪褌懈. 褟 泻邪蟹邪胁? 褟 泻邪卸褍. 褍 薪邪褋 斜褍写褍褌褜 褑懈褌邪褌懈. 邪谢械 薪械 胁褋褞写懈. 褌褨谢褜泻懈 褌芯写褨, 泻芯谢懈 屑械薪褨 褑褜芯谐芯 蟹邪褏芯褔械褌褜褋褟. 褑懈褌邪褌懈 斜褍写褍褌褜 斜械蟹 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌褍, 斜芯 褟泻褖芯 褌褉芯褕泻懈 锌芯写褍屑邪褌懈 锌芯褉芯蟹屑懈褕谢褟褌褜 锌芯屑褨褉泻褍胁邪褌懈, 褌芯 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌 褍 泻芯卸薪芯谐芯 褋胁褨泄. 薪邪胁褨褌褜 蟹邪褉邪蟹 屑褨泄 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌 鈥� 褑械 屑褨泄 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌, 邪 胁邪褕 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌 鈥� 胁邪褕.
芯 褌 卸 械
褌
卸
械
1. 斜械褉械谐懈. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 携 褉芯蟹屑芯胁谢褟褞 蟹 褌芯斜芯褞, 鈥� 褋泻邪蟹邪胁 袝写胁邪褉写, 鈥� 褔械褉械蟹 褕懈褉芯泻褍 锌褉褨褉胁褍 薪械胁褨谐谢邪褋褌胁邪 褨 褌械屑褉褟胁懈. <鈥�> 效懈 薪械 屑褨谐 斜懈 褌懈 锌芯褌褉懈屑邪褌懈 褏胁懈谢懈薪芯褔泻褍 屑芯褩 泻邪褉褌芯薪泻懈?
2. 蟹芯谢芯褌懈泄 写芯褖. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袦芯卸谢懈胁芯, 胁邪褋 褨 薪械 褑褨泻邪胁懈褌褜 邪斜褋褍褉写, 鈥� 褋泻邪蟹邪谢邪 胁芯薪邪 胁锌械胁薪械薪芯, 鈥� 邪谢械 邪斜褋褍褉写 褌芯褔薪芯 褑褨泻邪胁懈褌褜褋褟 胁邪屑懈.
3. 褟 褨 屑褨褋 屑械薪写懈斜谢.
4. 斜芯 褟 褋邪屑械 褌芯泄.
5. 褉芯蟹泻邪卸械褌械 屑械薪褨.
6. 锌芯胁褨褌褉褟薪邪 泻褍谢褟.
7. 锌褉械蟹懈写械薪褌.
8. 谐褉邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 楔芯褌胁械谢谢 褌褉懈屑邪褦 泻邪屑褨薪褔懈泻懈 褌邪 谐褍屑芯胁懈泄 屑始褟褔懈泻 褍 褋胁芯褦屑褍 泻械泄褋褨 泄 薪械 写芯蟹胁芯谢褟褦 屑械薪褨 薪懈屑懈 谐褉邪褌懈褋褟.
9.
10. 褉芯斜械褉褌 泻械薪薪械写褨, 胁褉褟褌芯胁邪薪懈泄 胁褨写 锌芯褌芯锌邪薪薪褟.
11. 蟹胁褨褌. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袦懈 屑邪褦屑芯 蟹谐褉邪褩 褉懈斜, 褖芯 薪邪锌邪写邪褌懈屑褍褌褜 薪邪 褩褏薪褨褏 褉懈斜.
12. 褌械谢械锌械薪褜.
13. 斜邪褔懈褕 屑褨褋褟褑褜?
14. 锌芯胁褋褌邪薪褟 褨薪写褨邪薪褑褨胁.
15. 泻邪褉褌懈薪懈 褉懈写邪薪薪褟 屑芯谐芯 斜邪褌褜泻邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袨写懈薪 褕谢褟褏褌懈褔 褩褏邪胁 胁褍谢懈褑械褞 褍 褋胁芯褦屑褍 械泻褨锌邪卸褨. 袙褨薪 锌械褉械褩褏邪胁 屑芯谐芯 斜邪褌褜泻邪.
16. 锌邪褉邪覒胁邪泄. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袩芯胁械褉褏薪褨 胁 袩邪褉邪覒胁邪褩 褌邪泻褨 谐谢邪写械薪褜泻褨, 褖芯 胁褋械 薪械 褌邪泻械 谐谢邪写械薪褜泻械 褑褨薪褍褦褌褜褋褟 薪邪写蟹胁懈褔邪泄薪芯 写芯褉芯谐芯.
17. 锌褉芯 邪薪谐械谢褨胁.
18. 锌褉懈褟褌械谢褜 锌褉懈胁懈写邪 芯锌械褉懈.
19. 卸懈褌褌褟 胁 屑褨褋褌褨. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袙 械谢械泻褌褉懈褔薪褨泄 泻芯屑锌邪薪褨褩 蟹邪锌邪薪褍胁邪谢邪 薪械褉胁芯蟹薪褨褋褌褜, 泻芯谢懈 写褍屑泻邪 袪邪屑芯薪懈 蟹邪锌褍褋褌懈谢邪褋褜 褍 锌邪褉邪锌褋懈褏芯谢芯谐褨褔薪懈泄 锌褉芯褋褌褨褉.
20. 泻始褦褉泻械覒芯褉 薪械褋锌褉邪胁械写谢懈胁懈泄 写芯 褕谢械覒械谢褟.
21.
22.
23. 褋泻谢褟薪邪 谐芯褉邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袨褋褌邪薪薪褨屑 褔邪褋芯屑 薪邪写屑褨褉薪芯 锌芯褋谢邪斜褕邪胁 锌褉懈褋褌褉邪褋薪懈泄 褨薪褌械褉械褋 写芯 褉械邪谢褜薪芯褋褌褨.
24. critique de la vie quotidienne.
25. 锌褨褋芯褔薪懈泄 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻.
26. tr盲umerei.
27. 锌褨写泄芯屑 泻邪锌褨褌邪谢褨蟹屑褍. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袟邪锌械褉械褔械薪薪褟 蟹邪锌械褉械褔械薪薪褟 蟹邪褋薪芯胁邪薪芯 薪邪 锌褉邪胁懈谢褜薪芯屑褍 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪薪褨 薪械锌褉邪胁懈谢褜薪懈褏 泻薪懈卸芯泻.
28. 屑褨褋褌芯 褑械褉泻芯胁.
29.
30.
邪薪褌褉邪泻褌 薪邪 薪械泄屑写褉芯锌懈薪谐: 褕褌懈斜谢械褌懈 斜芯褟谐褍蟹邪, 谢褞写胁褨谐 胁褨褌谐械薪褕褌邪泄薪, 屑邪褌褉懈褑褟, 械屑屑邪薪褍褩谢 褋胁械写械薪斜芯褉谐, 泻芯褏邪薪泻邪 胁褨褌谐械薪褕褌邪泄薪邪, 邪褎邪薪邪褋褨泄 邪褎芯薪褋褜泻懈泄, 邪褉褌褍褉 胁械谢谢褋谢褨 胁械谢谢褨薪谐褌芯薪, 锌邪薪 屑芯薪斜谢邪薪, 械谢谢邪 褎褨褑写卸械褉邪谢写. 芯写薪械-写胁邪 褨屑械薪褨 胁 褌械泻褋褌褨 薪械 蟹谐邪写褍胁邪谢芯褋褜. 褖械 芯写薪械 褟 胁懈谐邪写邪胁. 邪谢械 薪械 褌褍褌, 褉邪薪褨褕械, 褖械 胁 写懈褌懈薪褋褌胁褨 胁懈谐邪写邪胁. 褟 胁邪屑 褟泻芯褋褜 锌芯褌褨屑 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨屑.
31.
32.
33. 锌芯褋褨斜薪懈泻 写谢褟 褋懈薪褨胁. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袧褨褟泻芯褩 锌芯褌褉械斜懈 胁斜懈胁邪褌懈 斜邪褌褜泻邪 鈥� 泄芯谐芯 胁斜始褦 褔邪褋.
34.
35. 褉械斜械泻泻邪.
36. 蟹邪褏芯锌谢械薪邪 卸褨薪泻邪.
37. 褟 锌褉懈写斜邪胁 薪械胁械谢懈褔泻械 屑褨褋褌芯.
38. 褋械褉卸邪薪褌.
39. 褕泻芯谢邪.
40. 胁械谢懈泻褨 芯斜褨泄屑懈.
41. 薪邪褕邪 褉芯斜芯褌邪 褌邪 褔芯屑褍 屑懈 褩褩 褉芯斜懈屑芯.
42. 泻褉懈蟹邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袩芯胁褋褌邪薪褑褨 胁胁褨泄褕谢懈 写芯 泻谢褨褌芯泻 蟹 锌褉懈褉褍褔械薪懈屑懈 褌胁邪褉懈薪邪屑懈 泄 薪褨卸薪芯 蟹 薪懈屑懈 谐褉邪褞褌褜褋褟.
43. 泻芯褉褌械褋 褨 屑芯薪褌械褋褍屑邪.
44. 薪芯胁邪 屑褍蟹懈泻邪.
45. 蟹芯屑斜褨.
46. 泻芯褉芯谢褜 写卸邪蟹褍.
47.
48. 褋屑械褉褌褜 械写胁邪褉写邪 谢褨褉邪. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 小屑械褉褌褜 袝写胁邪褉写邪 袥褨褉邪 褋褌邪谢邪褋褟 薪械写褨谢褜薪懈屑 褉邪薪泻芯屑 褍 褌褉邪胁薪褨 1888 褉芯泻褍. 袟邪锌褉芯褕械薪薪褟 褉芯蟹褨褋谢邪谢懈 蟹邪写芯胁谐芯 写芯 锌芯写褨褩.
49. 胁懈泻褉邪写械薪薪褟 褨蟹 褋械褉邪谢褞. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袆写懈薪械, 褖芯 锌械褉械胁械褉褕褍褦 泻褉邪褋褍 卸褨薪泻懈, 鈥� 褑械 写胁芯褌邪胁褉芯胁邪 斜邪谢泻邪, 锌芯褎邪褉斜芯胁邪薪邪 胁 褟褋泻褉邪胁芯-卸芯胁褌懈泄 泻芯谢褨褉.
50. 薪邪 褋褏芯写邪褏 泻芯薪褋械褉胁邪褌芯褉褨褩.
51. 褋褌褉懈斜芯泻. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袦械薪械 薪邪写懈褏邪褦 胁懈薪芯 屑芯卸谢懈胁芯褋褌械泄 褨 蟹褉芯褋褌邪薪薪褟 锌芯锌褍谢褟褉薪芯褋褌褨 褋胁褨褌谢邪.
52.
53. 褋屑邪褉邪谐写. ________ ________ 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 笑械, 屑芯卸谢懈胁芯, 褔械褉械蟹 褋械锌褋懈褋 胁邪褕芯褩 锌褉芯褎械褋褨褩? 鈥� 胁懈褋谢芯胁懈胁 锌褉懈锌褍褖械薪薪褟 褋屑邪褉邪谐写.
54. 褟泻 褟 锌懈褕褍 锌褨褋薪褨.
55. 锌褉芯褖邪薪薪褟.
56. 褨屑锌械褉邪褌芯褉.
57. 褌邪褩谢邪薪写. 笑袠孝袗孝袗 | 袧械 屑芯卸褍 锌芯胁褨褉懈褌懈, 褖芯 褋懈写卸褍 褨 褋谢褍褏邪褞 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写褜 褑褜芯谐芯 屑邪褉邪蟹屑邪褌懈泻邪 锌褉芯 泻邪褉褨 蟹 胁褍谐褉邪.
58. 谐械褉芯褩.
59. 斜褨褕芯锌.
60. 斜邪斜褍褋懈薪 写褨屑.
褟泻 斜邪褔懈褌械, 褋械褉械写 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜 斜褍谢懈 锌芯胁薪芯褌褨谢褨 泄 锌褨写褋褌褍锌薪褨, 锌谢褞谐邪胁褨 泄 锌褨写卸邪褉褨 (褌邪泻懈褏 薪械 斜褍谢芯), 褕邪谢邪薪写邪 褕谢邪泻芯斜谢芯泻褨胁 褨 锌芯胁薪懈泄 谐邪褉屑懈写械褉. 褟泻懈泄 胁懈褋薪芯胁芯泻 屑懈 蟹 褑褜芯谐芯 褉芯斜懈屑芯? 锌褨褕芯胁 褌懈 胁 褋褉邪泻褍,
馃枻
July 27, 2007
Sometimes I feel like a huge misfit writing fiction. I have some language-level obsession that doesn't always translate very well into "shit happening," which, let's face it, is crucial to a story. I think I always put more elbow grease into sentences and images, and particular cadences that please me. All of which is my roundabout way of praising Don Barthelme for writing stories that hit the aforementioned balls out of the park. Take heart, poets attempting to write fiction. The stories in this book will show you some fantastic possibilities.
By the way: collected works volumes are heartless, but they are economical. You may as well have it all in one place. Take your fucking vitamins.
By the way: collected works volumes are heartless, but they are economical. You may as well have it all in one place. Take your fucking vitamins.
August 23, 2018
The Indeterminacy of the Quotidian
"Whereof one cannot speak with clarity,
Thereof might one speak with obliquity."
D. J. Wittgenstein
All is Not Right in Barthelmeland
By the time I'd read the first couple of these 60 stories, I had started to wonder whether something in Barthelmeland was askew, whether something was not quite "right". So the purpose of much of my subsequent reading was to work out the cause. Here is the hypothesis that emerged:
Human beings communicate primarily by language. Language is designed to illuminate the world, so that we can see it, understand it, interact with it, and discuss it with others.
Language consists of words, signs and symbols (including metaphors).
In a semiotic sense, words derive meaning from a social compact about what each word means or signifies: 鈥淲e read signs as promises,鈥� Barthelme writes.
A Single Random Balloon
The arbitrarily chosen word "balloon" is supposed to signify a balloon, whatever the specific type or colour of balloon. When somebody uses the word, the listener or reader imagines a balloon (whether or not it is identical to the type or colour of balloon it signifies for the speaker or writer):
鈥淎s a single balloon must stand for a lifetime of thinking about balloons, so each citizen expressed, in the attitude he chose, a complex of attitudes.鈥� (48)
鈥淭he balloon, for the twenty-two days of its existence, offered the possibility, in its randomness, of mislocation of the self, in contradistinction to the grid of precise, rectangular pathways under our feet.鈥� (50)
The difference in signification reflects a degree of tolerance in what society will allow to facilitate clear communication:
鈥淲e have learned not to insist on meanings, and they are rarely even looked for now, except in cases involving the simplest, safest phenomena. It was agreed that since the meaning of balloon could never be known absolutely, extended discussion was pointless鈥︹€� (47)
Mystery and Darkness
Even within this level of tolerance, there is still scope for lack of clarity, obliquity, misunderstanding, disagreement, mystery and darkness: 鈥渁rrangements sometimes slip,...errors are made,...signs are misread...鈥� There is therefore mystery and darkness in the space or gap or gulf between words, and also between people (cross-eyed, we talk at cross-purposes):
鈥淚'm communicating with you across a vast gulf of ignorance and darkness.鈥� (1)
鈥淗e had, in point of fact, created a gentle, genial misunderstanding.鈥� (362)
Notwithstanding the gulf, people convince themselves that 鈥淸they] have confidence in their ability to take the right steps and to obtain correct answers.鈥� (27)
A Wonderful Sea in Which We Can Swim, Leap or Stumble
Like language, Barthelme writes of behaviour:
鈥淏ehaviour in general is a wonderful sea, in which we can swim, or leap, or stumble.鈥� (355)
Even though Barthelme writes with the precision of realism, he鈥檚 fascinated by this gulf, and what happens when people detect it. They don鈥檛 always take the right steps. Does it make people feel uneasy or uncomfortable? Is it the source of absurdity, of alienation, of dispute, of aggression, of mental illness?
Dread, Estrangement, Finitude
Barthelme describes the consequences for modern society:
鈥淧eople today...are hidden away inside themselves, alienated, desperate, living in anguish, despair and bad faith...Man stands alone in a featureless, anonymous landscape, in fear and trembling and sickness unto death. God is dead. Nothingness everywhere. Dread. Estrangement. Finitude.鈥� (8)
He attributes part of the problem to living and working under capitalism (and the social/cultural conditions it engenders):
鈥淎uthentic self-determination by individuals is thwarted. The false consciousness created and catered to by mass culture perpetuates ignorance and powerlessness...Bad faith.鈥� (201)
鈥淭he thing is you got to go to school, son, and get socialised.鈥� (249)
Authenticity and Irony, Estrangement and Poetry
This is Barthelme鈥檚 subject matter, but short fiction isn鈥檛 just his way of diagnosing the problem, it鈥檚 his way of treating it. He wants to find a way to achieve 鈥渁uthentic selfhood鈥� and 鈥渁uthentic self-determination鈥�.
Barthelme鈥檚 interest in authenticity leads him towards the use of irony (which is based on his reading of Kierkegaard):
鈥淚rony deprives the object of its reality when the ironist says something about the object that is not what he means. The object is deprived of its reality by what I've said about it. Irony is thus destructive and what Kierkegaard worries about a lot is that irony has nothing to put in place of what it has destroyed...An irony directed against the whole of existence [rather than a given object] produces, according to Kierkegaard, estrangement and poetry....Irony becomes an infinite absolute negativity. Quote the whole of existence has become alien to the ironic subject unquote.鈥� (158)
Broken Faith
Bad faith can equally be 鈥渂roken faith鈥�. Alienation splits people, and pits one part against another. We end up a vestige of what we once were, even if we weren鈥檛 wholly known or appreciated by another (or an other):
鈥淚 looked at her then to see if I could discover traces of what I had seen in the beginning. There were traces but only traces. Vestiges. Hints of a formerly intact mystery never to be returned to its original wholeness.鈥� (184)
These Minimalist stories reflect the concerns of Post-Modernism, only they never fall victim to the superficial depth of Maximalism, where mere name-dropping of philosophers is supposed to be enough to impress the reader.
B-SIDES & RARITIES
Bad Zombie
[In the Words of Donald Barthelme]
Oh what a pretty lady!
I would be nice to her!
Yes I would! I think so!
Mother/Love
[In the Words of Donald Barthelme]
I went to my
Mother and said,
Mother, I want
To be in love.
And she replied?
She said, me too.
What Did You Just Say?
I do hate fucking
Lawyers, but, you know,
Occasionally,
I have to make a
One-off exception.
I Can't Believe You Were There
[Apologies to Robyn Hitchcock]
I'm friends with a bimbo,
My arms are akimbo,
My mind is in limbo.
But She's a Stranger
[In the Words of Donald Barthelme]
Naked woman
In the next room.
On a couch.
Reclining.
Flowers in her hair.
I've seen one.
In a magazine.
That's Just The Way I Do It! [The Male Gaze]
If both my eyes were open,
I'd perve at all your naughty bits.
With only one eye closed,
I'd focus on your perfect tits.
SOUNDTRACK:
"Whereof one cannot speak with clarity,
Thereof might one speak with obliquity."
D. J. Wittgenstein
All is Not Right in Barthelmeland
By the time I'd read the first couple of these 60 stories, I had started to wonder whether something in Barthelmeland was askew, whether something was not quite "right". So the purpose of much of my subsequent reading was to work out the cause. Here is the hypothesis that emerged:
Human beings communicate primarily by language. Language is designed to illuminate the world, so that we can see it, understand it, interact with it, and discuss it with others.
Language consists of words, signs and symbols (including metaphors).
In a semiotic sense, words derive meaning from a social compact about what each word means or signifies: 鈥淲e read signs as promises,鈥� Barthelme writes.
A Single Random Balloon
The arbitrarily chosen word "balloon" is supposed to signify a balloon, whatever the specific type or colour of balloon. When somebody uses the word, the listener or reader imagines a balloon (whether or not it is identical to the type or colour of balloon it signifies for the speaker or writer):
鈥淎s a single balloon must stand for a lifetime of thinking about balloons, so each citizen expressed, in the attitude he chose, a complex of attitudes.鈥� (48)
鈥淭he balloon, for the twenty-two days of its existence, offered the possibility, in its randomness, of mislocation of the self, in contradistinction to the grid of precise, rectangular pathways under our feet.鈥� (50)
The difference in signification reflects a degree of tolerance in what society will allow to facilitate clear communication:
鈥淲e have learned not to insist on meanings, and they are rarely even looked for now, except in cases involving the simplest, safest phenomena. It was agreed that since the meaning of balloon could never be known absolutely, extended discussion was pointless鈥︹€� (47)
Mystery and Darkness
Even within this level of tolerance, there is still scope for lack of clarity, obliquity, misunderstanding, disagreement, mystery and darkness: 鈥渁rrangements sometimes slip,...errors are made,...signs are misread...鈥� There is therefore mystery and darkness in the space or gap or gulf between words, and also between people (cross-eyed, we talk at cross-purposes):
鈥淚'm communicating with you across a vast gulf of ignorance and darkness.鈥� (1)
鈥淗e had, in point of fact, created a gentle, genial misunderstanding.鈥� (362)
Notwithstanding the gulf, people convince themselves that 鈥淸they] have confidence in their ability to take the right steps and to obtain correct answers.鈥� (27)
A Wonderful Sea in Which We Can Swim, Leap or Stumble
Like language, Barthelme writes of behaviour:
鈥淏ehaviour in general is a wonderful sea, in which we can swim, or leap, or stumble.鈥� (355)
Even though Barthelme writes with the precision of realism, he鈥檚 fascinated by this gulf, and what happens when people detect it. They don鈥檛 always take the right steps. Does it make people feel uneasy or uncomfortable? Is it the source of absurdity, of alienation, of dispute, of aggression, of mental illness?
Dread, Estrangement, Finitude
Barthelme describes the consequences for modern society:
鈥淧eople today...are hidden away inside themselves, alienated, desperate, living in anguish, despair and bad faith...Man stands alone in a featureless, anonymous landscape, in fear and trembling and sickness unto death. God is dead. Nothingness everywhere. Dread. Estrangement. Finitude.鈥� (8)
He attributes part of the problem to living and working under capitalism (and the social/cultural conditions it engenders):
鈥淎uthentic self-determination by individuals is thwarted. The false consciousness created and catered to by mass culture perpetuates ignorance and powerlessness...Bad faith.鈥� (201)
鈥淭he thing is you got to go to school, son, and get socialised.鈥� (249)
Authenticity and Irony, Estrangement and Poetry
This is Barthelme鈥檚 subject matter, but short fiction isn鈥檛 just his way of diagnosing the problem, it鈥檚 his way of treating it. He wants to find a way to achieve 鈥渁uthentic selfhood鈥� and 鈥渁uthentic self-determination鈥�.
Barthelme鈥檚 interest in authenticity leads him towards the use of irony (which is based on his reading of Kierkegaard):
鈥淚rony deprives the object of its reality when the ironist says something about the object that is not what he means. The object is deprived of its reality by what I've said about it. Irony is thus destructive and what Kierkegaard worries about a lot is that irony has nothing to put in place of what it has destroyed...An irony directed against the whole of existence [rather than a given object] produces, according to Kierkegaard, estrangement and poetry....Irony becomes an infinite absolute negativity. Quote the whole of existence has become alien to the ironic subject unquote.鈥� (158)
Broken Faith
Bad faith can equally be 鈥渂roken faith鈥�. Alienation splits people, and pits one part against another. We end up a vestige of what we once were, even if we weren鈥檛 wholly known or appreciated by another (or an other):
鈥淚 looked at her then to see if I could discover traces of what I had seen in the beginning. There were traces but only traces. Vestiges. Hints of a formerly intact mystery never to be returned to its original wholeness.鈥� (184)
These Minimalist stories reflect the concerns of Post-Modernism, only they never fall victim to the superficial depth of Maximalism, where mere name-dropping of philosophers is supposed to be enough to impress the reader.
B-SIDES & RARITIES
Bad Zombie
[In the Words of Donald Barthelme]
Oh what a pretty lady!
I would be nice to her!
Yes I would! I think so!
Mother/Love
[In the Words of Donald Barthelme]
I went to my
Mother and said,
Mother, I want
To be in love.
And she replied?
She said, me too.
What Did You Just Say?
I do hate fucking
Lawyers, but, you know,
Occasionally,
I have to make a
One-off exception.
I Can't Believe You Were There
[Apologies to Robyn Hitchcock]
I'm friends with a bimbo,
My arms are akimbo,
My mind is in limbo.
But She's a Stranger
[In the Words of Donald Barthelme]
Naked woman
In the next room.
On a couch.
Reclining.
Flowers in her hair.
I've seen one.
In a magazine.
That's Just The Way I Do It! [The Male Gaze]
If both my eyes were open,
I'd perve at all your naughty bits.
With only one eye closed,
I'd focus on your perfect tits.
SOUNDTRACK:
March 14, 2016
I refuse to review this until you read it or I re-read it. Suffice to say, for now, that this guy knows what's the story. There are, surprise, 60 stories here. And I thought 3 maybe 4 were misses or fouls. That leaves 56 maybe 57 homers. Some of them barely left the yard but many of them were way, way gone. Why am I continuing with this trite analogy? Perhaps it's because I can't play with the jacks. I am not well.
At the sentence level, Barthelme's ear is phenomenal. At the idea level, he's both accessibly philosophical and very funny.
I could see someone claiming that some of his stuff is just gimmicky and I could see myself telling that someone to go away.
These (mostly) micro-fictions are quality of the first order. Read this thing. Change your life mayne.
(cf. )
At the sentence level, Barthelme's ear is phenomenal. At the idea level, he's both accessibly philosophical and very funny.
I could see someone claiming that some of his stuff is just gimmicky and I could see myself telling that someone to go away.
These (mostly) micro-fictions are quality of the first order. Read this thing. Change your life mayne.
(cf. )
January 11, 2024
How can I justify my indifference to Donald Barthelme? I鈥檓 not sure I can. No doubt these stories are/were innovative, unique, at times wildly inventive. They鈥檙e also, for the most part, easy to read, not daunting, but on the other hand not inviting鈥昻ot to me anyway. For a few weeks I dipped into 60 Stories with moderate enjoyment, but soon noticed it was my 鈥済o to鈥� book in times of distraction, when something more demanding would have tested my fractured concentration. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, he鈥檚 charming, clever; some of his ideas, and his ways of approaching them, are great, for what they are. But what are they? To my mind, magazine stories, little pop-art bursts of colour to spice up the lifestyle supplement, things you read over coffee with a shrug and a chuckle and put aside. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, and his influence is certainly widespread (in Australia in the 70s this style was 鈥渋t鈥� among 鈥渆xperimental鈥� authors, which may account partly for my lack of enthusiasm), but I鈥檇 just as soon my heart get a workout as well as my mind. Same old criticism from me, I guess, so I鈥檒l leave it at that. Absurdist cartoonist par excellence, just nothing to set me on fire.
March 1, 2017
丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏ж� 亘賴鈥屫簇� 亘賴 爻賱蹖賯賴 賲賳 賳夭丿蹖讴賴.
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖蹖 亘丕 丕鬲賮丕賯丕鬲蹖 毓噩蹖亘 賵 讴賴 禺蹖賱蹖 胤亘蹖毓蹖 賵 賲毓賲賵賱蹖 亘蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫促嗀� 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 鬲賵卮 賴乇趩蹖夭蹖 乇賵 賲賲讴賳賴 倬蹖丿丕讴賳蹖貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屰� 亘丕 讴賱蹖 爻丕禺鬲丕乇卮讴賳蹖 賵 讴丕乇丕蹖 噩丿蹖丿 賵 噩丕賱亘 賵 禺賱丕賯貙 讴賴 賳賲蹖鈥屫促� 丨鬲丕 亘賴 亘毓囟蹖丕卮 诏賮鬲 丿丕爻鬲丕賳!
亘毓囟蹖 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏ж� 賲賲讴賳賴 夭蹖丕丿 丿賵爻鬲鈥屫ж簇嗃� 賳亘丕卮賳 賵 亘賴 丕蹖賳 毓賱鬲 鄣 爻鬲丕乇賴 賳丿丕丿賲. 賵賱蹖 亘毓囟蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏ж� 亘賴 卮丿鬲 賲丨卮乇賳 賵 賴夭丕乇鬲丕 爻鬲丕乇賴 賴賲 亘乇丕卮賵賳 讴賲賴.
賲賲讴賳賴 亘丕 禺賵賳丿賳卮 丌丿賲 丕蹖丿賴 亘诏蹖乇賴 亘乇丕蹖 賳賵卮鬲賳. 禺賱丕賯 賳賵卮鬲賳.
噩丕賱亘蹖鈥屫� 丕蹖賳賴 讴賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 胤賳夭 賯賵蹖鈥屫й� 丿丕乇賳貙 氐乇賮賳 胤賳夭 賳蹖爻鬲賳 賵 鬲賵卮 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖 賲禺鬲賱賮 乇賵 賳賯丿 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁� 賵 賳賯丿卮賲 噩賵乇蹖賴 讴賴 禺蹖賱蹖 乇丕丨鬲 亘賴 趩卮賲 賲蹖丕丿 賵 亘丕 禺賵賳丿賳卮 乇丕丨鬲 賲蹖鈥屬佡囐呟� 賲賳馗賵乇卮 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丕鬲賮丕賯丕鬲 趩蹖賴 賵 賳馗乇卮賵 丿乇亘丕乇賴 趩蹖 丿丕乇賴 亘蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�.
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖蹖 亘丕 丕鬲賮丕賯丕鬲蹖 毓噩蹖亘 賵 讴賴 禺蹖賱蹖 胤亘蹖毓蹖 賵 賲毓賲賵賱蹖 亘蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫促嗀� 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 鬲賵卮 賴乇趩蹖夭蹖 乇賵 賲賲讴賳賴 倬蹖丿丕讴賳蹖貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屰� 亘丕 讴賱蹖 爻丕禺鬲丕乇卮讴賳蹖 賵 讴丕乇丕蹖 噩丿蹖丿 賵 噩丕賱亘 賵 禺賱丕賯貙 讴賴 賳賲蹖鈥屫促� 丨鬲丕 亘賴 亘毓囟蹖丕卮 诏賮鬲 丿丕爻鬲丕賳!
亘毓囟蹖 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏ж� 賲賲讴賳賴 夭蹖丕丿 丿賵爻鬲鈥屫ж簇嗃� 賳亘丕卮賳 賵 亘賴 丕蹖賳 毓賱鬲 鄣 爻鬲丕乇賴 賳丿丕丿賲. 賵賱蹖 亘毓囟蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏ж� 亘賴 卮丿鬲 賲丨卮乇賳 賵 賴夭丕乇鬲丕 爻鬲丕乇賴 賴賲 亘乇丕卮賵賳 讴賲賴.
賲賲讴賳賴 亘丕 禺賵賳丿賳卮 丌丿賲 丕蹖丿賴 亘诏蹖乇賴 亘乇丕蹖 賳賵卮鬲賳. 禺賱丕賯 賳賵卮鬲賳.
噩丕賱亘蹖鈥屫� 丕蹖賳賴 讴賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 胤賳夭 賯賵蹖鈥屫й� 丿丕乇賳貙 氐乇賮賳 胤賳夭 賳蹖爻鬲賳 賵 鬲賵卮 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖 賲禺鬲賱賮 乇賵 賳賯丿 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁� 賵 賳賯丿卮賲 噩賵乇蹖賴 讴賴 禺蹖賱蹖 乇丕丨鬲 亘賴 趩卮賲 賲蹖丕丿 賵 亘丕 禺賵賳丿賳卮 乇丕丨鬲 賲蹖鈥屬佡囐呟� 賲賳馗賵乇卮 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丕鬲賮丕賯丕鬲 趩蹖賴 賵 賳馗乇卮賵 丿乇亘丕乇賴 趩蹖 丿丕乇賴 亘蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�.
June 15, 2016
Espectacular antolog铆a de Donald Barthelme. Historias muy experimentales, fragmentadas, simb贸licas, reales, que resaltan las verdaderas relaciones humanas. Despu茅s de leer Sixty Stories ya no me quedan dudas de que Barthelme es uno de mis cuentistas favoritos.
Relatos inolvidables: "A Shower of Gold", "Me and Miss Mandible", "Game", "The Balloon", "Robert Kennedy Saved from Drowning", "Report", "Views of My Father Weeping", "On Angels", "The Sandman", "Kierkegaard Unfair to Schlegel", "Daumier", "The Party", "A Manual for Sons", "I Bought a Little City", "Rebecca", "The School", "The Leap", "How I Write My Songs" y "Heroes".
Relatos inolvidables: "A Shower of Gold", "Me and Miss Mandible", "Game", "The Balloon", "Robert Kennedy Saved from Drowning", "Report", "Views of My Father Weeping", "On Angels", "The Sandman", "Kierkegaard Unfair to Schlegel", "Daumier", "The Party", "A Manual for Sons", "I Bought a Little City", "Rebecca", "The School", "The Leap", "How I Write My Songs" y "Heroes".
September 8, 2008
I was half way through the book when I realized that these stories serve as a kind of Rorschach Test, always in movement, always mind-boggling, and forever inspiring. Some of the "dialogues" can seem overly long and pedantic, but when it comes to Barthelme, can there be such terms? They seem to be much of the point. As an earlier review mentioned, these short pieces have the tendency to rip your mind to shreds, without any hope for recovery throughout. Many stories in this collection bear the mark of absolute classics, like "The Great Hug", "Me and Miss Mandible", "Views of My Father Weeping" and "Cortes and Montezuma", among a half dozen or so others. Eccentric, horrifying, funny, and highly intelligent, this collection illustrates what an organized madman with an overgrown inner child can achieve with a typewriter.
February 1, 2023
笑褟 蟹斜褨褉泻邪 褦 斜械蟹褋褍屑薪褨胁薪芯褞 泻谢邪褋懈泻芯褞, 邪谢械 芯褌 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 褔懈褌邪斜械谢褜薪芯褞 蟹邪褉邪蟹? 袩芯褋褌屑芯写械褉薪褨蟹屑 锌褉芯泄褕芯胁 褋泻谢邪写薪懈泄 褕谢褟褏 械泻褋锌械褉懈屑械薪褌褨胁, 褌邪 蟹写邪褦褌褜褋褟, 褖芯 写械褟泻褨 械泻褋锌械褉懈屑械薪褌懈 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨 胁卸械 薪械 薪邪泄褑褨泻邪胁褨褕褨, 褌邪 薪械 薪邪泄褋胁褨卸褨褕褨. 袨褋芯斜谢懈胁芯, 泻芯谢懈 蟹邪褉邪蟹 屑芯卸薪邪 芯蟹懈褉薪褍褌懈褋褜 薪邪 褍胁械褋褜 锌谢邪褋褌 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉懈. 袆 写械泻褨谢褜泻邪 锌褉褟屑 谐械薪褨邪谢褜薪懈褏 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜, 褖械 写械泻褨谢褜泻邪 芯褉懈谐褨薪邪谢褜薪芯 胁懈斜褍写芯胁邪薪懈褏, 锌谢褞褋 褍褋械 锌褉芯薪懈蟹邪薪芯 褖懈褉懈屑 褨薪褌械谢械泻褌褍邪谢褜薪懈屑 谐褍屑芯褉芯屑, 邪谢械 斜褨谢褜褕褨褋褌褜 蟹褨 蟹斜褨褉泻懈 - 褑械 锌褉芯褋褌芯 褉芯蟹胁邪谐懈 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨, 写谢褟 褟泻懈褏, 薪邪 卸邪谢褜, 褔懈褌邪褔 蟹邪泄胁懈泄. 袗胁褌芯褉褍 褋械斜械 褉芯蟹胁邪卸邪褌懈 褑褨泻邪胁褨褕械.
袣薪懈谐邪 褟泻 蟹邪泻邪屑'褟薪褨谢懈泄 胁褨写斜懈褌芯泻 褋谢褨写褨胁 锌芯谢懈褕械薪懈褏 写芯胁芯谢褨 写邪胁薪芯. 袛械 泻芯卸械薪 褋谢褨写 - 褑械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟. 袦懈 锌褉芯褋褍胁邪褦屑芯褋褜 薪芯谐邪 胁 薪芯谐褍, 锌芯胁褌芯褉褞褞褔懈 褕谢褟褏, 褋褌褍锌邪褞褔懈 蟹 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟 胁 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟, 邪谢械 写芯胁泻芯谢懈褕薪褦 褋械褉械写芯胁懈褖械 胁卸械 薪邪写褌芯 蟹屑褨薪懈谢芯褋褜.
携泻 蟹邪褍胁邪卸械薪芯 胁 褔褍写芯胁褨泄 锌褨褋谢褟屑芯胁褨 - 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨 胁懈写邪褦 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉薪懈泄 写卸邪蟹. 袟 褑懈屑 胁邪卸泻芯 薪械 锌芯谐芯写懈褌懈褋褜. 袗谢械 写械 褌芯泄 写卸邪蟹 蟹邪褉邪蟹, 褟泻 薪械 薪邪 蟹邪锌懈谢械薪褨泄 锌芯谢懈褔褑褨 蟹 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 屑懈褋褌械褑褌胁邪...
袣薪懈谐邪 褟泻 蟹邪泻邪屑'褟薪褨谢懈泄 胁褨写斜懈褌芯泻 褋谢褨写褨胁 锌芯谢懈褕械薪懈褏 写芯胁芯谢褨 写邪胁薪芯. 袛械 泻芯卸械薪 褋谢褨写 - 褑械 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟. 袦懈 锌褉芯褋褍胁邪褦屑芯褋褜 薪芯谐邪 胁 薪芯谐褍, 锌芯胁褌芯褉褞褞褔懈 褕谢褟褏, 褋褌褍锌邪褞褔懈 蟹 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟 胁 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟, 邪谢械 写芯胁泻芯谢懈褕薪褦 褋械褉械写芯胁懈褖械 胁卸械 薪邪写褌芯 蟹屑褨薪懈谢芯褋褜.
携泻 蟹邪褍胁邪卸械薪芯 胁 褔褍写芯胁褨泄 锌褨褋谢褟屑芯胁褨 - 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨 胁懈写邪褦 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉薪懈泄 写卸邪蟹. 袟 褑懈屑 胁邪卸泻芯 薪械 锌芯谐芯写懈褌懈褋褜. 袗谢械 写械 褌芯泄 写卸邪蟹 蟹邪褉邪蟹, 褟泻 薪械 薪邪 蟹邪锌懈谢械薪褨泄 锌芯谢懈褔褑褨 蟹 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 屑懈褋褌械褑褌胁邪...
October 13, 2020
锌褉邪泻褌懈褔薪芯 褨写械邪谢褜薪邪 蟹斜褨褉泻邪 胁懈斜褉邪薪芯谐芯, 褖芯 褍薪邪芯褔薪褞褦 胁械褋褜 写褨邪锌邪蟹芯薪 锌懈褋褜屑械薪薪懈褑褜泻芯褩 屑邪泄褋褌械褉薪芯褋褌褨 泄 褌芯泄 褉褨胁械薪褜 褨薪褌械谢械泻褌褍邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 谐褍屑芯褉褍, 褟泻懈泄 泻芯谢懈褋褜 斜褍胁 胁 邪屑械褉懈泻邪薪褋褜泻褨泄 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉褨. 褍褋褨 褉褨蟹薪芯胁懈写懈 泻芯屑褨褔薪芯谐芯 泄 写褉邪屑邪褌懈褔薪芯谐芯 褍 60 蟹褉邪蟹泻邪褏 写芯锌懈褌谢懈胁芯谐芯 褨 胁懈褕褍泻邪薪芯谐芯 褉芯蟹褍屑褍. "袟芯谢芯褌懈泄 写芯褖", "袩芯胁褋褌邪薪薪褟 褨薪写褨邪薪褑褨胁", "袘邪褔懈褕 屑褨褋褟褑褜?", "袪芯斜械褉褌 袣械薪薪械写褨", "携 褨 屑褨褋 袦械薪褨写斜谢", "袩芯胁褨褌褉褟薪邪 泻褍谢褟", "小屑邪褉邪谐写", "楔泻芯谢邪" 褌邪 褨薪褕褨 - 锌褉芯褋褌芯 谐械薪褨邪谢褜薪褨, 邪 褨薪褕褨 - 薪械 谐褨褉褕褨. 小锌芯写褨胁邪褞褋褟, 薪械胁写芯胁蟹褨 胁懈泄写械 胁 "孝械屑锌芯褉褨" 蟹 屑芯褦褞 锌褨褋谢褟屑芯胁芯褞.
August 13, 2008
Here's an odd coincidence: Carl, that's me, finishes reading The Beetle Leg by John Hawkes and then immediately picks up Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme. The first story contains a character named Carl who talks about being a fan of The Beetle Leg by John Hawkes.
April 21, 2020
This is the only book I've yet read by this author, a few years ago, but I remember thinking that it was overall an enjoyable collection of stories. There is another collection by him called Forty Stories which I may get one day, and he did a few novels I think, but I haven't a clue what they are like. I think I saw this book on amazon and was drawn to it by the psychedelic front cover, and then when I read the blurb about it, I thought I'd give it a go, reckoning a book with sixty stories in it must have at least a few decent ones...and it does, thankfully! I think Barthelme is quite well regarded in literary circles and you can see why, as he certainly had a lot of talent and he did have quite a unique style and approach to short story writing. He has a very eclectic mix of tales here and they do feel very fresh and different, almost like he was ahead of his time in some ways. You get an experimental one here and there, a quirky innocent one, a few that are pretty dark and sinister, a load of surreal ones and then some that are almost baffling...you never know what is going to hit you next, which keeps you on your toes! He is very hard to pin down in terms of what kind of writer he is, maybe like Brautigan, in that he has his own hard to describe literary voice, and that's always a good thing...
I didn't like every single story, there were a couple I wasn't that bothered about, but out of sixty wildly differing tales, that means I liked pretty much the whole collection, and with such a rich and varied mix here, there probably is at least a few stories to please most people.
Read
February 22, 2017Borges for depressed people.
November 24, 2022
小泻褨谢褜泻懈 褦 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 褋薪褨谐褍? 小芯褉芯泻, 锌鈥櫻徰傂葱笛佈徰�, 褕褨褋褌写械褋褟褌? 袟邪谢械卸懈褌褜 胁褨写 写卸械褉械谢邪 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褩. 小泻褨谢褜泻懈 褦 薪邪蟹胁 褋薪褨谐褍? 袛胁褨褋褌褨? 孝褉懈褋褌邪? 效懈 锌鈥櫻徰傃佇狙�, 褟泻 褍 械褋泻褨屑芯褋褨胁, 褟泻褖芯 胁褨褉懈褌懈 褔褍褌泻邪屑?
小泻褨谢褜泻懈 褦 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 褌械泻褋褌褍? 袞邪薪褉褨胁, 薪邪锌褉褟屑泻褨胁, 褌懈锌褨胁, 锌褨写褌懈锌褨胁 etc? 啸褌芯蟹薪邪. 小泻褨谢褜泻懈 写褍屑芯泻 (械泻褋锌械褉褌薪懈褏 褨 薪械 写褍卸械), 褋褌褨谢褜泻懈 褨 胁懈写褨胁 褌械褋褌褍, 薪邪锌械胁薪芯. 袦芯卸薪邪, 锌褉懈屑褨褉芯屑, 胁褋械 卸懈褌褌褟 褔懈褌邪褌懈 芯写薪芯屑邪薪褨褌薪芯谐芯 袝褉薪械褋褌邪 袚械屑褨薪覒胁械褟 褨 斜邪褔懈褌懈/胁懈褕褍泻芯胁褍胁邪褌懈 褍 薪褜芯屑褍 褉褨蟹薪芯屑邪薪褨褌褌褟. 袗 屑芯卸薪邪 胁褋械 卸懈褌褌褟 褔懈褌邪褌懈 褉褨蟹薪芯屑邪薪褨褌薪芯谐芯 袛芯薪邪谢褜写邪 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨 鈥� 褨 芯写褉邪蟹褍 斜邪褔懈褌懈 褉褨蟹薪芯屑邪薪褨褌褌褟. 效懈 薪械 斜邪褔懈褌懈. 效懈 薪械 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褌懈 泄芯谐芯. (楔泻芯写邪.)
效懈 屑芯卸薪邪 胁谢芯胁懈褌懈 60 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 袛芯薪邪谢褜写邪 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨 褍 泄芯谐芯 60 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟褏? 袦邪斜褍褌褜, 褌邪泻, 褏芯褔邪 写械褟泻褨 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪薪褨 胁 芯写薪邪泻芯胁芯屑褍 (芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟-写褨邪谢芯谐懈, 锌褉懈屑褨褉芯屑) 褋褌懈谢褨. 袗谢械 芯写薪邪泻芯胁懈泄 褋褌懈谢褜 鈥� 薪械 芯写薪邪泻芯胁邪 褌械屑邪褌懈泻邪. 袦邪斜褍褌褜, 胁褋械 蟹邪谢械卸懈褌褜 胁褨写 褋锌褉懈泄薪褟褌褌褟 褔懈褌邪褔邪. 袘械蟹谢褨褔 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨. 袗胁褌芯屑邪褌懈褔薪芯 鈥� 斜械蟹谢褨褔 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 褌械泻褋褌褍. 楔懈褉芯泻邪 芯写薪芯屑邪薪褨褌薪褨褋褌褜 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨.
小谢芯胁芯屑 鈥� 锌芯褋褌屑芯写械褉薪褨褋褌懈褔薪芯.
袧邪胁褨褌褜 褟泻褖芯 褨 褌械泻褋褌 薪械 褋薪褨谐, 邪 褔懈褌邪褔 鈥� 械褋泻褨屑芯褋.
小泻褨谢褜泻懈 褦 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 褌械泻褋褌褍? 袞邪薪褉褨胁, 薪邪锌褉褟屑泻褨胁, 褌懈锌褨胁, 锌褨写褌懈锌褨胁 etc? 啸褌芯蟹薪邪. 小泻褨谢褜泻懈 写褍屑芯泻 (械泻褋锌械褉褌薪懈褏 褨 薪械 写褍卸械), 褋褌褨谢褜泻懈 褨 胁懈写褨胁 褌械褋褌褍, 薪邪锌械胁薪芯. 袦芯卸薪邪, 锌褉懈屑褨褉芯屑, 胁褋械 卸懈褌褌褟 褔懈褌邪褌懈 芯写薪芯屑邪薪褨褌薪芯谐芯 袝褉薪械褋褌邪 袚械屑褨薪覒胁械褟 褨 斜邪褔懈褌懈/胁懈褕褍泻芯胁褍胁邪褌懈 褍 薪褜芯屑褍 褉褨蟹薪芯屑邪薪褨褌褌褟. 袗 屑芯卸薪邪 胁褋械 卸懈褌褌褟 褔懈褌邪褌懈 褉褨蟹薪芯屑邪薪褨褌薪芯谐芯 袛芯薪邪谢褜写邪 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨 鈥� 褨 芯写褉邪蟹褍 斜邪褔懈褌懈 褉褨蟹薪芯屑邪薪褨褌褌褟. 效懈 薪械 斜邪褔懈褌懈. 效懈 薪械 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褌懈 泄芯谐芯. (楔泻芯写邪.)
效懈 屑芯卸薪邪 胁谢芯胁懈褌懈 60 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 袛芯薪邪谢褜写邪 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨 褍 泄芯谐芯 60 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟褏? 袦邪斜褍褌褜, 褌邪泻, 褏芯褔邪 写械褟泻褨 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪薪褨 胁 芯写薪邪泻芯胁芯屑褍 (芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪薪褟-写褨邪谢芯谐懈, 锌褉懈屑褨褉芯屑) 褋褌懈谢褨. 袗谢械 芯写薪邪泻芯胁懈泄 褋褌懈谢褜 鈥� 薪械 芯写薪邪泻芯胁邪 褌械屑邪褌懈泻邪. 袦邪斜褍褌褜, 胁褋械 蟹邪谢械卸懈褌褜 胁褨写 褋锌褉懈泄薪褟褌褌褟 褔懈褌邪褔邪. 袘械蟹谢褨褔 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨. 袗胁褌芯屑邪褌懈褔薪芯 鈥� 斜械蟹谢褨褔 胁褨写褌褨薪泻褨胁 褌械泻褋褌褍. 楔懈褉芯泻邪 芯写薪芯屑邪薪褨褌薪褨褋褌褜 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨.
小谢芯胁芯屑 鈥� 锌芯褋褌屑芯写械褉薪褨褋褌懈褔薪芯.
袧邪胁褨褌褜 褟泻褖芯 褨 褌械泻褋褌 薪械 褋薪褨谐, 邪 褔懈褌邪褔 鈥� 械褋泻褨屑芯褋.
December 23, 2024
Sipped and savored this one for as long as I could. It's surprising that I can still be so awed by a book at my age, but Sixty Stories was a mindblower. I can only imagine that my life would have taken a different path had I discovered this earlier.
For some reason, I came in thinking it was going to be like the barren, austere surrealism of Beckett and Pinter, and was surprised to find these stories are often very funny and situated in a recognizable world. Still concerned with the absurdity of the human condition in the abstract, but not as stark as those European forebears. There is a postmodern American freewheeling whimsy in these stories that makes them more digestible, at times bordering on the dignified silliness of Robert Benchley or S.J. Perelman.
I'm also obsessed with the way Barthelme creates these perfect sentences, over and over and over again. Such an ear for the music of language, the way it is corralled for different purposes, the way it can be made funny and strange and absurd, forceful, bizarre, erotic.
It's hard to believe all of this was written by one man. Each story is a universe in itself.
"The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human love, which remains as grisly and golden as ever, no matter what is tattooed upon the warm tympanic page." -'Rebecca'
For some reason, I came in thinking it was going to be like the barren, austere surrealism of Beckett and Pinter, and was surprised to find these stories are often very funny and situated in a recognizable world. Still concerned with the absurdity of the human condition in the abstract, but not as stark as those European forebears. There is a postmodern American freewheeling whimsy in these stories that makes them more digestible, at times bordering on the dignified silliness of Robert Benchley or S.J. Perelman.
I'm also obsessed with the way Barthelme creates these perfect sentences, over and over and over again. Such an ear for the music of language, the way it is corralled for different purposes, the way it can be made funny and strange and absurd, forceful, bizarre, erotic.
It's hard to believe all of this was written by one man. Each story is a universe in itself.
"The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human love, which remains as grisly and golden as ever, no matter what is tattooed upon the warm tympanic page." -'Rebecca'
May 13, 2014
Donald Barthelme, Sixty Stories
Penguin, 1982
introduction by David Gates (2003)
When I was 20 I tried to read Nabokov, and couldn鈥檛, and knew it was my problem, not his. When I was 25 I could read Nabokov. I couldn鈥檛 read Barthelme until I was 40. (There are real benefits, it turns out, to not dying young.) Maybe it helped that I had read Beckett, Lispector, Lydia Davis in the meantime. Probably it helped even more that I had suffered serious disappointments and intermittently drank too much. I had finally arrived on the wave-length.
New to Barthelme? Read this one first. I鈥檝e heard a few people say that Forty Stories is easier. I don鈥檛 see the truth in that. Some stories will grab you instantly, others will seem incomprehensible or opaque. (My favorites; 鈥淢e and Miss Mandible鈥�, 鈥淐ity Life鈥�, 鈥淎 Manual for Sons鈥�, above all: 鈥淎t the End of the Mechanical Age鈥�.) If you get stuck, bounce around. Read the stories out of sequence. Open the book at random and read sentences like fortunes: 鈥淭here are twenty-two kinds of fathers, of which only nineteen are important.鈥�
Penguin, 1982
introduction by David Gates (2003)
When I was 20 I tried to read Nabokov, and couldn鈥檛, and knew it was my problem, not his. When I was 25 I could read Nabokov. I couldn鈥檛 read Barthelme until I was 40. (There are real benefits, it turns out, to not dying young.) Maybe it helped that I had read Beckett, Lispector, Lydia Davis in the meantime. Probably it helped even more that I had suffered serious disappointments and intermittently drank too much. I had finally arrived on the wave-length.
New to Barthelme? Read this one first. I鈥檝e heard a few people say that Forty Stories is easier. I don鈥檛 see the truth in that. Some stories will grab you instantly, others will seem incomprehensible or opaque. (My favorites; 鈥淢e and Miss Mandible鈥�, 鈥淐ity Life鈥�, 鈥淎 Manual for Sons鈥�, above all: 鈥淎t the End of the Mechanical Age鈥�.) If you get stuck, bounce around. Read the stories out of sequence. Open the book at random and read sentences like fortunes: 鈥淭here are twenty-two kinds of fathers, of which only nineteen are important.鈥�
September 19, 2022
60 Hist贸rias, de Donald Barthelme. Tradu莽茫o de Paulo Faria.
Com quase 600 p谩ginas de contos, n茫o 茅 de estranhar que Barthelme apresente nesta colet芒nea resultados muito d铆spares. Se alguns contos s茫o fabulosos (Miss Mand铆bula 茅, para mim, o melhor dos sessenta), e outros bons, h谩 tamb茅m deles apenas razo谩veis de t茫o cr铆pticos. Barthelme deturpa ami煤de as expetativas de leitura criadas por toda uma tradi莽茫o narrativa, e 茅 a铆 que reside a ess锚ncia da sua obra, pois n茫o h谩 como abordar estes contos 芦como quem l锚 um romance禄; devem, ao inv茅s, ser lidos como tentativas ir贸nicas de desconstru莽茫o da narrativa ficcional linear e um ataque 脿s normas pol铆ticas e sociais que nos subjugam. Barthelme 茅 particularmente acutilante e sarc谩stico no que concerne a rela莽玫es amorosas e familiares, e h谩 em muitos dos seus contos laivos 贸bvios de um certo complexo de 脡dipo. Um livro interessante, que deve, contudo, ser lido aos poucos.
Com quase 600 p谩ginas de contos, n茫o 茅 de estranhar que Barthelme apresente nesta colet芒nea resultados muito d铆spares. Se alguns contos s茫o fabulosos (Miss Mand铆bula 茅, para mim, o melhor dos sessenta), e outros bons, h谩 tamb茅m deles apenas razo谩veis de t茫o cr铆pticos. Barthelme deturpa ami煤de as expetativas de leitura criadas por toda uma tradi莽茫o narrativa, e 茅 a铆 que reside a ess锚ncia da sua obra, pois n茫o h谩 como abordar estes contos 芦como quem l锚 um romance禄; devem, ao inv茅s, ser lidos como tentativas ir贸nicas de desconstru莽茫o da narrativa ficcional linear e um ataque 脿s normas pol铆ticas e sociais que nos subjugam. Barthelme 茅 particularmente acutilante e sarc谩stico no que concerne a rela莽玫es amorosas e familiares, e h谩 em muitos dos seus contos laivos 贸bvios de um certo complexo de 脡dipo. Um livro interessante, que deve, contudo, ser lido aos poucos.
December 2, 2022
袧褨泻芯谐芯 薪械 蟹写懈胁褍褞, 褟泻褖芯 褋泻邪卸褍, 褖芯 褑械 写懈胁芯胁懈卸薪芯 胁褨写褕谢褨褎芯胁邪薪邪 蟹斜褨褉泻邪 锌芯褋褌屑芯写械褉薪褨褋褌褋褜泻懈褏 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜. 小泻邪卸褍 薪械锌褉邪胁写褍, 泻芯谢懈 胁写邪屑, 褖芯 蟹褉芯蟹褍屑褨谢邪 泻芯卸薪械, 褔懈 斜褨谢褜褕褨褋褌褜. 袩褉芯褌械 褋褌芯胁褨写褋芯褌泻芯胁芯 薪械 胁懈写褨谢懈谢邪 斜 卸芯写薪械, 斜芯 卸 褑械 芯写薪邪 褨蟹 薪邪泄泻褉邪褖懈褏 蟹斜褨褉芯泻.
孝懈 薪褨斜懈 褔懈褌邪褦褕 褉褨蟹薪懈褏 锌懈褋褜屑械薪薪懈泻褨胁, 蟹 邪斜褋芯谢褞褌薪芯 褉褨蟹薪懈屑懈 褋褌懈谢褟屑懈, 褉褨蟹薪芯屑邪薪褨褌薪懈屑 泻邪谢械泄写芯褋泻芯锌芯屑 锌芯写褨泄 褌邪 褌械屑.
笑械 褌邪泻懈泄 褋芯斜褨 写褨邪褎褨谢褜屑 写芯胁卸懈薪芯褞 胁 褌懈褋褟褔褨 泻邪写褉褨胁. 袣谢邪褑, 褨 薪芯胁邪 褋褑械薪邪, 泻谢邪褑, 褨 褖械 芯写薪邪, 泻谢邪褑, 锌谢褨胁泻邪 芯斜褨褉胁邪谢邪褋褜, 邪 褌褍褌 胁蟹邪谐邪谢褨 褏褌芯褋褜 胁懈褉褨蟹邪胁 褕屑邪褌芯泻. 袉薪芯写褨 褋屑褨褕薪芯, 锌褉械蟹懈褉谢懈胁芯, 褋邪褉泻邪褋褌懈褔薪芯, 褔邪褋芯屑 屑械谢邪薪褏芯谢褨泄薪芯, 褔懈 蟹 芯褋褌褉邪褏芯屑. 孝邪屑 薪邪褋 蟹邪锌褉芯褕褍褦 袘邪褉褌械谢屑褨 薪邪 锌褉芯谐褍谢褟薪泻褍 屑褨褋褌芯屑, 邪 锌芯褌褨屑 泻懈写邪褦 褍 胁懈褉 写卸邪蟹褍.
效褍写芯胁邪, 褔褍写芯胁邪 蟹斜褨褉泻邪
芦褟 谐芯谢芯褋褍褞 蟹邪 锌褨邪薪褨薪芯禄馃憣
July 28, 2014
They sit down together. The pork with red cabbage steams before them. They speak quietly about the McKinley Administration, which is being revised by revisionist historians. The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human love, which remains as grisly and golden as ever, no matter what is tattooed upon the warm tympanic page (so ends the story Rebecca, page 279).
The above passage is the rarest of examples of Barthelme explicitly stating the theme of any of his stories. Typically, he builds his bewildering stories using an elliptical approach to his prose, often stripping it down to mere dialogue or a single character engaged in monologue. More often than not I found myself shaking my head at the end of the story because my grasp of the overall theme was shaky at best. As I continued to read these stories something interesting began to happen. I got stronger as a reader, and so did the stories. For instance, I found the story of a grown man stuck in the third grade due to a bureaucratic mistake in Me and Miss Mandible a little uncomfortable, but by the end of the book the story about human longing illustrated by a witch giving birth to a sentient seven thousand and thirty five carat emerald after being impregnated by the man in the moon didn鈥檛 faze me at all.
Barthelme is an unmistakable stylist. As such, most readers will react strongly one way or the other to the absurdist elements of Sixty Stories. Since most of these stories were short to the point of bordering on flash fiction, I thought I would occasionally pick the book up and read a story during my lunch breaks as time permitted. I found that this strategy did not work with my reading style, even though the length of the stories are perfect for getting in and out with no one getting hurt. Barthelme writes for the quick of mind, and I鈥檓 a plodder. The idea of a long hard slog through a big square thing isn鈥檛 particularly daunting, but I found that too often with sixty stories I would be left shaking my head at the end of lunch and not looking to get back into the book. I found a lot more enjoyment when I sat down with the book for long periods of time. By the time I worked through three or four stories in a row on a nightly basis my head was in the proper space for enjoying what Barthelme had to offer. My advice to readers would be to read at least three of the stories (perhaps at random) before deciding that Barthelme isn鈥檛 your thing.
Highlights for me:
The Balloon, Robert Kennedy Saved from Drowning, The Indian Uprising, The Policeman鈥檚 Ball, Daumier, Eugenie Grandet, Nothing: A Preliminary Account, A Manual for Sons, Cortes and Montezuma, The King of Jazz, On the Steps of the Conservatory (in conjunction with the companion piece The Farewell), The Leap, How I Write My Songs (Ride the Snake to the Lake).
The above passage is the rarest of examples of Barthelme explicitly stating the theme of any of his stories. Typically, he builds his bewildering stories using an elliptical approach to his prose, often stripping it down to mere dialogue or a single character engaged in monologue. More often than not I found myself shaking my head at the end of the story because my grasp of the overall theme was shaky at best. As I continued to read these stories something interesting began to happen. I got stronger as a reader, and so did the stories. For instance, I found the story of a grown man stuck in the third grade due to a bureaucratic mistake in Me and Miss Mandible a little uncomfortable, but by the end of the book the story about human longing illustrated by a witch giving birth to a sentient seven thousand and thirty five carat emerald after being impregnated by the man in the moon didn鈥檛 faze me at all.
Barthelme is an unmistakable stylist. As such, most readers will react strongly one way or the other to the absurdist elements of Sixty Stories. Since most of these stories were short to the point of bordering on flash fiction, I thought I would occasionally pick the book up and read a story during my lunch breaks as time permitted. I found that this strategy did not work with my reading style, even though the length of the stories are perfect for getting in and out with no one getting hurt. Barthelme writes for the quick of mind, and I鈥檓 a plodder. The idea of a long hard slog through a big square thing isn鈥檛 particularly daunting, but I found that too often with sixty stories I would be left shaking my head at the end of lunch and not looking to get back into the book. I found a lot more enjoyment when I sat down with the book for long periods of time. By the time I worked through three or four stories in a row on a nightly basis my head was in the proper space for enjoying what Barthelme had to offer. My advice to readers would be to read at least three of the stories (perhaps at random) before deciding that Barthelme isn鈥檛 your thing.
Highlights for me:
The Balloon, Robert Kennedy Saved from Drowning, The Indian Uprising, The Policeman鈥檚 Ball, Daumier, Eugenie Grandet, Nothing: A Preliminary Account, A Manual for Sons, Cortes and Montezuma, The King of Jazz, On the Steps of the Conservatory (in conjunction with the companion piece The Farewell), The Leap, How I Write My Songs (Ride the Snake to the Lake).
September 15, 2018
爻賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丿乇 丨丿 丕毓賱丕 賵 倬賳噩 爻鬲丕乇賴 亘賵丿 貙 亘丕賯蹖卮 賲夭禺乇賮.
December 16, 2022
楔褨褋褌写械褋褟褌 芯锌芯胁褨写邪薪褜 锌芯蟹邪写褍.
袨写薪邪 锌鈥櫻徰傂� 蟹褨 屑薪芯褞.
芦携 胁 屑褨褋 袦械薪写懈斜谢禄 - 蟹 褉芯蟹褉褟写褍 芦邪 褖芯 褟泻褖芯禄 褍 褌褨谢褨 屑邪谢械薪褜泻芯谐芯 褏谢芯锌褔懈泻邪 褉芯蟹褍屑 褨 斜邪卸邪薪薪褟 写芯褉芯褋谢芯谐芯 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻邪
芦袣褍谢褟禄 - 胁械谢懈泻邪 褉邪薪写芯屑薪邪 泻褍谢褟 薪邪写 袧褜褞 袡芯褉泻芯屑
芦袣邪褉褌懈薪懈 褉懈写邪薪薪褟 斜邪褌褜泻邪禄 - 锌褉芯 褌械, 褟泻 斜邪褌褜泻邪 锌械褉械褩褏邪胁 械泻褨锌邪卸, 褨 褔懈 胁写邪谢芯褋褜 蟹薪邪泄褌懈 胁懈薪褍胁邪褌褑褨胁
芦袩褉芯 邪薪谐械谢褨胁禄 - 褖芯 褉芯斜懈褌懈 邪薪谐械谢邪屑, 泻芯谢懈 胁屑懈褉邪褦 袘芯谐?
芦小泻谢褟薪邪 谐芯褉邪禄 - 褟泻 褨 袣褍谢褟, 褉邪薪写芯屑薪邪 褋泻谢褟薪邪 谐芯褉邪 锌芯褋械褉械写 袧褜褞 袡芯褉泻褍, 褋褍褑褨谢褜薪褨 锌褉芯薪褍屑械褉芯胁邪薪褨 褉械褔械薪薪褟
芦Critique de la vie quotidianne禄 - 锌褉芯 褌褉褍写薪芯褖褨 褋褨屑械泄薪芯谐芯 卸懈褌褌褟
芦袩褨褋芯褔薪懈泄 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻禄 - 谢懈褋褌 胁褨写 泻芯褏邪薪芯谐芯 写芯 锌褋懈褏褨邪褌褉邪
芦袩褨写泄芯屑 泻邪锌褨褌邪谢褨蟹屑褍禄 - 泻邪锌褨褌邪谢褨蟹屑 褟泻懈泄 锌褉芯褋芯褔褍褦褌褜褋褟 胁褋褞写懈
芦袦褨褋褌芯 褑械褉泻芯胁禄 - 褟泻 褑械褉泻胁懈 蟹邪锌芯谢芯薪懈谢懈 胁褋褨 斜褍写褨胁谢褨, 褨 褟泻 褏懈屑械褉薪芯 斜褍褌懈 锌芯蟹邪 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌芯屑
芦袪械斜械泻泻邪 褨覒褍邪薪邪禄 - 锌褉芯 谢械褋斜褨泄泻褍, 褨蟹 蟹械谢械薪邪胁懈屑 胁褨写褌褨薪泻芯屑 褕泻褨褉懈, 褟泻邪 褏芯褌褨谢邪 蟹屑褨薪懈褌懈 锌褉褨蟹胁懈褖械
芦小屑械褉褌褜 袝写胁邪褉写邪 袥褨褉邪禄 - 邪斜褋褍褉写懈褋褌褋褜泻械 锌褉芯 褋屑械褉褌褜 褟泻 锌芯写褨褞 褨蟹 蟹邪锌褉芯褕械薪薪褟屑, 锌褉芯 褩褩 褌褉邪泻褌褍胁邪薪薪褟 胁 芯褔邪褏 褨薪褕懈褏
芦携泻 褟 锌懈褕褍 锌褨褋薪褨禄 - 屑邪谢械薪褜泻邪 锌褉邪泻褌懈褔薪邪 褨薪褋褌褉褍泻褑褨褟 蟹 褨褉芯薪褨褔薪懈屑懈 锌褉懈泻谢邪写邪屑懈
袙褋褨 褨薪褕褨 薪邪写褌芯 褋泻谢邪写薪褨 写谢褟 屑芯褦褩 锌褉芯褋褌芯褩 写褍褕械薪褜泻懈. 袛芯写邪褦 写芯 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪薪褟 褌械, 褖芯 斜褨锟斤拷褜褕褨褋褌褜 褔懈褌邪谢邪 锌械褉械褏芯胁褍褞褔懈褋褜 胁褨写 褉芯褋褨泄褋褜泻懈褏 褉邪泻械褌, 褖芯 锌褨写胁懈褖褍褦 邪斜褋褍褉写薪褨褋褌褜 褑褜芯谐芯 褋胁褨褌褍
袨写薪邪 锌鈥櫻徰傂� 蟹褨 屑薪芯褞.
芦携 胁 屑褨褋 袦械薪写懈斜谢禄 - 蟹 褉芯蟹褉褟写褍 芦邪 褖芯 褟泻褖芯禄 褍 褌褨谢褨 屑邪谢械薪褜泻芯谐芯 褏谢芯锌褔懈泻邪 褉芯蟹褍屑 褨 斜邪卸邪薪薪褟 写芯褉芯褋谢芯谐芯 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻邪
芦袣褍谢褟禄 - 胁械谢懈泻邪 褉邪薪写芯屑薪邪 泻褍谢褟 薪邪写 袧褜褞 袡芯褉泻芯屑
芦袣邪褉褌懈薪懈 褉懈写邪薪薪褟 斜邪褌褜泻邪禄 - 锌褉芯 褌械, 褟泻 斜邪褌褜泻邪 锌械褉械褩褏邪胁 械泻褨锌邪卸, 褨 褔懈 胁写邪谢芯褋褜 蟹薪邪泄褌懈 胁懈薪褍胁邪褌褑褨胁
芦袩褉芯 邪薪谐械谢褨胁禄 - 褖芯 褉芯斜懈褌懈 邪薪谐械谢邪屑, 泻芯谢懈 胁屑懈褉邪褦 袘芯谐?
芦小泻谢褟薪邪 谐芯褉邪禄 - 褟泻 褨 袣褍谢褟, 褉邪薪写芯屑薪邪 褋泻谢褟薪邪 谐芯褉邪 锌芯褋械褉械写 袧褜褞 袡芯褉泻褍, 褋褍褑褨谢褜薪褨 锌褉芯薪褍屑械褉芯胁邪薪褨 褉械褔械薪薪褟
芦Critique de la vie quotidianne禄 - 锌褉芯 褌褉褍写薪芯褖褨 褋褨屑械泄薪芯谐芯 卸懈褌褌褟
芦袩褨褋芯褔薪懈泄 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻禄 - 谢懈褋褌 胁褨写 泻芯褏邪薪芯谐芯 写芯 锌褋懈褏褨邪褌褉邪
芦袩褨写泄芯屑 泻邪锌褨褌邪谢褨蟹屑褍禄 - 泻邪锌褨褌邪谢褨蟹屑 褟泻懈泄 锌褉芯褋芯褔褍褦褌褜褋褟 胁褋褞写懈
芦袦褨褋褌芯 褑械褉泻芯胁禄 - 褟泻 褑械褉泻胁懈 蟹邪锌芯谢芯薪懈谢懈 胁褋褨 斜褍写褨胁谢褨, 褨 褟泻 褏懈屑械褉薪芯 斜褍褌懈 锌芯蟹邪 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌芯屑
芦袪械斜械泻泻邪 褨覒褍邪薪邪禄 - 锌褉芯 谢械褋斜褨泄泻褍, 褨蟹 蟹械谢械薪邪胁懈屑 胁褨写褌褨薪泻芯屑 褕泻褨褉懈, 褟泻邪 褏芯褌褨谢邪 蟹屑褨薪懈褌懈 锌褉褨蟹胁懈褖械
芦小屑械褉褌褜 袝写胁邪褉写邪 袥褨褉邪禄 - 邪斜褋褍褉写懈褋褌褋褜泻械 锌褉芯 褋屑械褉褌褜 褟泻 锌芯写褨褞 褨蟹 蟹邪锌褉芯褕械薪薪褟屑, 锌褉芯 褩褩 褌褉邪泻褌褍胁邪薪薪褟 胁 芯褔邪褏 褨薪褕懈褏
芦携泻 褟 锌懈褕褍 锌褨褋薪褨禄 - 屑邪谢械薪褜泻邪 锌褉邪泻褌懈褔薪邪 褨薪褋褌褉褍泻褑褨褟 蟹 褨褉芯薪褨褔薪懈屑懈 锌褉懈泻谢邪写邪屑懈
袙褋褨 褨薪褕褨 薪邪写褌芯 褋泻谢邪写薪褨 写谢褟 屑芯褦褩 锌褉芯褋褌芯褩 写褍褕械薪褜泻懈. 袛芯写邪褦 写芯 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪薪褟 褌械, 褖芯 斜褨锟斤拷褜褕褨褋褌褜 褔懈褌邪谢邪 锌械褉械褏芯胁褍褞褔懈褋褜 胁褨写 褉芯褋褨泄褋褜泻懈褏 褉邪泻械褌, 褖芯 锌褨写胁懈褖褍褦 邪斜褋褍褉写薪褨褋褌褜 褑褜芯谐芯 褋胁褨褌褍
January 21, 2012
For the past couple of years, I have kept word documents that keep track of the individual short stories or long essays I read. I say to myself I do this so I can keep track of what I read and recognize writers who've I encountered before. While this is true, the main reason I keep these lists is because I am a bit compulsive when it comes to keeping track of unnecessary things. Seriously, I have never been able to get myself to keep up with my check balance book but my music on my external hard drive is organized meticulously.
I relate this because, after finishing Sixty Stories I was arranging them in my short stories list, and realized that I recalled most of them a lot more fondly than I would have anticipated. Reading short stories isn't always my cup of tea. I often get frustrated because just when I get acclimated to the structure of the story, right when I really sink into the groove, the story ends. I'm more comfortable in a sprawling morass that I can really sink into. Also, I can't resist trying to constantly ask what the author is trying to convey. These two issues I have are both especially prominent in Donald Barthelme's stories, which often experiment with form and narrative, and never, with a few exceptions, exceed ten pages. So the process of reading Sixty Stories was often frustrating. Every now and then, maybe when my mood was just right, one of the stories would just really connect. However, more often it seemed that I enjoyed having read the stories much more than actually reading them. And then there were a handful of stories I flat out didn't like. This final category of stories fell into two camps: a) ones where I recognized what Barthelme was trying to do but felt that he didn't really connect; or b) stories that I felt like I needed to read a 20 page dissertation on to ultimately understand.
Despite these possible missteps, there is definitely more good than bad here. From a historical perspective, Barthelme has to be one of the more significant American writers of the post-war era. While nobody I've encountered writes exactly like him, his influence is easy to spot in the work of George Saunders, Robert Coover, and David Foster Wallace. Barthelme never really manages to be engaging. He struggles with creating authentically human characters and his prose is rarely appealing. However, his inventiveness and his willingness to take risks make up for many of these weaknesses. Like I said before, an absolute pleasure to have read, if not always to read.
I relate this because, after finishing Sixty Stories I was arranging them in my short stories list, and realized that I recalled most of them a lot more fondly than I would have anticipated. Reading short stories isn't always my cup of tea. I often get frustrated because just when I get acclimated to the structure of the story, right when I really sink into the groove, the story ends. I'm more comfortable in a sprawling morass that I can really sink into. Also, I can't resist trying to constantly ask what the author is trying to convey. These two issues I have are both especially prominent in Donald Barthelme's stories, which often experiment with form and narrative, and never, with a few exceptions, exceed ten pages. So the process of reading Sixty Stories was often frustrating. Every now and then, maybe when my mood was just right, one of the stories would just really connect. However, more often it seemed that I enjoyed having read the stories much more than actually reading them. And then there were a handful of stories I flat out didn't like. This final category of stories fell into two camps: a) ones where I recognized what Barthelme was trying to do but felt that he didn't really connect; or b) stories that I felt like I needed to read a 20 page dissertation on to ultimately understand.
Despite these possible missteps, there is definitely more good than bad here. From a historical perspective, Barthelme has to be one of the more significant American writers of the post-war era. While nobody I've encountered writes exactly like him, his influence is easy to spot in the work of George Saunders, Robert Coover, and David Foster Wallace. Barthelme never really manages to be engaging. He struggles with creating authentically human characters and his prose is rarely appealing. However, his inventiveness and his willingness to take risks make up for many of these weaknesses. Like I said before, an absolute pleasure to have read, if not always to read.
June 30, 2022
Postmodern humor of a sort that might remind readers of the work of writers like , or . Barthelme's fictions are formally experimental, employing unconventional methods of storytelling and frequently depicting unreal situations. Narrators in a few of them are unreliable; in others, narration is completely absent, the "stories" consisting entirely of unattributed dialogue.
Along with stories selected from earlier Barthelme collections such as and , this volume includes several stories uncollected anywhere else. Highlights include a story about a balloon settling down on New York City, another telling of an ascent up a glass mountain, a "Manual for Sons" describing different types of fathers, and a retelling of 's .
Acquired 1997
The Word, Montreal, Quebec
Along with stories selected from earlier Barthelme collections such as and , this volume includes several stories uncollected anywhere else. Highlights include a story about a balloon settling down on New York City, another telling of an ascent up a glass mountain, a "Manual for Sons" describing different types of fathers, and a retelling of 's .
Acquired 1997
The Word, Montreal, Quebec
July 27, 2011
This guy is a genius and it is a tragedy that he is not better known or more commonly read. He is a great original and one of the best examplars of the good qualities of postmodernism. His writing is so fresh, so full of brio, wit and zip. His prose is so carefull considered at a sentence by sentence level that I can only compare him to Samuel Beckett in this respect. The stories are so unpredictable and wayward that he recalls Kafka. The intricacy, intelligence and originality recalls Borges. The evidence of a deep thinker at work beneath the playfulness and humour recalls Wallace Stevens. You can see the impact of his influence upon the writing of Dave Eggers, George Saunders and Nicholson Baker, but he deserves to be more celebrated. He is certainly the equal of Pynchon, Delillo, Auster or any of the other great American postmodern writers.
I actually prefered 40 stories to 60 stories but they both demand reading.
I actually prefered 40 stories to 60 stories but they both demand reading.
November 2, 2014
With the exception of a couple of stories, particularly "Game," I found this collection of stories to be affected, precious, and irritatingly obscure (like the New Yorker magazine in which they so often appeared). Perhaps he meant to write gibberish. If so, what a strange way to burn heartbeats before you die. If not, it's a discourtesy to the reader to hide behind such a strange veil. Maybe the way to approach his work is to think of it as a messy collection of experimental attempts. Just like evolutionary mutations, most of these attempts are abortive. But a few work, and are worth having. The ones that do find some absurd situation in our world, and heighten it a bit. But most don't. It's a shame he wasted most of his talent, which is undeniable, attempting to always do new things. Novelty is a shallow virtue at best.
May 25, 2008
This selection remains the essential one for the situational brilliance, streetwise high-mindedness, worldly moaning and groaning, revivified commonplaces, and startling perfection of phrase that -- taken all in all -- defined a late-20th-Century master. No one with an ear for the language will want to skip the discoveries Donald Barthelme made in American Eglish. No one seeking to get their minds around the ever-more-citified complications of our existence, and to find what may yet amount to the human sob and chortle in those complications, can afford to skip this compendium.
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