or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
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"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
February 10, 2008
Barthelmelicious
People like me whose minds have been permanently altered by Donald Barthelme will deeply enjoy a new James Wolcott essay about King Weirdo.
Here's the end of Barthelme's story "The Policemen's Ball":
The horrors waited outside patiently. Even policemen, the horrors thought. We get even policemen, in the end.In Horace's apartment, a gold frill was placed on a pearl toe.
The horrors had moved outside Horace's apartment. Not even policemen and their ladies are safe, the horrors thought. No one is safe. Safety does not exist. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
—Jonathan Schwarz
Posted at February 10, 2008 06:54 PMI just finished the Granta book of American short stories (ed Richard Ford). The Barthelme entry 'Me and Miss Mandible' wasn't to my mind the best in the collection, but (in a strong field) it was by some distance the weirdest.
Posted by: Glenn Condell at February 10, 2008 10:59 PMI had the good fortune to eat his Texas chili once, in Buffalo, NY.
Posted by: Simbaud at February 11, 2008 12:22 AM...even though, by Barthelme's standards, "Mandible" is a pretty ordinary story.
Donald Barthelme is one of favorite irrelevancies in the entire college experience.
Posted by: Sully at February 11, 2008 12:35 PM
