Graceful, short, sophisticated stories with a bent sense of humor mixing ennui and a sense of naughty fun. Barthelme's genius is to write stories which feel avant garde and accessible at the same time. ( )

Barthelme isn’t a short story writer. He’s a drug. Writing a bizarre,
twisted brew of post-modernism and satire, Barthelme touched parts of
the human experience that most people didn’t even know existed. With
most of his collections long out of print, “60 Stories” (along with its
companion piece, “40 Stories”) is the best available introduction to
Barthelme’s work. Classics such as “The Balloon” (in which a giant
balloon is inflated over New York City and everyone has their own
interpretation of its significance), “Me and Mrs. Mandible” (in which a
middle-aged man inexplicably finds himself back in elementary school)
and the dark humor of “The School” make this an invaluable piece of the
American literary canon. Brilliant and so good it hurts.

(This review originally appeared on zombieunderground.net) ( )