What's your favourite Barthelme story?

>>8868875
What's yours?

>>8868875
My favourite Barthelme story is one my friend told me that actually happened to him personally.

He saw Barthelme at a grocery store a couple of years back. He told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything.

He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”

He was taken aback, and all he could say was “Huh?” but Barthelme kept cutting him off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of his face. My friend walked away and continued with his shopping, and he heard Barthelme chuckle as he walked off. When he came to pay for his stuff up front he saw Barthelme trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.

The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. (My friend and I agree that’s not even a word.) After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.

Pretty good story huh

>>8869045
I don't get it. Is he a good or a bad guy?

Probably "The School."

I've only read the collection of/titled "Sixty Stories," most of which were great. Planning to start "Forty Stories" soon enough. Oh, and I've read Snow White, which I didn't like much.

Has anyone read both collections? Which did you prefer?

>>8869015

Probably The Balloon.

It's about this balloon, ya dig, that turns up out of ABSOLUTELY nowhere. People can't decide what the point or purpose of it is but soon let it become a central part of their lives, both theorising and romanticising its entire friggin' existence.

I later found out that it's DFW's favourite one too.

His more specifically comedic ones are good, like Conversations with Goethe, Bluebeard, and Departures. But yeah, it's hard to beat The Balloon.