Chimera

John Barth · 1930–2024 · USA

Why it matters

Scheherazade, Perseus, and Bellerophon are reworked into a triptych of novellas about myth, memory, and the exhaustion of storytelling itself. Barth's shared 1973 National Book Award winner turned postmodern self-consciousness into something genuinely moving.

At a glance

Interwoven mythic retellings and constant self-conscious narration require sustained attention.