Chimera (Paperback)

by John Barth (Author) "At this point I interrupted my sister as usual to say, You have a way with words, Scheherazade..." (more)
Key Phrases: mythic hero, Shah Zaman, Mount Chimera, Old Man of the Marsh (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In CHIMERAJohn Barth injects his signature wit into the tales of Scheherezade of the Thousand and One Nights, Perseus, the slayer of Medusa, and Bellerophon, who tamed the winged horse Pegasus. In a book that the Washington Post called "stylishly maned, tragically songful, and serpentinely elegant," Barth retells these tales from varying perspectives, examining the myths" relationship to reality and their resonance with the contemporary world. A winner of the National Book Award, this feisty, witty, sometimes bawdy book provoked Playboy to comment, "There"s every chance in the world that John Barth is a genius."

From the Inside Flap
"Rich, hilarious . . . There's every chance in the world that John Barth is a genius." Playboy
By the winner of the National Book Award and bestselling author of "The Tidewater Tales," three of the great myths of all time revisited by a modern master.
Dunyazade, Scheherazade's kid sister, holds the destiny of herself and the prince who holds her captive.
Perseus, the demigod who slew the Gorgon Medusa, finds himself at forty battling for simple self-respect like any common mortal.
Bellerophon, once a hero for taming the winged horse Pegasus, must wrestle with a contentment that only leaves him wretched. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (November 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618131701
• ISBN-13: 978-0618131709
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #182,831 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, thought-provoking, humorous, generally excellent, May 8, 2002

By	M. Hollingsworth (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the finest works by a fine author. Several scenes and lines from it have entered my personal mythos.

Each of the three novellas is a gem in its own way, and the trio work beautifully together. In each, the basic idea is to show a legendary figure as a real human being. We see Perseus after his glory days have passed, for example, and also meet Bellerophon who secretly feels that he has been a faker all along. But it's much more than yet another retelling of old legends.

It will make you think. It will probably also make you laugh in places and move you in others.

The wrapup is unexpected. Some will love it; some will hate it.

Do yourself a favor and read this. It's well worth the price of the paperback.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The myth that lives down your street, September 16, 2000

By	Michael Battaglia - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Chimera (Mass Market Paperback)

Now, I'm not nearly as erudite as John Barth is (or thinks he is) and thus missed about a million references to our Greek literary forebears in his novel here and I like to think that I know Greek mythology fairly well. However, I really enjoyed this book and if one isn't bothered by the simple fact that unless one teaches mythology at the local college, one probably will not "get" pieces of this book. Oh well. Basically the book is some sort of post-modern look at myths and how they conform to reality, told through three interconnected novellas. The first has to do with the lady from Arabian Nights, retelling the story from the point of view of her younger sister. The second has to do with Perseus, who is remembering his life after he slew the hideous Medusa and how it seemed to go downhill and that all the best moments of his life passed him by. The last part has to do with the guy who flew the Pegaseus who feels that he's never really done anything important with his life and he's just wondering what it all means. And that's basically the theme for all three of the stories, Barth seems to be trying to strip away the myth and act like these were people and give human faces and emotions to these heroes. And it's funny. Really funny. Maybe the shorter form works better or maybe he's actually being funny in a subject that I actually know something about but this was funnier than Giles Goat Boy, which has its merits, but this made me laugh outloud several times and if you're paying attention, it'll make you laugh too. Sometimes it gets a bit too pretentious for its own good, Barth writes himself in at several moments (I won't say when) and I'm not sure what that's supposed to be implying. But his writing is as good as it ever was and if any of his books deserved the National Book Award, this one is it. And while the three novels each have their own good points and great moments, if the end of the third novella doesn't take some part of your breath away, well . . . you're not me at any rate. Excellent stuff, maybe more accessible because of the length (though everyone says that about the short novels by authors like this) but packed with enough "thinking stuff" to make your head hurt, this shows Barth as a master of the form.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Postmodern Mythology, October 31, 2007

By	jonnyrizz (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Though somewhat uneven throughout, John Barth's Chimera is an enjoyable and complex read, particularly for those with an interest in Ancient Mythology and Post Modern fiction. This "novel," written sometime after Giles Goat-Boy and Lost in the Funhouse, is comprised of three very loosely connected novellas, all taking post-modern slants on classic mythological stories.

"Dunyaziad" is a brief recounting of the 1001 Arabian Nights and the plight that Princess Scheherazade and her sister faced after recounting those 1001 stories to their tyrannical husbands. Don't worry if you've never read the real 1001 Nights: Barth provides enough context that you'll quickly figure out what's going on. You'll probably want to go out and read the original tales after you're done, because he does a great job of making these tales seem mysterious and intriguing.

"Perseiad" is tale of Perseus and his mid-life crisis after slaying Medusa and separating from his wife. This is definitely the best tale of the three and is very similar to Barth's earlier tales "Menelaiad" and "Anonymiad" from Lost in the Funhouse. The digressions are minimal, the plot perfectly formed (spiralic if you will), and the sense of impotency, confusion, and frustration very tangible.

"Bellerophoniad" is a self-conscious imitation of "Persiad" and probably the most difficult story of the three. It definitely has its good parts, but some of the post-modern digressions (particularly the lengthy account of characters originally found in Giles Goat-Boy, and notes from a lecture delivered on Barth's fiction itself) can really be tedious.

Once again, don't be frightened off by the copious references to mythological characters and events, even if you aren't previously familiar with them. Barth goes out of his way to bring you up to speed, even citing a passage from Robert Graves' The Greek Myths to give you a very literal account of Bellerophon's myth. All of Barth's trademark wit and complexity are here, and there is plenty of sex, violence, and humor (sometimes all three at once) to keep you entertained. If you are a new reader to Barth, you are much better off reading The Sot-Weed Factor or Lost in the Funhouse, but to those who already consider themselves devoted fans, this is a must-read.