John A Barker

The 1001 Chicago Nights Novella John A Barker

Written and created by a local Chicago artist living in Logan Square, the 1001 Chicago nights, is a collection of original short stories set in Chicago and loosely based on the classic, 1001 Arabian Nights. Centerpiece story, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, interweaves two other lesser-known ancient tales (The Tale of Ouj, son of Anak, and Two Dunces, and a Third) to support this novella. Unlike the original Nights, which independently stand-alone of each other, this novella interlocks twelve original stories together, creating a single story not present in the Arabian version. The cover art, two snails seated shell to shell, are a visual abstract of the numeric value, 1001.