Specify Appertaining To Books Humboldt's Gift
| Title | : | Humboldt's Gift |
| Author | : | Saul Bellow |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 487 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 1996 by Penguin Classics (first published 1975) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Literature |
Saul Bellow
Paperback | Pages: 487 pages Rating: 3.86 | 8059 Users | 541 Reviews
Narration Conducive To Books Humboldt's Gift
The novel, for which Bellow won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1976, is a self-described "comic book about death," whose title character is modeled on the self-destructive lyric poet Delmore Schwartz. Charlie Citrine, an intellectual, middle-aged author of award-winning biographies and plays, contemplates two significant figures and philosophies in his life: Von Humboldt Fleisher, a dead poet who had been his mentor, and Rinaldo Cantabile, a very-much-alive minor mafioso who has been the bane of Humboldt's existence. Humboldt had taught Charlie that art is powerful and that one should be true to one's own creative spirit. Rinaldo, Charlie's self-appointed financial adviser, has always urged Charlie to use his art to turn a profit. At the novel's end, Charlie has managed to set his own course.
Declare Books Toward Humboldt's Gift
| Original Title: | Humboldt's Gift |
| ISBN: | 0140189440 (ISBN13: 9780140189445) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Charlie Citrine, Von Humboldt Fleisher, Renata Koffritz, Rinaldo Cantabile, Pierre Thaxter, Denise Citrine, Demmie Vonghel |
| Setting: | Chicago, Illinois(United States) New York City, New York(United States) |
| Literary Awards: | Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1976), National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (1976), Society of Midland Authors Award for Adult Fiction (1976) |
Rating Appertaining To Books Humboldt's Gift
Ratings: 3.86 From 8059 Users | 541 ReviewsCrit Appertaining To Books Humboldt's Gift
I almost gave up on this book because it was so annoying and I found no pleasure or interest whatsoever in any part of it including any of the characters, but I finished it for my brother. I guesss I'm glad I did, so that I can add it to my list and write a review having known that I did read the whole book and didn't miss anything in the last half that would change my opinion of the book. I didn't learn anything and was confused at times. This book was just not for me.The labyrinthine mental processes of an exceptional man of letters-- challenging, uneven, extremely self conscious & in the end, of course, Literary."I have snoozed through many a crisis (while millions died)" laments our Hero. Our overthinking, overcompensating, overwhelming hero. He's a regular Danish prince-- indeed most of his life is seen through a Shakespearean filter that has more to do with complications than tragedy or romance.There are amazing sentences and a wholly exuberant prose
I realize that most of the online reviews for this book are raves and so my 2 star review is abberant, however if I am honest that rating is higher than I actually want to give. I am at a loss for reviewing it, but will give it a shot.1. I have been a reader my entire life and have multiple degrees and yet this book made me feel stupid. Mr Bellow wrote this with so many odd mechanisms and intentionally poor grammar. Not using commas throughout the book where words were written in list form drove
I don't know what it is, but Bellow's books just go down easy for me. I can (and have) read them in one or two or five very long sittings, enjoying myself enough to just refuse to take my eyes off the page. There's something about his protagonists- the nervy, learned, spunky, earthy, thoughtful and hyper-attentive 30-40 year old males which seems to resonate with me over and over again. I seriously thought about making a special category on my bookshelves for "old-drunk-wannabe-writer" books
"Wrestling match between Vita Contemplativa and Vita Activa" Lets be honest! Humboldts Gift is exhausting. It is a masterpiece, a brilliant study of a man fighting the world and his inner demons by withdrawing from active participation, but it leaves the reader frequently frustrated with the narrator, Charles Citrine, and his non-response to the problems he causes by contemplating life rather than living it actively. Using a similar idea to the one explored in Dangling Man, it goes further,
I have mixed feelings about the overall literary quality of this book, but I'm glad I read it because Bellow is a good teacher, very good at mixing abstract thought (here death, the soul, and the possibility of a vital American poetry are the biggest concerns) with the plot, action, character, and the other stuff of life and novels. Really, Humboldt's Gift reads like a clinic on this novelistic skill, but more in the way of an exercise book than a masterpiece. The two writers I thought of most
0 Comments