One of the great American writers. Hated because he was ashamed neither of being a man nor a Jew, and wonderfully portrayed the nuance, complexities and absurdities of both labels and identities clearly. When women or gay people write stuff about sex, they are celebrating their sexuality. When a man does so, he is a misogynist.
Diana Athill said that her biggest career mistake as a publisher was to turn down Philip Roth. It takes a genius to recognise another. As a writer Roth is head and shoulders above the chic-lit that goes for good writing in the Guardian, written by envy-ridden third-raters
That is one great line: “When a man does so, he is a misogynist” Bravo!
Graeme Archer
3 years ago
I’ve been a fan since my 20s, so the late-stage, post-mortem opprobrium that Roth is suffering from critics who couldn’t hold a candle to the ferocity of his prose is as unwelcome as it’s predictable. I thought this a bang-on review of what makes him so readable, especially the comparison of modern-day ‘artisan bakery’ novelists, whose output is (here we go again) as unwelcomely twee as it’s predictable, compared to the belching, powerful blast of Roth. Weirdly it was he and not the others who caught my taste – I could never get on with Bellow et al. Chacun etc.
Apart from his literary merits, his prescience is astonishing. It’s pushing it to say that The Plot Against America presaged Trump – it’s much more chilling – but I know what you mean. But The Human Stain describes the empty mess of racially-driven identity politics precisely.
(And if you read Portnoy at the right age, you’ll laugh yourself sick.)
Can’t you get porn on the internet? Roth’s filth isn’t even funny, it’s just American garbage and his non porn isn’t interesting. If you need filth in your life read Simon Raven instead, at least his understanding of the ridiculousness of lefty politics and his sense of humour is excellent, and he’s British.
Ha, ha, you might be right. I haven’t read so much Roth. I thought ‘The Human Stain’ was excellent, a prescient look at cancel culture. But I found ‘American Pastoral’ to be massively overrated, and ‘Exit Ghost’ was just nothing.
Not much from the sound of it. I’m actually surprised she didn’t demand that all of Roth’s work be cancelled. Still, she did give Simon Raven a rather nice backhanded compliment.
Always enjoy your, outside the echo chamber, posts, love the vehemence of them too. Even if I do not agree I like hearing the goat bleat amongst the sheep baaaas.
Brendan O'Leary
3 years ago
I’ve only read “The Human Stain” , which I liked despite the “over-rated NY intellectual who isn’t really that interesting” vibe and thought I might like other Roth novels. Don’t think I’ll get round to them now.
Same with me, Brendan. I thought it was a wonderful novel. Unlike you, I would like to read some of Roth’s other works, starting with “The Plot Against America.” My dad served in a bomber in the Second World War. He said that prior to the war the glorification of the Germans from people like Lindbergh almost defied belief, like they were not men but supermen. Roth did the world a favour by reminding people of it.
I thought it excellent, and terrifying (tho’ I disagree with him about Trump)
Peter de Barra
3 years ago
In terms of balance, The New Review’s 22 March piece concerning this rebarbative, stereotypical writer is of value.
Claire Bloom might have agreed.
“”” Women in this book are forever screeching, berating, flying into a rage, and storming off, as if their emotions exist solely for the purpose of sapping a man’s creative energies.”””
If I’d wanted a bio to solidify my novelistic cred, this isn’t it: there’s hardly any literary analysis that isn’t summary. If I’d wanted a bio to mitigate the damage done to my career by the various memoirs written by my ex-wife—my second ex-wife—Claire Bloom and a malevolent gaggle of ex-lovers and ex-friends, this isn’t it: the way to dismiss their accusations of misogyny, narcissism, solipsism, miserliness, nymphomania, and psychological abuse would’ve been to ignore them, not to counter them point by point. But if I’d hoped to have a biography that exposed me as exactly the type of person who cared about having a biography; as exactly the type of tedious egoist, egotist, vain control freak and vengeful, delusional grudge holder who’d commission a biography of himself, then bingo, Bailey has brought home the bacon. More than that: he’s shown how the sausage was made | Cohen, J. (2021). The possessed. Harpers, [online] vol. 342, no. 2050, pp. 72-8.
Pierre Pendre
3 years ago
Aren’t we all here for the girls? Even the girls seem to be here for the girls now
One of the great American writers. Hated because he was ashamed neither of being a man nor a Jew, and wonderfully portrayed the nuance, complexities and absurdities of both labels and identities clearly. When women or gay people write stuff about sex, they are celebrating their sexuality. When a man does so, he is a misogynist.
Diana Athill said that her biggest career mistake as a publisher was to turn down Philip Roth. It takes a genius to recognise another. As a writer Roth is head and shoulders above the chic-lit that goes for good writing in the Guardian, written by envy-ridden third-raters
That is one great line: “When a man does so, he is a misogynist” Bravo!
I’ve been a fan since my 20s, so the late-stage, post-mortem opprobrium that Roth is suffering from critics who couldn’t hold a candle to the ferocity of his prose is as unwelcome as it’s predictable. I thought this a bang-on review of what makes him so readable, especially the comparison of modern-day ‘artisan bakery’ novelists, whose output is (here we go again) as unwelcomely twee as it’s predictable, compared to the belching, powerful blast of Roth. Weirdly it was he and not the others who caught my taste – I could never get on with Bellow et al. Chacun etc.
Apart from his literary merits, his prescience is astonishing. It’s pushing it to say that The Plot Against America presaged Trump – it’s much more chilling – but I know what you mean. But The Human Stain describes the empty mess of racially-driven identity politics precisely.
(And if you read Portnoy at the right age, you’ll laugh yourself sick.)
Great. Thank you.
I must go back to Roth again.
Can’t you get porn on the internet? Roth’s filth isn’t even funny, it’s just American garbage and his non porn isn’t interesting. If you need filth in your life read Simon Raven instead, at least his understanding of the ridiculousness of lefty politics and his sense of humour is excellent, and he’s British.
Ha, ha, you might be right. I haven’t read so much Roth. I thought ‘The Human Stain’ was excellent, a prescient look at cancel culture. But I found ‘American Pastoral’ to be massively overrated, and ‘Exit Ghost’ was just nothing.
Hear hear!
How much Roth have you read?
Not much from the sound of it. I’m actually surprised she didn’t demand that all of Roth’s work be cancelled. Still, she did give Simon Raven a rather nice backhanded compliment.
Always enjoy your, outside the echo chamber, posts, love the vehemence of them too. Even if I do not agree I like hearing the goat bleat amongst the sheep baaaas.
I’ve only read “The Human Stain” , which I liked despite the “over-rated NY intellectual who isn’t really that interesting” vibe and thought I might like other Roth novels. Don’t think I’ll get round to them now.
Same with me, Brendan. I thought it was a wonderful novel. Unlike you, I would like to read some of Roth’s other works, starting with “The Plot Against America.” My dad served in a bomber in the Second World War. He said that prior to the war the glorification of the Germans from people like Lindbergh almost defied belief, like they were not men but supermen. Roth did the world a favour by reminding people of it.
I thought it excellent, and terrifying (tho’ I disagree with him about Trump)
In terms of balance, The New Review’s 22 March piece concerning this rebarbative, stereotypical writer is of value.
Claire Bloom might have agreed.
“”” Women in this book are forever screeching, berating, flying into a rage, and storming off, as if their emotions exist solely for the purpose of sapping a man’s creative energies.”””
Philip Roth reviews his own biographer:
Aren’t we all here for the girls? Even the girls seem to be here for the girls now