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Saul Bellow

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Herzog: A Novel (An Alison Press Book)

by Saul Bellow (Author)

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National Book AwardWinner, 1965

Herzog is alone, now that Madeleine has left him for his best friend. Solitary, in a crumbling house which he shares with rats, he is buffeted by a whirlwind of mental activity. People rumoured that his mind had collapsed. But was it true? Locked for days in the custody of his rambling memories, Herzog scrawls frantic letters which he never mails. His mind buzzes with conundrums and polemics, writing in a spectacular intellectual labyrinth. Is he crazy, or is he a genius?..

ISBN-10

0436039540
ISBN-13

978-0436039546
Publisher

Vintage/Ebury (A Division of Random House Group)
Publication date

February 27, 1984
Language

English
Print length

352 pages
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage/Ebury (A Division of Random House Group) (February 27, 1984)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0436039540
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0436039546
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.74 pounds

Customer Reviews:
842

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Saul Bellow

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Saul Bellow won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel HUMBOLDT'S GIFT in 1975, and in 1976 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature 'for the human understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture that are combined in his work.' He is the only novelist to receive three National Book Awards, for THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH, HERZOG, and MR. SAMMLER'S PLANET

Photo by Keith Botsford [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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4.1 out of 5

842 global ratings

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silviugherman

A great read

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2013

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This book deserves (and has got) more substantial reviews than the one I'm about to write. You go along the trials and tribulations of Moses E. Herzog, following his raging thoughts, musings and cries. He writes letters to the whole world and pretty much quarrels with everybody in an attempt to cure the source of his pain and understand Reality, for which he has a grim affection. The text is a beautiful mess of flashbacks, rants and slow-paced action. Highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

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Claudia Reder

Bellow is always Bellow

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2013

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Saul Bellow's classic- in my opinion- is Herzog. When Bellow gets it right, the writing sizzles. He stays always fresh. Even if you don't like his attitude towards women, you have to remember he is as hard on his male characters also. Bellow deserves a place in the canon.

One person found this helpful

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Avid Reader

Book for the serious sreadere

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2016

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This 1961book is still relevant. It may not appeal to everyone, but the tory of a philosophy teacher having a nerous breakdown and trying to recover by writing letters to people in power but never mailing them I sad and funny at the same times. His descriptions of Chicago, where I lived, are interesting in terms of the changes of the prsesseent . So many issues sthat poor Moses SHerzog raises still exist today. I enjoyed it very much.

9 people found this helpful

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bongo

Slice of life of middle aged man in the 60's.

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2016

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Herzog is a book about a middle aged man and his reflections on life. He's had 2 failed marriages. He's a somewhat itinerant academic. He thinks about philosophy and history and literature. He tries to make sense of things. Tries. There's not a whole lot of plot. It meanders. Lots of him recollecting things, going off on mental tangents, to the point where most of the time I can't tell where he is or what time of day it is. He talks to friends, lawyers, his daughter. He writes letters that he never sends to intellectuals, world leaders and anyone he's in mind of. He ponders (a lot). Occasionally he looks around his environment - the train to the beach, a cab, graffiti, the store, etc.

Cons - it's rambling. I tried reading it a few times before I finally got through it. I kept waiting for something to start happening. I had to get past that expectation. Stuff does happen, but it's buried under an exceptional amount of discursion. Much of what happens is just in Moses Herzog's head.

Pros - Rambling could also be considered, more charitably, as non-linear. Moses overthinks things, but this is something many people, if not all, can relate to. There is some good description. You get a certain feel for what life is like from the eyes of a particular individual. That is something I especially like from a book.

In sum - I'm glad I read it, for the most part, but I wouldn't say it left me wanting more. My guess is that a lot of people can't get past the first chapter or two but that those that do really click with it. So the rating of the book is skewed that way. (Though maybe this is true for all books.)

21 people found this helpful

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Sean

Beautiful

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2022

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Beautiful cover as well as the language. Bellow's writing is slow and tends to be drawn out, but his usage of language and luring you into his world is unammountable and articulate.

One person found this helpful

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Dr. E. Carter

It improved with (my) age

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2017

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I like this a lot more, understand much mord, than when it was required reading for me 35 years ago, so I'd recommend it, just not so much to young co!lege kids.

8 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Effortless drama

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2018

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Love this book with such poignant drama around human relationships. SB is the master of seeing thru to the core of normal human desires. Last time i read this was before i had kids so the scenes with his little daughter are that much more gripping now. Great book.

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2016

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I would not have read this book except someone in my Book Group picked it. Even though I am interested in psychology and how people think, I found this character completely uninteresting. The book has no plot, just the inner life of Herzog who somehow got his PhD, did some teaching, and wrote a good book - prior to the beginning of this novel, in which he did almost nothing. He spent a great deal of time ruminating about his second wife's having divorced him to be with his best friend. His main pastime was composing letters to dozens of people he hated, living and dead, and never mailing them. I found the prose hard to follow and difficult to understand. It took fortitude to finish this book. It definitely was not worth it. I understand Saul Bellow wrote a better book before this one.

6 people found this helpful

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MG

Have to read , nice book.

Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2024

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Have to read .

João Silva

Bom, mas veio com a borda amassada e página um pouco arranhada

Reviewed in Brazil on August 1, 2022

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One person found this helpful

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Cozooks of Brixham

May be the one to try next

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2023

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This feels very much like, at least in part, an autobiographical novel as we follow Saul Bellow, I mean, Moses Hertzog around his dilapidated life. Now, I’m sure that Mr Bellow kept tighter reins on his own life than Hertzog did of his but the fast-talking, fast-thinking protagonist who feels constantly compelled to write letters to all and sundry, must surely have come largely from the author himself. There is just too much of a character about Hertzog to be completely fictional. Just too many words come tumbling from him not to have a piece of Saul Bellow about them.

Anyway, this novel covers a short period of Hertzog’s adult life, though there are many flashbacks by way of our man’s thoughts. And it is these thoughts that take up nearly all of these pages with humour and forthrightness. He had something to say to everyone, usually written as letters which, incidentally, never get sent.

This style may not be for everyone one but, if it sounds half interesting now, it may be the one to try next.

F

Interesting work

Reviewed in Italy on July 2, 2021

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Interesting work, if you're into experimental fiction and anti-novel.

CarlosCC

Hay que tenet un buen inglés para leerlo

Reviewed in Spain on April 12, 2017

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Procuro intercalar lectura de novelas en español y en inglés. Esta novela no es fácil de seguir si no tienes un buen nivel de inglés pero, para alguien que lo domine, seguro que es una buena novela, si no dominas inglés, para disfrutarla, mejor en español.

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