THE BARNUM MUSEUM -- Steven Millhauser

Phoenix - The Guernsey Press Co., Ltd -- tpb
Great Britain -- ©1990 -- 237pp
ISBN: 0-75380-466-2

A collection of short stories by a Pulitzer Prize winning author.

"A Game of Clue"
"Behind the Blue Curtain"
"The Barnum Museum"
"The Sepia Postcard"
"The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad"
"Klassic Komix #1"
"Rain"
"Alice, Falling"
"The Invention of Robert Herendeen"
"Eisenheim the Illusionist"

Mostly these stories are forgettable and in many cases, a struggle to read and enjoy. In fact, I felt that most of these weren't even stories, but rather, long treatise on subject, or location, or mood.

Only the last story, "Eisenheim the Illusionist" struck any chord in me. It was as if all the other pieces were working up to putting the various elements together and producing "Eisenheim" -- though even the story of "Eisenheim" is not worthy of such a long preamble.

I love the short story as a literary form, and Millhauser seemed to be pushing the boundaries of what makes a short story, and for that I give him credit. Unfortunately, most of his attempts seem to fail.

I would not recommend this collection.