Letters

by John Barth

Overview

A landmark of postmodern American fiction, Letters is (as the subtitle genially informs us) "an old time epistolary novel by seven fictitious drolls & dreamers each of which imagines himself factual." Seven characters (including the Author himself) exchange a novel's worth of letters during a 7-month period in 1969, a time of revolution that recalls the U.S.'s first revolution in the 18th century - the heyday of the epistolary novel. Recapitulating American history as well as the plots of his first six novels, Barth's seventh novel is a witty and profound exploration of the nature of revolution and renewal, rebellion and reenactment, at both the private and public levels. It is also an ingenious meditation on the genre of the novel itself, recycling an older form to explore new directions, new possibilities for the novel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781564780614
Publisher:	Deep Vellum Publishing
Publication date:	09/01/1994
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	772
Product dimensions:	6.07(w) x 9.12(h) x 1.76(d)

About the Author

JOHN BARTH's fiction has won the National Book Award, the PEN/Malamud Award, and the Lannan Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. For many years he taught in the writing seminars at John Hopkins University. He is the author of such seminal works as "The Sot-Weed Factor, Chimera" (for which he won the NBA), and "Giles Goat-Boy".

Editorial Reviews

"A work of genius." --New York Times Book Review

Dalkey Archive Press

"A landmark!... A prodigious and quite remarkable achievement." --Washington Post Book World

Dalkey Archive Press

"A testament to Barth's tremendous talent and wit.... A treasure for those who delight in Barth's dazzling and unparalleled ingenuity." --Publishers Weekly

Dalkey Archive Press

From the Publisher

Barth's chimerical epistolary 1979 novel includes a new foreword by the author. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly