As Tad Baker, the director of the Institute of Absurdity, an experimental theater company in San Francisco recreating the essence of the Classical Greek plays in relation to the philosophical problems of modern existence, he has been at the forefront of the post-modern movement to unify disparate expressive forms into the new language of the 21st Century.  While he continues to work on re-discovering the secrets of the Classical period, slowly chiseling away at what he calls a ‘training manual’ in Classical and existential thought, he has been concentrating on fiction and, particularly,
the short form.  Mr. Roberts believes that it is through story, beyond any other form, that cultural values and the problems and questions of each period are best explored.  He does not write allegorically or with a predetermined morality in mind, but in the tradition of Western Ironic Fiction, allowing characters to find their own solutions, if, in fact, they are capable.

His present collection of short stories, ‘South of Here,’ contains experimental and traditional narratives, concentrating on the clash of values between people of culture and the objective, hyper-rational world of modern civilization and its
relative, flexible standards. These portraits are not didactic or intellect-based, but are told with simplicity, informality and with as little adornment as possible.  His personal love is for stories of people in some degree of crisis who must then act; he has little use or interest in victimization or psychological-work, for the Classics remind us that no person is entirely a victim in life, and that it is difficult, if not impossible, to overcome our passions through reason.

Mr. Roberts can be contacted at:  vgrafen@hotmail.com