The Ghost Writer

Roth, Philip

ISBN 10: 0374161895 / ISBN 13: 9780374161897

Published by Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1979

About this Item

The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1979 ? Fourth Printing. Book Condition / Dust Jacket Condition: Book: Near Fine -; Blue cloth boards clean and bright with white spine lettering sharp and fully legible. ?PR? monogram to front board crisp. Binding tight and square. Corners sharp with faint softening at extremities. Minor handling wear only. Interior clean and unmarked with light, even toning consistent with late 1970s stock. No ownership marks or remainder marks observed. Dust Jacket: Very Good + to Near Fine -; Original purple jacket bright and attractive. Light surface rubbing and gloss wear visible, particularly to upper front panel. Mild edgewear at spine ends and corners; small crease at upper edge. No significant tears observed. Unclipped. (see photos) The Ghost Writer is the first novel in Philip Roth?s celebrated Zuckerman Bound sequence, introducing Nathan Zuckerman and exploring themes of literary ambition, Jewish identity, artistic influence, and the burdens of authorship. Considered one of Roth?s most refined and intimate works, it remains a cornerstone of late 20th-century American fiction.

Seller Inventory # 001923

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Ghost Writer
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
• Publication Date: 1979
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0374161895
• ISBN 13: 9780374161897
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 4th Printing
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 378 grams

About this title

Synopsis

A young writer in search of a spiritual father, Nathan Zuckerman views E. I. Lonoff, who lives with his wife and his student-mistress in rural Massachusetts, as an embodiment of the ideal of artistic integrity and independence

Review

A middle-aged writer recalls his younger self. At 23, Nathan Zuckerman has had four stories published and a small, flattering Saturday Review up-and-coming-author profile (complete with a photo of him playing with his ex-girlfriend's cat), which he purports to scorn. As genuine and polite as he seems, Zuckerman has already hurt his family with his autobiographical art and ruined his relationship with adultery and honesty. Visiting his reclusive idol (famed for his "blend of sympathy and pitilessness") in the Berkshires, the writer watches himself watching himself and attempts to confront his work and life. Instead he finds himself turning reality into metafiction. A quote he happens upon from Henry James only complicates matters further: "We work in the dark--we do what we can--we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art." Events, however, have their revenge, weaving more out of control than even he can anticipate or ask for. Philip Roth is the master of the uncomfortable, and his alter ego a connoisseur of self-involvement, self-loathing, and self-examination. ("Virtuous reader, if you think that after intercourse all animals are sad, try masturbating on the daybed in E. I. Lonoff's study and see how you feel when it's over.")