In his office at Johns Hopkins, John Barth kept a mobius strip upon which were written the words: Once upon a time there was a story whose beginning was … . There, of course, the mobius strip joined back upon itself, so that the story thus begun went on forever and ever.
We know from Ovid that none of us is only one thing. And Jack Barth was many: a towering figure of 20th century postmodernism and metafiction; a man so smart that just to listen to him speak was like listening to Bach; a teacher of generosity and kindness and warmth and hilarious wit. His mantra, gleaned from his beloved Arabian Nights, was, "On with the story!" And in so many ways, the story Jack Barth began—in his many novels and collections of nonfiction and short stories; in the careers he made possible for a whole generation of writers; and in the delighted and astounded readers of everything from "The Floating Opera" (1956) to "Final Fridays" (2012)—his story will go on.
In his book On With the Story he once wrote, "Beginnings are exciting; middles are gratifying; but endings, boyoboy."
Boyoboy, Jack Barth. How I loved you.
Once upon a time there was a writer who changed my life. In his office at Johns Hopkins, John Barth kept a mobius strip upon which were written the words.
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