Saul Bellow: Novels 1956-1964: Seize the Day Henderson the Rain King Herzog (Library of America)

About this book

Passionate insightful often funny and exhibiting a linguistic richness few writers have equaled the novels of Saul Bellow are among the defining achievements of postwar American literature. The Library of America volume Novels 19561964 opens with Seize the Day a tightly wrought novella that unfolding over the course of a single devastating day explores the desperate predicament of the failed actor and salesman Tommy Wilhelm. The austere psychological portraiture of Seize the Day is followed by an altogether different book Henderson the Rain King the ebullient tale of the irresistible eccentric Eugene Henderson best characterized by his primal mantra I want! I want! Beneath the novels comic surface lies an affecting parable of one mans quest to know himself and come to terms with morality; like Don Quixote Henderson is as Bellow later described him an absurd seeker of high qualities. Hendersons irrepressible vitality is matched by that of Moses Herzog the eponymous hero of Bellows best-selling 1964 novel. His wife having abandoned him for his best friend Herzog is on the verge of mental collapse and has embarked on a furious letter-writing campaign as an outlet for his all-consuming rage. Bellows bravura performance in Herzog launched a new phase of his career as literary acclaim was now joined by a receptive mass audience in America. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nations literary heritage by publishing and keeping permanently in print Americas best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date authoritative editions that average 1 000 pages in length feature cloth covers sewn bindings and ribbon markers and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.