Donald Barthelme
Donald Barthelme, (b. April 7, 1931,
Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—d. July 23,
1989, Houston, Texas), American
short-story writer known for his
modernist “collages,” which were marked
by technical experimentation and a kind
of melancholy gaiety.
A one-time journalist, Barthelme was
managing editor of Location, an art and
literature review, and director
(1961–62) of the Contemporary Arts
Museum in Houston. In 1964 he published
his first collection of short stories,
Come Back, Dr. Caligari. His first
novel, Snow White (1967), initially was
published in The New Yorker, a magazine
to which he was a regular contributor.
Other collections of stories include
City Life (1970), Sadness (1972), Sixty
Stories (1981), and Overnight to Many
Distant Cities (1983). He wrote three
additional novels: The Dead Father
(1975), Paradise (1986), and The King
(1990). His children’s book, The
Slightly Irregular Fire Engine or the
Hithering Thithering Djinn (1971), won
the National Book Award in 1972. He was
distinguished visiting professor of
English (1974–75) at the City College of
the City University of New York. Flying
to America: 45 More Stories, a
posthumous collection of previously
unpublished or uncollected stories, was
published in 2007.
