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This book is sorta a slam dunk for me. World War II + Donald Bartheleme + King Arthur = WIN in my book. It's witty, it's honest, it's a little sad. Surprisingly good character development for such a short book. And all the great meta fictional references just make my little postmodern heart go all a-flutter.Am I the only one who felt that the "Chorus" was a little reminiscent of the play-by-play announcers at a sporting event? I wouldn't put it past Bartheleme. Hey, this is the same guy who ende...
Not Barthelme's best, but full of great moments. The illustrations by Barry Moser in this edition completely failed to capture or complement the tone and feel of the book. It would be best to read another edition, one without illustrations.
Donald Barthelme can craft an incredible short story with a simple dialog exchange. Eschewing description or linking sentences, this point-counterpoint can be an excellent way to get a small or humorous idea across. It may not work with a whole novel. While The King, Barthelme's anachronistic tale of King Arthur's Round Table during WWII, isn't completely dialog, these sorts of humorous back and forths make up roughly 80 percent of the book. Some of it is very funny. Launcelot explains most drag...
Barthelme is one of my favourite writers and has been for more than twenty-five years. Certainly in prose style he has been the biggest influence on my own work. Although renowned only as a short story writer, his novels are extremely accomplished and entertaining, primarily because they resemble extended versions of his short stories, or sets of his short stories linked together, episodic, picaresque, absurdist and hilarious.The central conceit of this particular novel is that the old prophecy
I love Donald Barthelme, but this novella didn't captivate me the way his writing usually does. The premise (King Arthur fights World War II) is certainly great and Barthelmian, and there were chuckle-out-loud moments aplenty (particularly those that involved multiple characters falling into a swoon simultaneously--it's so rare to read a good swoon scene these days!), but I wasn't wholly grabbed by it. Still, the dialogue is very sharp and often wisely absurd, so that's fun to read. Speaking of
An amusing retelling of an oldie. A cacked out SparkNotes retelling of King Arthur. That's it. That's the review.
It's King Arthur updated to World War II and it has an occasional wood cut to look at. I like novels with wood cuts or drawings scattered about. That reminds me of Roald Dahl kids books. But this story was pretty short and not awesome. It cut off abruptly when it could have kept going. But it was a humorous enough farce. It did make me think that someone could make a pretty decent movie out of the idea. Maybe a Terry Gilliam esque thing.
Although a short and very quick read that was good fun. King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and assorted knights of the round table make it into the mid-20th century and are fighting in the 2nd World War. An interesting juxtaposition of courtly behaviour in the modern age.
This odd and allegorical tale of WWII fought by the knights of the Round Table reads more like a play than a novel -- characters stride on stage and declaim, disappear and reappear. There's even a chorus, presumably of the populace. Barthelme is intelligent and his prose is highly intellectualized, in a manner which renders it interesting but alienating.
I bought this at a used bookstore that had this small piece of description written on a notecard as a recommendation."Bizarre, frustrating, + funny. From a master of 'post-modernism.' Whatever, it's great."A pretty apt summary. I definitely found myself frustrated at times, but there are many moments of greatness. More than maybe any other book I've read however, I found these moments to be why I kept reading. Overall as a work, I had trouble getting into it, but these punctuated moments had me
As great as Barthelme is, his genius lies in the short form, and his greatest drawback seems to be his inconsistency. Barthelme's a conceptual writer, meaning that he bases his stories on ideas or concepts rather than plot or characterization. This can work well in stories like "The School" or "Indian Uprising" where absurdity rather than tension propels the reader. This is my third Barthelme novel, after "The Dead Father" and "Paradise," and I can say that each one became a bit of a slog. Witho...
Review #1 of "Year of the Review All Read Books"And I Heard A VoiceThe novel/la's aesthetic is the use of dialogue and voice. Most of the story is presented in pure dialogue, we hear the voices of the radio chattering away like a modern day cable news network, the characters in turn discuss the merits and consequences of the radio voices. There is a kind of chorus featured in the book. Or perhaps it is an audience, if there be any difference. They occasionally narrate for us when certain soldier...
I’m sad to be finished with the last of Barthelme’s novels, but I’m glad to be able to say that they were all great and wildly unique. The man’s take on medieval fantasy is just as irreverent as you’d expect, and although you’re left wanting more time in this universe, the book leaves its readers with the distinct sense that there’s a lot of subtext buried under the surface. Worth reading for fans of Barthelme and readers who aren’t afraid of some ambiguity and general oddness.
Funny, snarky, and quietly brilliant. My first read of Barthelme, and I suspect there will be a lot more to come.
I don’t think I really get this book. I appreciate the wit and knowledge behind it, and the premise had me terribly excited - King Arthur fighting for England during the Blitz. The jacket flap says: ‘Dunkirk has fallen, the Americans have not yet entered the war, and King Arthur and his worshipful Knights of the Table Round are hip-deep in the fighting.’They aren’t, though; they don’t seem to be fighting for Britain, they just do a lot of bashing each other. There doesn’t seem to be any communic...
Ever see Monty Python's "The Holy Grail"? Well, this is similar to that, but blacker, quirkier, more elegant, more ironic and just downright funnier. This is a retelling of Le Morte D'Arthur by Malory but set in modern times and the holy grail is a nuclear bomb that both the Nazis and allies are trying to get hold of. The characters in this story are great - a individualistic and slightly slutty Guinevere, a war-weary Arthur, an ever noble Launcelot, a well-spoken African knight called Roger, Ly...
The premise is King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and Knights of the Round Table during the World War II. Only the thought of this idea seemed funny to me and the book did not disappoint. A fun and fast read, although, as one may expect, sad at some points.
Barthelme is one of my favorite authors. He usually writes short stories, but has a few novels under his belt, including this one. I guess this is just a long short story, since it clocks in around 150 pages with geriatrically-friendly large font. It modernizes King Arthur and his knights, and weaves in themes regarding Nazis and such. But I'm not sure the type of person I would recommend this book to. For instance, were a semi-studious individual with an affinity towards knights to stumble acro...
The King at last makes up for my failure to appreciate Barthelme’s Snow White and Paradise. I’ve delved into Chrétien de Troyes and other Arthurian writers previously, and it’s fun to see Barthelme bring the characters of the Round Table to life in modern times. By the way, writers, this book is nearly all delightful dialogue.During a duel, Launcelot addresses the Black Knight:“Sir, do you yield?”“Heaven forfend,” said the Black Knight.“Would you care to rest just for a moment?”“You are an ever-...
It’s not “The School” or “The Indian Uprising,” but those are very high watermarks. This is funny in an offbeat way, with amusing phrases and, at its core, this issue, offhandedly said by Lyonrsse: “ The war is a question. I don’t know the answer.”