Chimera (Barth novel)

Chimera
First edition dustcover
AuthorJohn Barth
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy
PublisherRandom House
Publication date
November 1, 1972
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), e-book
Pages308
ISBN978-0-394-48189-0
OCLC411898
LC ClassPZ4.B284 Ch PS3552.A75

Chimera is a 1972 fantasy novel written by American writer John Barth, composed of three loosely connected novellas. The novellas are Dunyazadiad, Perseid and Bellerophoniad, whose titles refer eponymously to the mythical characters Dunyazad, Perseus and Bellerophon (slayer of the mythical Chimera). The book is an example of postmodernism, which can be seen in its metafictional content and its incorporation of stylistic elements that go beyond the traditional novel genre. It shared the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction with Augustus by John Edward Williams.