Hersog

Author: (American) Saul Bellow, translated by Song Zhaolin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Hersog is one of Bellow's most important representative works. It was a bestseller that once caused a sensation as "highbrow literature" and played a crucial role in the entire course of the author's creative career. The protagonist, Hersog, is a university professor who is sensitive and kind but faces a series of setbacks in real life—divorce from his wife and social rejection—which leave him deeply disillusioned with the state of the world and on the verge of mental breakdown. He can only vent his inner frustrations by writing many letters that he never sends, expressing his personal views. The center of his torment is the chaotic world he lives in, where he cannot find a place to stand. The novel realistically portrays the anxieties and confusion of the middle-class intellectual in modern society, as well as their pursuit and exploration. It is also one of Bellow's works that deals most extensively with social issues, rich in content, profound in meaning, and masterfully analyzed with diverse techniques, making it a of Bellow's novelistic art. Saul Bellow (1915–2005) was a master-level American novelist of the 20th century, who won the National Book Award three times and the Pulitzer Prize once. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976 for his "deep understanding of contemporary culture and brilliant analysis." This book is one of Saul Bellow's representative works and played a pivotal role in his creative career. It realistically portrays the anxieties and confusion of the middle-class intellectual in modern society, as well as their pursuit and exploration. It is also one of his works that deals most extensively with social issues, rich in content, profound in meaning, and masterfully analyzed with diverse techniques, making it a of Bellow's narrative art. It deeply moved a wide readership, caused a great sensation, and received widespread acclaim, earning the National Book Award in the United States in 1965. It was also chosen by British readers as one of the best novels written in English after World War II.