Taking Sides: Don B(arthelme) vs. Don D(eLillo)

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when like-named literary titans collide...

in one corner, donald barthelme, postmodern before postmodern was/n't cool, one of the greatest and most influential short story authors of all time, and cult figure struck down to soon (but aren't they all?).

in the other, don "don't call me donald" delillo, highly influential literary hermit who's written very few short stories, preferring medium-sized tomes (underworld notwithstanding) crammed with THAWTS. he's also written sci-fi, but he prefers not to talk about it.

― fred solinger, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Libra' was very interesting in its analysis of Jack Ruby.

― dave q, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i found Underworld a bit slow and boring, and gave up coz i was too busy.

i want to read some Barthelme though

so my answer is Don A(ntrim)

― gareth, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

don corleone for me folks.

― Geoff, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

De Lillo of course! Why? Because I don't know the other one. hah! Oh yeah, second reason? De Lillo wrote Great Jones Street and various other *kewl* books.

― nathalie, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Barthelme. I will demand a machine recount of votes if cliché-meister DeLillo wins.

― Momus, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Barthelme wins by default in that I've read a couple of his short stories while barely seeing anything from DeLillo...well, that I've been interested in. "Hitler Studies" -- how IRONIC! Die.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Question ... too ... hard ... ... Can't ... process ...

Actually, it's largely hard because of the form: obviously Barthelme wins for short stories, Delillo for novels. If it's Barthelme's short stories versus Delillo's novels, I suppose I'd say Barthelme -- but then I figure a crap Barthelme novel into the equation (Snow White, which, believe me, takes your estimation of Barthelme down a notch), and I'm not so sure anymore.

Okay, I'm going to go with Barthelme, and take flashes of brilliant- brilliant-brilliant over Delillo's sustained solid craftsmanship. The "Ralph" song from "At the End of the Mechanical Age" is what tips the balance.

― Nitsuh, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Have you read DeLillo ? He examines cliches that make America great. Look at Underworld , where he discussed what danger accepting the cliches does ? Or the secret history inherent in Libra. Its so fuckibng Delillo

― anthony, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

for a while barthelme was my favorite writer, so he wins. delillo was never my favorite anything. and i like 'snow white'.

― ethan, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yep, I also like 'Snow White', though I prefer 'The Dead Father' and 'Paradise' amongst the novels. But even Don B's slightest short story pisses all over anything I've read by DeLillo, who has to be one of the most overrated 'serious' authors of the twentieth century. Try reading aloud something from 'Mao II' and see how far you get before wincing at the mannered style.

― Andrew L, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah Barthelme is great, *incl.* "Snow White", easy. Never read DeLillo & probably won't 'cause I hardly read anything any more.

― duane, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah Barthelme is great, *incl.* "Snow White". Barthelme is cool, he inhabits traditional forms to impart radical messages. How many times can I say that last clause every day, wonder my tired friends. Don DeLillo is ok but kind of boring.

― maryann, Saturday, 25 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Barthelme. Don DeLillo is a self-important freak whose only good book (White Noise) is many years behind him. Underworld is way too long and proves once and for all that baseball does NOT work in novel form. And "See the Moon?" is a totally bad-ass story.

― adam, Sunday, 26 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

nine months pass...

well, i have only read barthelme after hearing that it inspired the likes of david foster wallace. never quite got around to anything by de lillo although from the responses i'm hearing, i'm not really all that interested.

i sort of just stumbled upon this page looking for some short stories by barthelme and i must say you guys seem like some pretty cool cats. i've already responded directly to one of the responses.

happy friday all!

― timothy johnson, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Since this has been revived and therefore come to my attention, I'll say that I'm broadly in agreement. I've read almost all of Barthelme and loved most of it (including Snow White), especially many of the short stories. I've read only a couple of Delillo's, and I don't really understand why he's so highly regarded. I have Underworld sitting on a shelf upstairs waiting for me, but I don't think I'll get to it any time soon.

A better taking sides for similar names: Donald Barthelme vs Frederick Barthelme vs John Barth vs Karl Barth vs Roland Barthes. The Battle Of The Barths!

― Martin Skidmore, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Roland Barthes over Donald Barthelme by a nose.

― J Blount, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Clearly John Barth.

― nicola copernicus, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Finishes last.

― J Blount, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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