Frederick Barthelme – författare

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 and his girlfriend, Greta, agree to let her move in, perhaps a little too cavalierly. Add in Vaughan’s annoyingly successful younger brother, who carries a torch for Vaughn’s ex-wife, and lingering suspicions about Greta’s involvement in her husband’s murder and the result is an emotionally resonant tale of mortality, love, regret, and redemption that only Barthelme could unwind.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Sun Deluxe: New and Collected Stories brings together a decades-arcing assemblage of work, pairing new and previously unpublished pieces with some of Frederick Barthelme’s classic stories previously published in some of America’s most prestigious magazine and journals. Known for his unorthodox structure, minimalistic style, and sharp emotional insight, readers will find themselves immersed in his world of condos, truck-stop diners, and characters caught in the delicate act of revising their expectations, misreading one another, and figuring things out, again. This career-spanning collection creates a quietly luminous portrait of American life, then and now, through small and timeless absurdities. Sun Deluxe stands out as an extensive assortment, capturing Barthelme at his most resonant and enduring, with stories that define modern life with a sharpness that stings yet offers a gentle clarity in an unapologetic, honest manner.