Read By: T.C. Boyle
b'
T.C. Boyle on his selection:
It was Donald Barthelme, along with Robert Coover, Samuel Beckett, Julio Cort\\xe1zar and Flannery O\\u2019Conner who spurred me to be in writing myself. Barthelme is best known for his abstract stories, like \\u201cIndian Uprising,\\u201d a story I cherish, but I\\u2019ve chosen \\u201cThe School\\u201d for this program because of its tight comedic narrative and its presentation as a dramatic monologue. It works by escalation, as much of our humor does. The line, \\u201cWe weren\\u2019t even supposed to have a puppy\\u201d always brings down the house. Of course, at its core, the story questions what education--knowledge itself--can do to ease the souls of a species, burdened with the foreknowledge of its own death.
Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme
Music: "Shift of Currents" by Blue Dot Sessions // CC BY-NC 2.0
'