In the story "Author's Note," published in the Winter 1998 issue of the Notre Dame Review, Michael Martone writes about a character named "Michael Martone," who was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1955. This information is true. The subject of this entry, like the character in the story, was born in that place and year. Although the beginning of "Author's Note" keeps close to the form and language of a real author's note, Martone's story quietly exceeds the boundaries of the form, including, for instance, a detailed retelling of Martone's birth--"it had been a difficult one, sunny side up, where forceps are used." Martone's physician, it turns out, was Frank Burns, the doctor who was the basis for the fictional character Frank Burns in Robert Altman's movie M.A.S.H. (1970).

As the story continues, the Martone character fades into the background somewhat. Instead of providing a brief...