All posts tagged Philip Roth

Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. He received the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award (three times), and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The Library of America has described Roth as “unquestionably the greatest American novelist of the postwar era.” His celebrated works include Portnoy’s Complaint, American Pastoral, The Human Stain, and Everyman.

Indignation

Published on May 25, 2018

Set in America in 1951, during the Korean War, Indignation is narrated by Marcus Messner, a Jewish college student from Newark, NJ. Messner describes his sophomore year at Winesburg College in Ohio ( a reference to the fictional Winesburg, Ohio). Marcus transfers to Winesburg from Robert Treat College in Newark to escape his father, a kosher butcher. He wants to escape him because he is consumed with fear about the dangers of adult life. The world, and the uncertainty that...

American Pastoral

Published on March 27, 2010

Philip Roth wrote American Pastoral in 1997. Set against the backdrop of post-World War II America, the story explores the disintegration of the American Dream through the lens of one family. American Pastoral centers around Seymour “Swede” Levov, a successful Jewish-American businessman and former star athlete. Swede seemingly embodies the American Dream, with a beautiful wife named Dawn and a daughter named Merry. However, the tranquil façade of Swede’s life is shattered when Merry becomes involved in radical political activities...