Sixty Stories - Classic Text | Alexandria
Sixty Stories (1981) by Donald Barthelme stands as a landmark collection of postmodern short fiction that revolutionized the American literary landscape in the latter half of the 20th century. This carefully curated anthology draws from Barthelme's previous collections and includes several new pieces, presenting a masterclass in experimental prose that challenges conventional narrative structures while maintaining a darkly humorous and deeply human core.
Published during a period of significant cultural and literary upheaval, Sixty Stories emerged when American fiction was grappling with the aftermath of modernism and the rising influence of poststructuralist theory. Barthelme, who had already established himself through publications in The New Yorker and various literary journals, created these stories between the 1960s and early 1980s, a time marked by social unrest, technological advancement, and growing media saturation—themes that permeate the collection's fabric.
The stories range from brief, paragraph-length experiments to longer, more traditional narratives, though "traditional" in Barthelme's hands becomes a relative term. Notable pieces such as "The Balloon," "The School," and "The Dead Father" demonstrate his signature style: a blend of profound philosophical inquiry, pop culture references, and absurdist humor. Barthelme's innovative use of collage techniques, both verbal and visual, along with his manipulation of everyday language and cultural detritus, created a new vocabulary for contemporary fiction.
The collection's influence continues to reverberate through contemporary literature, inspiring generations of writers to experiment with form and question narrative conventions. Modern authors such as George Saunders and Lydia Davis acknowledge their debt to Barthelme's groundbreaking work. The stories remain remarkably prescient, anticipating our current era of information overload, fragmented attention spans, and the blending of high and low culture. Sixty Stories endures not only as a masterpiece of postmodern literature but as a living document that continues to challenge readers' expectations about what fiction can achieve, asking us to consider: In a world of increasing complexity and absurdity, how do we construct meaning from the chaos?