Books by Donald Barthelme
“This was the first work by Barthelme I read. I read it in college on a bus trip. I spent 16 hours travelling to see a girlfriend in Canada, who broke up with me as soon as I arrived. It was tragic. Amateurs leavened the return trip a bit. It’s a collection of his prime satirical – as opposed to experimental – pieces. There are really fun essays like ‘Some of Us Have Been Threatening Our Friend Colby’, which is an offhand account of some guys getting together and stringing up their friend because he had gone too far. It’s never quite made clear what Colby had gone too far about.” Read more...
The best books on Comic Writing
Larry Doyle, Comedians & Humorist
Interviews where books by Donald Barthelme were recommended
The best books on Comic Writing, recommended by Larry Doyle
What makes for great comic writing? Is it possible to say? The author and former Simpsons writer gives us his personal choice of five pitch-perfect examples
The Best 20th-Century Short Stories, recommended by Etgar Keret
The short story form allows for instinctiveness in a way that novels don’t, says Israeli writer Etgar Keret, whose stories have won a number of awards and been translated into dozens of languages. He talks us through some of his favourite short story collections of the 20th century (in English).
