Frederick Barthelme 
Major Works
- Dramatic Screenplays
- Second Marriage 1985
- Tracer 1986
- Fiction: Novels
- War and War (1971)
- Second Marriage (Simon and Schuster,
1984)
- Tracer (Simon and Schuster, 1985)
- Two Against One (Weinfield and Nicolson,
1988)
- Natural Selection (Viking,
1989)
- The Brothers (Viking, 1993)
- Painted Desert, (Viking, 1995)
- Fiction: Short Stories
- Rangoon, 1970
- Chroma 1983
- Moon Deluxe 1987
- The Law of Averages: New and Selected Stories
- Elroy Nights 2004
- Non-fiction
- Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and
Loss (written with brother Steven)
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Biography of Frederick Barthelme
by Ben Carver, (SHS)
Frederick Barthelme, brother of the late post modernist Donald and the writer Steven Barthelme, is an up-and-coming Mississippi writer who currently lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The New York Times Book Review hails his latest book as “Magnificent!” (Wrye, 12) He has many well-respected books, including Moon Deluxe (1983), The Brothers (1993), Natural Selection (1990), and most recently, Bob, the Gambler. All of his novels are based in urban settings with urban modifications. The South, TV, suburbs, divorce, and sexual confusion all play important roles in his novels. Not only does he include these subjects in his novels, he puts a sort of “comical relief” (Hempel 3) to some of the most enticing issues of our complex society. One reviewer calls him the sympathetic satirist of suburban America.
Not only does The New York Times say that Barthelme
is a gifted writer, they go on to say that he is the master
of a kind of rueful, irony-laden dialogue that gives his characters
the charm of their self-deprivation and the dignity of cool
and good-humored resignation of their woefulness." (Wrye, 17)
Barthelme was born October 10, 1943, in Houston, Texas. His two brothers, Donald and Steven, are also writers. Not only is Barthelme a successful writer, he is also an artist. His paintings have been shown all over the country in such places as The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Louisiana Gallery in Houston, Texas, The Seattle Art Museum, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York City (Hempel 13).
 He
improved his artistic skill at The Museum of Fine Arts 1965-1966.
(Fischer 5) and studied art at Tulane University, and
the University of Houston. However, in 1977 he received
his Master of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University.
While there, he received the Eliot Coleman Award for prose for
his short story, "Storyteller." In 1979 and 1980 he won
grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Barthelme is
currently at the University of Southern Mississippi in
Hattiesburg, where he teaches and edits the Mississippi
Review (Fischer 6). He has also received
an NEA Fellowship Award. His work has appeared in
many periodicals including the New York Times News Quarterly,
Playboy, and the John Hopkins Annual News Letter
((Hopkins 213). He has co-written Double Down, a
work of non-fiction about gambling with his brother Steven.
Overall, Frederick Barthelme seems to be a fiery writer with
a keen way of knowing how the characters feel and want to react
even though they usually do not react in this way. He
is a modernist who is writing about modern suburban
events and situations. It will be interesting to follow
this writer.
Note: Frederick (Rick) Barthelme was also the drummer
on what many consider to be the greatest psychedelic record
of all time:
"The Parable of Arable Land" by the Red Crayola from 1967. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bio.asp?oid=1145&cf=1145
 (Information
for this note provided by Z. P. Spadaccini.)
UPDATE: Barthelme's most recent book,
Elroy Nights (2004), was one of five finalists for
the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. According to some reports,
the book has been optioned for a feature-length motion picture
by independent filmmaker Gary Hawkins. He continues as director
of the Center for Writers and editor of the Mississippi
Review at the University of Southern Mississippi
in Hattiesburg.
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A Review of Natural
Selection
By Ben Carver (SHS) Frederick Barthelme has written a masterpiece full of literary
pop art. His style of writing includes modern art and
cultural lingoes. As the plot begins, Peter Wexler
is a married, but unhappy, mid-forties man going through his
mid-life crisis. He does what many post-modernist men
do; he gets caught up in a nasty affair. The affair causes
his wife, Lily, some problems, but not as many as it does Peter.
He struggles with his predicament for a while, and realizes
he was wrong, and realizes that he should get his life back
on the right track. But before he can, many more problems
arise. One is the return of Lily's brother Ray and his
wife Judy. They show Peter and Lily what true love is
all about, even if there are problems.
You think that everyone in the book is going to turn out all
right, when suddenly a disaster occurs. Peter's dream is not about
to become a reality. Peter is just a man that has run
out of luck. This book teaches us, in modern terms, not
to fool around too long, get your life straight, and do what's
right.
There were several things that I did not care for in this book. The main “negative” thing is the sex scene between Ray and Judy on the patio (78-179). This scene added nothing to the context of the book of any importance. I also did not like the ending to the book. I wish he could have ended the book on a positive note, but I guess that ending was part of what Barthelme was trying to say about the modern world.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone wanting
to read a modern piece of work about up-to-date issues and one
that deals with real issues. However, I strongly advise
against letting immature readers read this book because, first
of all, they wouldn't understand it, and second of all, I think
it is more or less an adult book.
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Related
Websites
Ole
Miss Writers Site has complete information about Barthelme.
Read
The Red Crayola by Frederick Barthelme in Oxford
American.
Mississippi's
Morning by
Frederick Barthelme. Article published on September 2, 2005,
in New York Times about Katrina in
Hattiesburg.
Thinking
Like a Painter: an interview
by Donald L. Hall in Southern Scribe
New
York Times headlines "Bob the Gambler' Author Indicted
for Cheating at Blackjack." (1998)
TWO
WRITERS CLEARED IN CASINO CASE TESTIMONY BACKS UP BARTHELMES
Sun Herald, The (Biloxi, MS) Published on 1999-08-10.
Kirkus
Review of Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and
Loss (Nonfiction by Frederick Barthelme and
Steven Barthelme)
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Bibliography
Aleda, Shirley. Mississippi Writers. Penguin, University of Mississippi, 1995.
Hempel, Amy. “A Hard Life for the Non-Poor.” Review of Natural Selection. New York Times Book Review (August 19 1996)
Wing, Jeff. “Another Roadside Distraction.” Boston Book Review. (December 2 1996).
Barthelme, Frederick. Painted Desert: Penguin Publishers. Middlesex, England, 1995.
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