This is the story of Kenneth, who leaves his native Paris for the USA. He also came to be near his uncle, the botanist Benn Crader. But Benn will not stay put. Indian forests, Chinese mountains, Brazilian jungles, the Antartic - he admits that his restlessness has an erotic cause.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Kenneth Trachtenberg, narrator of Nobel Prize-winner Saul Bellow's tenth novel, is a witty, eccentric Russian-literature nut who leaves his native Paris to be near his famous American uncle, Benn Crader. Uncle Benn is a world-class genius in botany but a total duffer when it comes to women. Now his erotic escapades and disastrous marriage are about to lead him and Kenneth into a wonderful romp through America's mind-body dilemma...and into a Bellovian masterpiece of great wisdom and good fun.
Put simply, Bellow's new novel is about a distinguished botanist who in middle age is driven by his libido into making a bad marriage. Put thematically, it's about the pursuit of happiness, which all too frequently results only in the acceptance of unhappiness. As in all Bellow's novels since Herzog , philosophical speculation is as important as plot, if not more so. Here Bellow dwells on the cult of sex in contemporary culture, as well as such soul-diminishing demands as the drives for power, wealth, and prestige. For him this entails an ordeal of desire from which the West is suffering as surely as the East suffers from an ordeal of privation. Serious stuff, certainly, but it is Bellow's genius that he can present a provocative novel of ideas as a riotous comedy. Ample proof that Bellow remains one of our most significant writers, the comic sage of American letters.Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 6.39
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR001846706
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002130041
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: WeBuyBooks 2, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Seller Inventory # wbs9035654759
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Hay-on-Wye Booksellers, Hay-on-Wye, HEREF, United Kingdom
Condition: Very Good. Light scratches/minor scuffs to cover. Tanning to pages. Text very good. Seller Inventory # 130081-121423LW
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Stirling Books, Stirling, United Kingdom
Audio Book (DVD). Condition: Good. No Jacket. Spine Very Lightly Dented At Ends. Boards And All Pages Clean And Tightly Bound. Crease To Upper Corner Of Front Board. Seller Inventory # 044963
Quantity: 1 available