Set amidst the tatters of post-Katrina Gulf Coast Mississippi, Waveland is a brilliantly observed portrait of our times from one of the most incisive novelists at work today.Partially retired architect Vaughn Williams does what he can to remain "viable." Battling the doldrums of midlife, he teaches an occasional class, reads the newspapers, scours the Internet, and thinks obsessively about his late father. When his ex-wife seeks refuge from her hotheaded boyfriend, Vaughn ...

A fiftyish graphic designer forced into retirement discovers, via a parade of unlikely events, that it may still be a lovely day in the neighborhood, by "the master of the low-key epiphany." (The New Yorker).Wallace Webster lives alone in Kemah, Texas at Forgetful Bay, a condo development where residents are passing away at an alarming rate. As he monitors events in the neighborhood, Wallace keeps in touch with his ex-wife, his grown daughter, a former cow...

"An exquisitely crafted memoir" by two brothers who lost their parents, lost their inheritance—and almost lost their freedom ( The Wall Street Journal).Frederick Barthelme and his brother Steven were both accomplished, respected writers with stable adult lives when they lost both of their parents in rapid succession. They had already lost their other brother, just a few years earlier. Suddenly they were on their own, emotionally unmoored—and unprepared for ...

Sun Deluxe by Frederick Barthelme brings together a decades-arcing blend of old favorites and new and unpublished work, offering a vivid image of everyday life tinged with subtle absurdity, longing, and grace.Known for his minimalist style and sharp emotional insight, Barthelme captures the subtle tensions and fleeting connections that define contemporary life, and readers will find themselves immersed in his world of condos, truck-stop diners, and characters caught in the...

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, University of Stuttgart, course: American short fiction, language: English, abstract: The beauty of the ordinary stuff is an important element of minimalist literature. Especially Frederick Barthelme used elements like brands, surfaces, malls, parking lots - ordinary stuff - in his short stories. His special way of writing concerning things of everyday life is analyzed in this ...