Chimera by John Barth

John Simmons Barth (born May 27, 1930) is an American novelist and short-story writer. His novel, Chimera, was the recipient of the National Book Award in 1973. The novel is a fabulous post-modern retelling of three famous myths. The first, the Dunyazadiad is a retelling of the story of Scheherazade, the famed storyteller of the One Thousand and One Nights. The second novella entitled Perseid, follows the forty-year old Greek hero Perseus in his struggle to obtain immortality. The third and final novella, Bellerophoniad, chronicles the story of Bellerophon, another ancient Greek hero. These stories are told with an interesting and varying perspective, examining the myths’ relationships and how they conform to reality.