Robert Olen Butler Summary

As of 1996 Butler's publications include eight novels, a prize-winning collection of short stories, and numerous contributions to respected journals and reviews. His defining themes are the suffering ... Read more

In the following essay, Smith asserts that They Whisper is a well-written, complex novel that must be read in a post-Vietnam War context. A number of Vietnam veteran writers who established literar... Read more

In the following review, Ewell commends Butler's portrayal of unusual characters and absurd circumstances in Tabloid Dreams. We depend on writers to show us the unreality of our lives. If th... Read more

In the following review, Stanford praises the “engrossing, amusing, highly polished” stories in Tabloid Dreams, but notes that the overall tone of the “ultimately unsettlingȁ... Read more

In the following review, Bonner offers a plot overview of The Deep Green Sea, commending Butler's development of an ensemble cast, but criticizing the book's lack of action. Vietnam h... Read more

In the following review, Reed compliments Butler's depiction of humor, intelligence, and raw emotion in Mr. Spaceman, but notes that the novel's premise is silly and clichéd. I... Read more

In the following review, Hart argues that They Whisper is a “meditation on the spiritual nature of sexuality” and praises the profound and disturbing aspects of the book. In literatur... Read more

In the following review, Glass criticizes They Whisper for having a narrative and narrator that “seem ultimately adrift” and for Butler's sense of humor that disappears as the nov... Read more