The author Kevin Bartelme somewhere south of the border
- Let Them Eat Rubbish
- The Tin Hat
- Ain’t Life Swell?
- The Great Redstone
- The Great Wall of New York
- O’Rourke
Kevin Bartelme’s stories help us reclaim our humanity and sense of humor during
strange and perilous times…..or ‘eat this’.
In these bizarre and difficult times, so many of our cherished dreams of liberty-fraternity-equality are being assaulted by hate and ignorance. Where can we turn for refreshment, solidarity and strength? Well, one such place is in the humor and language of comedic novelist Kevin Bartelme. Bartelme follows in the footsteps of so many writers who have found that comedy, not tragedy, is the more powerful artform. Swift, Twain–even Shakespeare wrote comedies, and leavened his tragedies with a wild assortment of puns and put-downs.
The clarity of his writing, and its strong narrative flow, lets the reader experience his creativity in a way that wouldn’t be possible if his prose was as offbeat and unexpected as his imagination. His style, too, follows the classic structures and punctuation of “good English” so you always know exactly what he is saying—explicitly, at least.
— Robbie Saltaire, author of the forthcoming non-fiction novella… Margie in the Morning.
About the author
Born and educated in San Francisco Kevin Bartelme has spent the past forty years in New York City although for the past three years he has been residing between New York, Yucatan, Mexico and Tokyo. Author of five novels: O’Rourke: another slopsink chronicle (2003), The Great Wall of New York (2006), The Great Redstone (2009), Ain’t Life Swell (2019), The Tin Hat (2020), all with Coolgrove Press, Bartelme’s output is a testament to his love of writing stories with intriguing plots in language that can entertain and enlighten in a light hearted way. His plots are enriched by his ability to apply a wide array of interests in a disciplined manner, sticking to good form with all things that matter. A father of two grown sons, Bartelme lives with his wife Mayumi Therada who is an artist-photographer. Bartelme has written for feature films and theater on occasion. He continues writing novels and short stories. Just as serious as he is about his form, he is passive, about publicity for himself. As an admirer of Marcel Proust, Kevin Bartelme has spent, in his own words, the last few years in a cork lined room fasting and meditating on his numerous previous sins which, if revealed, would fill another book or two.
