"Kaleidoscopically mesmerizing... Powerfully illuminating" -- Village Voice From New York to Tokyo to Copenhagen to the Radiant City of Le Corbusier, this sophisticated and surreal collection of short stories and brief visionary texts takes us on an exhilarating tour of the modern urban -- and psychological -- landscape. Alexandra, a designer of artificial ruins, creates a ruined wall with classical columns and a number of broken urns for a park in Arizona; a journalist for a magazine called Folks sets out to interview nine people who have been struck by lightning; and a retired messman steals fifty-three mothballed ships from the US government.

Like a master magician, working with control and illusion, Barthelme breaks all rules. Manipulating language with irony, humor, and imagination, he captures the essence of our disorienting times. "Dizzying and enjoyable" -- Publishers Weekly "Enticing. . . flecked with charm, surprise, and challenge" -- Kirkus Reviews