Humboldt's Gift

Author: (American) Saul Bellow (Bellow, S.) wrote, translated by Pu Long
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: The Humboldt Gift is one of Bellow's most important representative works. Through the depiction of the fates of two generations of writers, it exposes the oppression and devastation of spiritual civilization by the material world, as well as the spiritual crisis of contemporary society. The middle-aged writer Charlie Siegel, who has won the Pulitzer Prize twice and been knighted by France, is on a downward slope. His ex-wife wants to drain his property, thugs smash his Mercedes-Benz, and his current mistress is a gold-digger. Most importantly, he cannot produce any creative work. He feels guilty toward his down-and-out predecessor, poet, mentor, and close friend Humboldt, who taught him the power of art and urged him to remain loyal to his creative spirit, yet he failed to extend a helping hand when Humboldt was impoverished and ill. Later, facing both material and spiritual bankruptcy, Siegel finally overcomes his material crisis with a script outline left by Humboldt, while also deeply experiencing Humboldt's spiritual suffering at the time.