The Book of Ten Nights and a Night offers both a keen introduction to the genius of John Barth and a deeply human argument for the enduring value of literature. Gathering stories written throughout this postmodern master's long career, the collection spans his entire range of styles, from straightforward narrative to experimental metafiction. In the time immediately following September 11, 2001, the veteran writer Graybard spends eleven nights with a nubile muse named WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). The two lovers debate the meaning and relevance of writing and storytelling in the wake of disaster, telling a new tale each night in the tradition of Scheherazade.

Contents:

• Invocation: "Wysiwyg"
• Help!
• First Night
• Landscape: The Eastern Shore
• Second Night
• The Ring
• Third Night
• Dead Cat, Floating Boy
• Fourth Night
• A Detective and a Turtle
• Fifth Night
• The Rest of Your Life
• Sixth Night
• The Big Shrink
• Seventh Night
• Extension
• Eighth Night
• And Then There's the One
• Ninth Night
• 9999
• Tenth Night
• Click
• Eleventh Night
• Wysiwyg?