Praise for Frederick Barthelme
"He's audacious and writes like no one else—I love these stories.” —Ann Beattie
"His textures are impeccable: rich, brightly colored, they seem to float on an underlying vacancy like mirages, leaving the reader dizzy and a little sunstruck. . .it’s impossible to conceive of any writer doing what he does any better than he does it."—Margaret Atwood
"I admire his peculiar grasp of the slant side of human relationships. Superbly written and very funny."—Raymond Carver
"In the course of such stories, we are allowed to witness tiny, hidden moments of vulnerability, intimacy, and even beauty."—Michiko Kakutani
"Barthelme achieves what Chekhov spoke of as grace, the most gained with the least exertion . . . he has shown us the chaos of life, and from it, lifted an order we've not see before."—The San Francisco Chronicle (on Tracer)
"This is very much a novel for these unsettling times, when we are learning to recognize the truth by how deeply we long to disbelieve it."—Francine Prose (on Two Against One)
"Barthelme's take on Americana—dryly funny, despairing, caustic—is also deeply affectionate. This collection shows why this vividly gifted writer has influenced others for years."—Amy Hempel (on The Law of Averages)
“[Barthelme] is one of the most distinctive prose stylists since Hemingway, capable of writing sentences so sharp and crisp and suggestive they have a palpable glow.” —Bret Easton Ellis
“Consumer passions didn’t seem pasted on in these stories, but rather create a texture and a spooky land for modern fairy tales. . . . At first glance scenes appear to be surrealistic; then you carry on and realize that this is our urbanized, wised-up America.” —?The New York Times Book Review
Description
Sun Deluxe by Frederick Barthelme brings together a decades-arcing blend of old favorites and new and unpublished work, offering a vivid image of everyday life tinged with subtle absurdity, longing, and grace.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 delicate act of figuring things out, again.
"His textures are impeccable: rich, brightly colored, they seem to float on an underlying vacancy like mirages, leaving the reader dizzy and a little sunstruck. . .it’s impossible to conceive of any writer doing what he does any better than he does it."—Margaret Atwood
