Saul Bellow
1975
Around 490 pages
We are officially done with Saul Bellow! I know it's tradition to do a ranking once a Prominent Author leaves our List, but honestly, in this case, I don't really see the point. I was equally unenthused about all of them.
This was initially conceived as a short story, but of course I would never expect Bellow to keep it brief. The novel is based off of Bellow's relationship with the poet Delmore Schwartz. Humboldt stands in for Schwartz, as a serious but "failed" writer, while Bellow is represented by Charlie Citrine, Humboldt's protege who achieves greater recognition and financial success than his mentor.
I find Bellow's prose tedious and verbose. Nothing ever has a clear structure, so it just feels like you are meandering around, listening to an old drone. I wasn't too into these characters, probably because I don't find Bellow particularly relatable.
So happy we are done with this fella! Being boring is worst than being offensive.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
UP NEXT: High Rise by J.G. Ballard
1 comment:
I agree. boring is worse.
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