Sadness

Immediately upon reading the opening phrase of the first story "While I read the Journal of Sensory Deprivation...", you know you're back in the world of Donald Barthelme, the most clever and witty postmodern short story writer I have ever read.

You either love Barthelme or don't understand a word of him, but if you are willing to slow down a bit and give him a careful reading, you can't help but be amazed at his cleverness.

This collection stands up well next to his others - outshines many of them. The name is paradoxical, because even though many of these stories explore sadness, this is always overcome by Barthelme's unrelenting humor.

Out of the sixteen stories in Sadness, only four or five were repeated in Forty Stories, so this is show more definitely worth getting your hands on.

- Critique de la Vie Quotidienne
- Traumerei
- The Genius
- Perpetua
- A City of Churches
- The Party
- Engineer-Private Paul Klee Misplaces an Aircraft Between Milbertshofen and Cambrai, March 1916
- A Film
- The Sandman
- Departures
- Subpoena
- The Catechist
- The Flight of Pigeons from the Palace
- The Rise of Capitalism
- The Temptation of St. Anthony
- Daumier show less

2011, Jan.: #4
One of the better Barthelme collections, before he became a tad too redundant and pointless (tho not always!) in the latter half of the '70s. Also, like most Barthelme collections--like most flash fiction, really--I read, once I close that cover I...I just can't really remember a whole lot about it. What the **** did I read and why did I like it so much?

75%
[85]

A fine collection of postmodern short blasters from Space Cadet Donald Barthelme with such titles as: “The Sandman,” “The Rise of Capitalism,” “A City of Churches," “Departures” and “The Party.” To share the flavor of the author’s literary ingenuity, below are my comments coupled with a few quotes from a piece of Barthelme flash fiction as absurdist cartoon, a story with the bureaucratic-like title “ENGINEER-PRIVATE PAUL KLEE MISPLACES AN AIRCRAFT BETWEEN MILBERTSHOFEN AND CAMBRAI, MARCH 1916,” a story alternating between what artist Paul Klee says and what The Secret Police say. But please don’t be put off by The Secret Police as this bunch will remind you less of Kafka’s gatekeepers then those wacky, goofy show more Toon Patrol weasels in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Matter of fact, if I had a plan to create a short film version of Barthelme’s tale, I’d alternate between using a real actor for Paul Klee and bits of animated cartoon for those oh so secret police, so secret the police don’t even know their own location or number. Now that’s secret!

Paul Klee Said, ONE: “We presented ourselves as not just painters but artist-painters. This caused some shaking of heads.” You bet the Air Corps personnel shake their heads. They want men who will quickly and willingly take on the role of soldiers not men who present themselves as artists, with all the associations of bohemian nonconformity and radical individualism.

Paul Klee Said, TWO: “When I reach a notable town I try to see the notable paintings there, if time allows. There are always unexpected delays, rerouting, backtracking.” Ever the true artist and lover of art, Paul Klee takes his role as Engineer-Private as a mere hiccup, a modest inconvenience to what truly matters in life: art. Also, he has time for that other important artistic undertaking: making love to his girlfriend.

The Secret Police Said, ONE: “Omnipresence is our goal. We do not even need real omnipresence. The theory of omnipresence is enough. With omnipresence, hand-in-hand as it were, goes omniscience. And with omniscience and omnipresence, hand-in-hand as it were, goes omnipotence.” Such is the mindset for those who join the secret police – they want all the power to know everybody else’s business in all places and in all times. With such as these, sounds like a psychiatrist might find more than a little obsessive-compulsive disorder not to mention anal-retentiveness. Have you ever been around people like this? From my own personal experience I can report not a pleasant experience.


Paul Klee Said, THREE: “These Chinese short stories are slight and lovely. . . . The fine chunk of bacon given me along with m expense money when we left the base has been eaten. This morning a Red Cross lady with a squint gave me some very good coffee, however.” Again, ever the artist and appreciator of everyday aesthetics, Paul Klee enjoys reading short stories (something we all here on Goodreads can relate to!) and he also appreciates that time in the day really worth recording: being given a good cup of coffee to drink!

Paul Klee Said, FOUR: After discovering one of the three aircraft he is responsible for is missing, Paul Klee records the details in his notebook. The Secret Police approve of Paul Klee’s competence in recording the details. Then, Paul Klee goes on: “The shape of the collapsed canvas under which the aircraft had rested, together with the loose ropes – the canvas forming hills and valleys, seductive folds, the ropes the very essence of looseness lapsing – it is irresistible. I sketch for ten or fifteen minutes.” I love it! Although an Air Corps aircraft is missing, one that he is personally responsible for, Paul Klee sees the canvas and ropes aesthetically, through his artist’s eyes and proceeds to do what is truly in his nature as an artist: take his sketch pad out and begin sketching.


The Secret Police Said, TWO: “We are debating with ourselves as to whether we ought to enter the station restaurant and begin drafting our preliminary report, for forwarding to higher headquarters.” Quite a switch from the artist’s eye and artist’s life, the secret want-to-know-it all police consider reporting to higher headquarters. Oh, so bureaucratic, so by the book, so regimented. Did I mention compulsive and anal?

Paul Klee Said, FIVE: After deciding to change his report from three aircraft to two aircraft (perfect solution, if you ask me), Paul Klee says “I will walk around town and see if I can find a chocolate shop. I crave chocolate.” Go for it, Paul! What is an artist without his yummy chocolate?

Paul Klee Said, SIX: Since the story began with that dreadful title, the author (thanks, Donald!) allows Paul Klee, as a world-class artist, to have the last highly aesthetic, artistic word to end the story: “I wait contentedly in the warm orderly room. The drawings I did of the collapsed canvas and ropes is really very good. I eat a piece of chocolate. I am sorry about the lost aircraft but not overmuch. The war is temporary. But drawing and chocolate go on forever.” show less

A fine collection of postmodern short blasters from Space Cadet Donald Barthelme with such titles as: “The Sandman,” “The Rise of Capitalism,” “A City of Churches," “Departures” and “The Party.” To share the flavor of the author’s literary ingenuity, below are my comments coupled with a few quotes from a piece of Barthelme flash fiction as absurdist cartoon, a story with the bureaucratic-like title “ENGINEER-PRIVATE PAUL KLEE MISPLACES AN AIRCRAFT BETWEEN MILBERTSHOFEN AND CAMBRAI, MARCH 1916,” a story alternating between what artist Paul Klee says and what The Secret Police say. But please don’t be put off by The Secret Police as this bunch will remind you less of Kafka’s gatekeepers then those wacky, goofy show more Toon Patrol weasels in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Matter of fact, if I had a plan to create a short film version of Barthelme’s tale, I’d alternate between using a real actor for Paul Klee and bits of animated cartoon for those oh so secret police, so secret the police don’t even know their own location or number. Now that’s secret!

Paul Klee Said, ONE: “We presented ourselves as not just painters but artist-painters. This caused some shaking of heads.” You bet the Air Corps personnel shake their heads. They want men who will quickly and willingly take on the role of soldiers not men who present themselves as artists, with all the associations of bohemian nonconformity and radical individualism.

Paul Klee Said, TWO: “When I reach a notable town I try to see the notable paintings there, if time allows. There are always unexpected delays, rerouting, backtracking.” Ever the true artist and lover of art, Paul Klee takes his role as Engineer-Private as a mere hiccup, a modest inconvenience to what truly matters in life: art. Also, he has time for that other important artistic undertaking: making love to his girlfriend.

The Secret Police Said, ONE: “Omnipresence is our goal. We do not even need real omnipresence. The theory of omnipresence is enough. With omnipresence, hand-in-hand as it were, goes omniscience. And with omniscience and omnipresence, hand-in-hand as it were, goes omnipotence.” Such is the mindset for those who join the secret police – they want all the power to know everybody else’s business in all places and in all times. With such as these, sounds like a psychiatrist might find more than a little obsessive-compulsive disorder not to mention anal-retentiveness. Have you ever been around people like this? From my own personal experience I can report not a pleasant experience.


Paul Klee Said, THREE: “These Chinese short stories are slight and lovely. . . . The fine chunk of bacon given me along with m expense money when we left the base has been eaten. This morning a Red Cross lady with a squint gave me some very good coffee, however.” Again, ever the artist and appreciator of everyday aesthetics, Paul Klee enjoys reading short stories (something we all here on Goodreads can relate to!) and he also appreciates that time in the day really worth recording: being given a good cup of coffee to drink!

Paul Klee Said, FOUR: After discovering one of the three aircraft he is responsible for is missing, Paul Klee records the details in his notebook. The Secret Police approve of Paul Klee’s competence in recording the details. Then, Paul Klee goes on: “The shape of the collapsed canvas under which the aircraft had rested, together with the loose ropes – the canvas forming hills and valleys, seductive folds, the ropes the very essence of looseness lapsing – it is irresistible. I sketch for ten or fifteen minutes.” I love it! Although an Air Corps aircraft is missing, one that he is personally responsible for, Paul Klee sees the canvas and ropes aesthetically, through his artist’s eyes and proceeds to do what is truly in his nature as an artist: take his sketch pad out and begin sketching.


The Secret Police Said, TWO: “We are debating with ourselves as to whether we ought to enter the station restaurant and begin drafting our preliminary report, for forwarding to higher headquarters.” Quite a switch from the artist’s eye and artist’s life, the secret want-to-know-it all police consider reporting to higher headquarters. Oh, so bureaucratic, so by the book, so regimented. Did I mention compulsive and anal?

Paul Klee Said, FIVE: After deciding to change his report from three aircraft to two aircraft (perfect solution, if you ask me), Paul Klee says “I will walk around town and see if I can find a chocolate shop. I crave chocolate.” Go for it, Paul! What is an artist without his yummy chocolate?

Paul Klee Said, SIX: Since the story began with that dreadful title, the author (thanks, Donald!) allows Paul Klee, as a world-class artist, to have the last highly aesthetic, artistic word to end the story: “I wait contentedly in the warm orderly room. The drawings I did of the collapsed canvas and ropes is really very good. I eat a piece of chocolate. I am sorry about the lost aircraft but not overmuch. The war is temporary. But drawing and chocolate go on forever.” show less