Barry Hughart was an American author of fantasy novels.
11 Facts About Barry Hughart
1.
2.
From 1965 to 1970 Barry Hughart was the manager of the Lenox Hill Book Shop in New York City.
3.
Barry Hughart's writing career started with his novel Bridge of Birds, published in 1984, which won the 1985 World Fantasy Award for best novel and won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award in 1986, followed by The Story of the Stone in 1988 and Eight Skilled Gentlemen in 1990.
4.
Barry Hughart intended to write seven novels about the adventures of Li Kao and Number Ten Ox, but his writing career was cut short due to issues with his publishers.
5.
Barry Hughart cites Alexandre Dumas, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Mark Twain as major influences in his work.
6.
Barry Hughart considered the first draft of the book as completely "wrong" and set it aside for many years.
7.
When his publishers then refused to publish hardback editions of any future books, Barry Hughart stated that he found it impossible to afford to continue writing novels, which brought the series to an end.
8.
Barry Hughart uses a "faux-oriental style" with "long alliterations, poetic hyperboles, and casual references to Chinese culture" and lighthearted humor.
9.
Reviewers identify many themes in Barry Hughart's writing, from mystery, Chinese myths, humor, and thrill, to potions, magic plants, ghosts, and spells.
10.
Barry Hughart imagined his own China with its own unique history, and each novel in his series builds upon the others.
11.
Barry Hughart drew on numerous sources to create the Chinese mythology of Bridge of Birds.