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Jerzy Kosinski

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Being There Paperback – September 20, 1999

by Jerzy Kosinski (Author)

4.4 888 ratings

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A modern classic now available from Grove Press, Being There is one of the most popular and significant works from a writer of international stature. It is the story of Chauncey Gardiner - Chance, an enigmatic but distinguished man who emerges from nowhere to become an heir to the throne of a Wall Street tycoon, a presidential policy adviser, and a media icon. Truly "a man without qualities," Chance's straightforward responses to popular concerns are heralded as visionary. But though everyone is quoting him, no one is sure what he's really saying. And filling in the blanks in his background proves impossible. Being There is a brilliantly satiric look at the unreality of American media culture that is, if anything, more trenchant now than ever.

Print length

141 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Grove Press
Publication date

September 20, 1999
Dimensions

5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0802136346
ISBN-13

978-0802136343
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press; Reprint edition (September 20, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 141 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802136346
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802136343
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #340,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,005 in Fiction Satire
- #18,388 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 888 ratings

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Customer reviews

888 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers find the book really good and enjoyable, with an easy to believe premise. They also describe the storyline as interesting and blissfully sweet. Readers praise the writing style as succinct and straightforward.

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Entertainment value Enjoyment Storyline Writing style Pace

38 customers mention "Entertainment value"36 positive2 negative

Customers find the book captivating, approachable, and superlative. They also say the premise is easy to believe and the book is for everyone.

"...Sellers is brilliant and profoundly controlled and understated in this most amazing performance." Read more

"...This book is for everyone, including very young kids.Deserves its high ranking in the Modern Library top 100." Read more

"...This book tells this story well...." Read more

"...The book is a good read none the less. It is light and a good bed book. It reads fast and makes for an interesting comparison with the movie." Read more

20 customers mention "Enjoyment"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very entertaining, refreshing, and funny. They also appreciate the ironic plots and underlying messages. Readers say it's satisfying and easy to enjoy.

"...This movie, to me, is a gently cynical and sarcastic evaluation of the superficial reality of television and its impact on, or reflection of our..." Read more

"...news and the aftertaste is blissfully sweet. Amazingly, we ask ourselves 100 days into the next presidency and say what happened - where's the beef?..." Read more

"...As so often happens, the book was better than the film. Fun read" Read more

"...Somewhat realistic, and the ending pages so funny I laughed needing Kleenex tissues to wipe the tears -- hilarious!..." Read more

16 customers mention "Storyline"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the storyline interesting, and say it's a tour de force. They also appreciate the sparse prose and the calm, yet frenetic pacing.

"...This is a charming story of a man, a gardener, who has lived a sheltered life in the home of a wealthy man, without money, ID, nor record of his..." Read more

"This novel is the basis for the film version and it is intriguing in several ways, maybe even more today considering the current state of politics..." Read more

"...A fast read, but with rich imagery. A tour de force, but not yet dated...." Read more

"A very well written and entertaining novella, but the abrupt, yet still anti-climatical, ending made me think the author lost the final chapter or..." Read more

10 customers mention "Writing style"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style of the book succinct and straightforward. They also say the writing is clearly focused without distractions.

"...For that reason, the novel loses one star. Succinct and straightforward writing that is clearly focused without distractions is much appreciated...." Read more

"...Writer has an easy flow and I will pick up more of his novellas." Read more

"A very well written and entertaining novella, but the abrupt, yet still anti-climatical, ending made me think the author lost the final chapter or..." Read more

"...In the book, the lightness of the writing, the cleverness in the choices of words, it was being there & greatly entertained." Read more

5 customers mention "Pace"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the pace of the book fast and timely. They also say it's an interesting read.

"...A fast read, but with rich imagery. A tour de force, but not yet dated...." Read more

"...It is light and a good bed book. It reads fast and makes for an interesting comparison with the movie." Read more

"...The sparse prose of this story combined with the calm, yet frenetic pacing makes this a quick easy read." Read more

"Fast read. If you enjoyed the movie you will enjoy the book.I was a little disappointed they didn't elaborate more on Chance's early life." Read more

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invisible

Amazing little book!

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024

Verified Purchase

I read this book after watching the movie of the same name. After reading it I can well understand why Peter Sellers haunted the author until Mr. Kosinski agreed to allow movie rights and write a screenplay.

This is a charming story of a man, a gardener, who has lived a sheltered life in the home of a wealthy man, without money, ID, nor record of his existence. We never learn whether he is the son, grandson or friend of the wealthy benefactor, but we do learn that he is very simple and concrete in all his dealings with others.

Some people have complained that the book left them with a sense of incompleteness. They should go back and watch the movie, because that incompleteness was corrected in the script.

One person found this helpful

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Charles Schroen

Somewhat disappointing

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024

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This novel is the basis for the film version and it is intriguing in several ways, maybe even more today considering the current state of politics in this country. This is a relatively short novel and the story is told in a straightforward manner but the sexual activity seems out of place. There are more significant themes going on in the novel that the sexual activity detracts from instead of enhancing. For that reason, the novel loses one star. Succinct and straightforward writing that is clearly focused without distractions is much appreciated. Without the sexual activity the focus of the novel would be significantly enhanced. If a segment of any novel can be removed without disrupting the focus of the novel, one wonders why that segment was included.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

TonySueB

One of the greatest movies ever made

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

My title is not hyperbolic. This is one of the rare movies that manages to convey what is in its characters’ core.

I recommend Roger Ebert’s two reviews he wrote (the first when the movie came out, and the second, years later as a reflection). They are far more articulate than I could hope to be.

This movie, to me, is a gently cynical and sarcastic evaluation of the superficial reality of television and its impact on, or reflection of our culture. This has become magnified by the internet. And for this reason remains relevant.

We are deeply affected by appearances and often build our relationships and values upon such sand.

Peter Sellers is brilliant and profoundly controlled and understated in this most amazing performance.

6 people found this helpful

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Davie

Other reviewers miss the point

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2003

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During the time period portrayed by the book, people would hide and not acknowledge their retarded offspring. The author goes to great lengths to show physical similarities between the "old man" and Chauncey "the gardener". The old man's discarded clothing fit Chauncey absolutely perfectly as if they were tailored for Chauncey. Chauncey was not listed as an employee. No one knew who Chauncey's father was. There was no records for Chauncey. People of that time period were not known for taking in retarded strangers, the retarded were either institutionalized or otherwise hidden away. Not even the old man's business parter knew about Chauncey. The only possible explaination for these facts would be that Chauncey was the old man's child. Otherwise you would have to credit the old man, a retired lawyer, of having Chauncey working in his house as a gardener for over 40 years, starting when Chauncey was a little boy, as unpaid slave labor. At the end of the book, Chauncey is himself an old man visiting his garden, just like the "old man" used to do (another parallel drawn by the author). When reading this book, please keep it in perspective of the time period that is represented.

22 people found this helpful

Helpful

Old dad

Economical and beautiful--not one extra word and not short on words.

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2016

Verified Purchase

Captured the concept of the blank man, the cipher, the mirror man, the man who is there to reflect others.
A fast read, but with rich imagery. A tour de force, but not yet dated. His books were taught in college in the 1970s and 1980s, and, as much as some professors tried, they really couldn't ruin him.
This book is for everyone, including very young kids.
Deserves its high ranking in the Modern Library top 100.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

kenny davis

easy to enjoy similar to the movie

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

Enjoyed the movie for years. Decided to read the original and enjoyed learning background on Chance.
Writer has an easy flow and I will pick up more of his novellas.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

jonathan briggs

Being There

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2012

Verified Purchase

A venerable old lawyer dies, and the executors of his estate find an odd man wandering around his house. Chance Gardiner claims to have been tending the garden ("Gardiner," get it?) since he was a little boy, yet there are no records of his employment. Chance has no contract, no pay stubs, no ID. He has no mother, no father, no family. His name is Chance "because he had been born by chance." He has no existence outside the garden and no knowledge of the outside world that doesn't come from his television. He's adopted and introduced into high society by a rich woman who runs over him with her car. Chance proceeds to impress the members of the loftiest sociopolitical strata who see him as a genius and an expert on pretty much everything despite his oft-professed desire to simply watch TV. His cheery optimism and ability to talk a lot without actually saying anything (Conservative friends, insert your Obama jokes here) propel Chance into the upper echelons of money and politics, an empty and empty-headed symbol of power (Liberal friends, insert your George Dubya jokes here). Suggesting that our politicians are vacant vessels and that our celebrity-obsessed culture feeds off vapidity is hardly revelatory, but that doesn't make Jerzy Kosinski's sharp little novel any less pointed or accurate. In fact, DC life went on to imitate art. Thirty-odd years after "Being There" was published, Dubya unwittingly echoed Chance's innocent declaration of ignorance: "I don't read newspapers." A fawning media usher Chance into prominence in much the same way that Barack Obama took office almost 40 years later. Today, "Being There" almost reads like straight-faced biography. As politicians and pundits continue to grow ever more cartoonishly ridiculous, is there anything left to satirize?

11 people found this helpful

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nanajudi

A great satire on the power of TV.

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

I taught this novel to a variety of high school students decades ago. I selected it this year for book club. Kosinski's target is more relevant than ever.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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luis carlos cruz torrero

las historias que gestamos

Reviewed in Mexico on March 17, 2022

Verified Purchase

Obra maestra de los malos entendidos o sobrentendidos.
No decir nada parece significar todo.
A donde podremos llegar en una sociedad que solo escucha lo que desea escuchar?

Translate review to English

Dominik Ziller

Sagenhaft

Reviewed in Germany on March 23, 2024

Verified Purchase

Ein Mann, Chance, wächst im Haus eines reichen alten Herren auf, isoliert von der Außenwelt, er arbeitet dort als Gärtner, ohne Gehalt, nur Kost und Logis erhält er. Chance ist Analphabet und man weiß nicht woher er kommt, warum er dort ist. Der alte Mann stirbt und unser Held findet sich auf der Straße wieder. Doch nicht für lange, durch eine Verkettung unwahrscheinlicher Umstände landet er im Haus eines Wirtschaftsmagnaten, wo er sehr bald auch den US-Präsidenten trifft.

Chance wird in Gespräche über Politik verwickelt, zu denen er nichts beitragen kann, weil er über keinerlei politische Bildung verfügt. So antwortet er mit Geschichten zu seinem Garten, die als sinnbildliche Anspielungen auf die Regierungsgeschäfte missverstanden werden. So zitiert der Präsident ihn, stellt ihn als wichtigen Berater dar, der Wirtschaftsmagnat will Chance in seinen Aufsichtsrat berufen, die Zeitungen berichten über Chance, das Fernsehen macht ihn zum Stargast in der wichtigsten Talkshow und am Ende wird er als Präsidentschaftskandidat gehandelt.

Eine herrliche Farce, mit leichter Feder geschrieben, schon vor 50 Jahren. Nur etwa 100 Seiten umfasst der Band und ist dabei ausgesprochen gehaltvoll. Natürlich hat das Buch etwas ungemein Aktuelles, kann man sich doch kaum des Gedankens erwehren, dass viele heutige Politiker auch nicht kompetenter sind als Chance und mit ähnlich dünnen Sprüchen durch die Talkshows kommen. Nur dass sie dies mit voller Absicht verfolgen, während Chance die Dinge ausgesprochen unfreiwillig zustoßen.

Weltklasse!

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Scoot

I love this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

I bought this book because I have always loved the film with Peter sellers.
I’ve been meaning to read this book for years as I’ve been told there are differences with the film which is to be expected.
This is an amazing read, if you like the film you will love the book but if you have seen the film first I dare you to read this book and not here Peter sellers voice.. it is impossible! But certainly not a bad thing.

Derrick Daniels

Amazing

Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

A great quick read. It’s a masterwork of observation. Loved every page. Great books have no best before date. Read it.

Jonathan Mercer

great book

Reviewed in France on May 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

I love the book and its my prefered one from Kosinski as far as I can recall all I have read beforehand.