Transcript Saul Bellow The Victim

Saul Bellow
The Victim
Title: The Victim
Author: Saul Bellow
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Pages: 272
Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1291075200
ISBN: 0143106104
Format: PDF / Kindle / ePub
Size: 6.7 MB
Download: allowed
Description
"The best novel to come out of America-or England-for a generation."
—V.S. Pritchett,The New
York Review of Books
In this unique noir masterpiece by the incomparable Saul Bellow, a young man is sucked into
the mysterious, heat-filled vortex of New York City. Asa Leventhal, a temporary bachelor with
his wife away on a visit to her mother, attempts to find relief from a Gotham heat wave, only to
be accosted in the park by a down-at-the-heels stranger who accuses Leventhal of ruining his
life. Unable to shake the stranger loose, Leventhal is led by his own self-doubts and suspicions
into a nightmare of paranoia and fear.
This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction by National Book Award winner Norman
Rush.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the
English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global
bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust
the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished
scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning
translators.
Insightful reviews
Pam: I had a hard time getting into this book, and when I eventually finished it, I felt like I must
have missed something. The story itself was decent -- Allbee, believing that Asa Leventhal
deliberately got him fired, hounds Leventhal for some kind of assistance, though the two men
seemingly hate each other. Allbee presents quite a few anti-Semetic views, which was difficult
to take.
One thing that really bothered me about the way this book was written is that Bellow would
describe a gesture or a bit of dialogue, but instead of letting the reader draw his or her own
inferences, Bellow would tell you exactly how he wanted it interpreted. It took a lot of the fun out
of reading (I love converstaional implicature). Other times, he dropped out of the narratorial style
used for 99.9% of the book to tell us something that Leventhal couldn't possibly know. At one
point, Leventhal and his friend Harkavy are having a conversation. Bellow writes something
along the lines of: "Harkavy scowled. But in reality, he was just clearing his throat." That kind of
writing just bothers me.
All in all, it was an ok read. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who'd looking for a quick and
easy read, though.
Fewlas: Sentiva oscuramente che il disordine e la confusione facevano parte del prezzo che
era costretto a pagare per il proprio riscatto.
Leventhal, ovvero: la redenzione attraverso la sofferenza, ovvero: il novello Giobbe.
La storia di un ebreo americano che vive a New York e che si trova a dover affrontare l’afa
dell’estate senza la moglie. Gli fanno visita i fantasmi del passato mascherati da Allbee, una
vecchia conoscenza che gli imputa la colpa della propria rovina. Leventhal vittima di uno stalker
ma –forse- anche colpevole. Di cosa? Di avere una storia da uomo che ce l’ha fatta, non è
stato sfortunato; di non riconoscere i propri errori e di anticipare con dei ragionamenti da vero
paranoico gli errori degli altri; di essere un ebreo che si è salvato dai forni crematori europei.
La sua storia si intreccia con la Storia, in un vortice di crisi paranoiche, di riflessioni sulla propria
condotta.
I pensieri di Leventhal talvolta sono ingenui ed infantili. Il meccanismo più o meno è questo:
voglio che questa cosa sia così, ne ho bisogno, quindi faccio sì che i miei occhi proiettino nella
realtà reale la realtà come la vorrei io. Ogni indizio cerco di farlo combaciare con la mia
fantasticheria, così potrò ricavarne conforto e tranquillità.
Altre volte invece, molto spesso a dir la verità, combaciano con quell’infelicità paranoica che
Watzlawick descrive bene con la storia del martello nel suo “Manuale per rendersi infelici”:
”Un uomo vuole appendere un quadro. Ha il chiodo, ma non il martello. Il vicino ne ha uno, così
decide di andare da lui e di farselo prestare. A questo punto gli sorge un dubbio: e se il mio
vicino non me lo vuole prestare? Già ieri mi ha salutato appena. Forse aveva fretta, ma forse la
fretta era soltanto un pretesto ed egli ce l’ha con me. E perché? Io non gli ho fatto nulla, è lui
che si è messo in testa qualcosa. Se qualcuno mi chiedesse un utensile, io glielo darei subito. E
perché lui no? Come si può rifiutare al prossimo un così semplice piacere? Gente così rovina
l’esistenza agli altri. E per giunta si immagina che io abbia bisogno di lui, solo perché possiede
un martello. Adesso basta! E così si precipita di là, suona, il vicino apre, e prima ancora che
questo abbia il tempo di dire ‘Buon giorno’, gli grida: ‘Si tenga pure il suo martello, villano!’”
Ritornando a La vittima: Storia presente, personale ed universale ed addirittura biblica. Solo
Bellow sa intrecciare insieme tutti questi livelli così bene.
Lin: While the book was not a bad read, it didnt succeed in holding my attention too well. I had
to continuously make myself read it, which is not really a positive judgement to make on a book.
Jonfaith: one more literary plot which would've been nullified through the life of air
conditioning.Bellow's muscular rpose used to be as strident as ever. My spouse learn this many
years in the past and mentioned how Edward Albee's Zoo tale has an identical plot device: oh,
the antagonist is usually named Allbee in Bellow's novel.
Ada Sterling: I learn an interview with Saul Bellow within which he famous he wrote this
publication in a slightly constrained fashion, as he did not suppose convinced on the time in
convinced points of his identification as a writer. i believe this feeling of restraint is obvious
within the a bit of heavy-handed consistency of the style; and how within which the ethical and
dramatic clash among Leventhal and Allbee was once by no means totally delved into. Their
obvious answer within the finishing used to be rather pat and disappointing. however the prose
itself is simply starkly exceptional and tremendously vivid. It virtually breathes with Leventhal's
experience of uneasiness and alienation in the course of his a variety of banal and lurid stories
over a fortnight. i'm going to certainly be interpreting extra of Bellow's novels after this.
Matthew: There are a few authors who may well write approximately nearly something and that i
could stick with alongside relatively eagerly. Unfortunately, Saul Bellow isn't really a kind of
authors. The sufferer is a narrative approximately Asa Leventhal and his unforeseen
acquantance, Kirby Albee, who accuses Leventhal of intentionally ruining his life. whereas the
basis was once promising, i used to be disenchanted with the place it went. The implicit danger
that Albee represents is rarely particularly carried through, although there have been myriad
oppurtinities for him to reason actual damage to Leventhal. on the sime time, i discovered it
tremendous tricky to care approximately Leventhal, who's unbelievably acommodating in the
direction of Albee and inexplicably adverse to each one else. His lack of confidence renders him
not able to act, and this might, at least, have made him fascinating if it weren't for the truth that
whilst he does locate the braveness to ship Albee away, there isn't even the slightest advice of
what replaced in him or why. Stylistically, Bellow is as reliable as ever. His descriptions are
vibrant and infrequently even moving. Unfortunately, his liable writing did not, for me, hold the
tale and that i could have very presently forgotten The Victim. From a lesser author, i would
have inspiration the publication passable, yet I anticipate extra from the writer of Henderson the
Rain King, and that i used to be disappointed.
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