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Title: The Facts : A Novelist's Autobiography by Philip Roth ISBN: 0-679-74905-5 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 28 January, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Not Just The Facts
Comment: Leave it to Phillip Roth to take a traditional autobiography and turn it on its ear. The book begins with a brief letter from Roth to his fictional character Zuckerman, explaining that he (Roth) has written a brief autobiography and wanted to get Zuckerman's input. Then comes the autobiography, a concise version of Roth's history focusing primarily upon his childhood, his college years, and his marriage to a woman who he later describes as his "nemesis." Finally the book ends with Zuckerman's comments on Roth's text. Just the thought of it is enough to make you laugh, but there is value in this approach. Roth clearly feels uneasy discussing himself, and so the fictional character allows him to break down his own personality without appearing overly self-indulgent. This final Zuckerman section is very insightful and alleviated my doubts that perhaps Phillip Roth does not understand himself as well as he would like to think.
'The Facts' is a quick read and goes a long way in illustrating how a nice Jewish boy from a good family in the suburbs of New Jersey could find enough angst in his life to eventually line his desk with a Pulitzer Prize, two PEN/Faulkner Awards, and a National Book Award. I would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed anything by this master of the literary realm. (If you haven't yet read any of his novels, try Portnoy's Complaint, American Pastoral, or Goodbye Columbus... but you really can't go wrong, everything he's written is terrific.)
Rating: 5
Summary: An Autobiography Unlike Any Other
Comment: In this short, fascinating book Roth narrates the story of his life up to the publication of "Portnoy's Complaint." Then, in a long epilogue, Nathan Zuckerman (Roth's fictional alter-ego) critiques Roth's account, pointing out omissions and biases and attacking the "public relations tone" of the manuscript. If you have ever felt the sting of your outraged conscience, or laughed at how you trip over your own feet intellectually, Roth is the author for you.
Rating: 5
Summary: Not the facts
Comment: This would be a ten, but it's only a nine because the facts aren't the facts. No, this isn't Roth. It's him pretending to be Zuckerman. But, when he asked Zuckerman if Roth should still write, happily he agrees.
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Title: Deception by Philip Roth ISBN: 0679752943 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 01 April, 1997 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Reading Myself and Others by Philip Roth, Martin Asher ISBN: 0679749071 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 29 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: My Life As a Man (Vintage International) by Philip Roth ISBN: 067974827X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 13 January, 1994 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: When She Was Good by Philip Roth ISBN: 0679759255 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 31 January, 1995 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Letting Go by Philip Roth ISBN: 0679764178 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 02 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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