Barry Hughart

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-26

Barry Hughart was an American author, born March 13, 1934, in Peoria, Illinois, whose writing career began in 1984 with the publication of Bridge of Birds. A graduate of Columbia University (1956), he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956 to 1960 and later wrote dialogue for several films between 1968 and 1986. He is best known for the Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox trilogy, set in a fantastical Ancient China that never was, comprising Bridge of Birds (1984), The Story of the Stone (1988), and Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1990), which blended authentic and imagined Chinese mythology with detective fiction and gentle, ironic humor. Bridge of Birds won the 1985 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Hughart had originally planned a seven-book series but ended it after three volumes, citing mishandling by his publisher. He died on August 1, 2019.

Universe(s)

Books

• Bridge of Birds (1984) · The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox Core Canon
• The Story of the Stone (1988) · The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox Core Canon
• Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1990) · The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 3 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 2 (2 won)

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