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The Humbling
Everything is over for Simon Axler, the protagonist of Philip Roth's startling new book. One of the leading American stage actors of his generation, now in his 60s, he has lost his magic, his talent, and his assurance. His Falstaff and Peer Gynt and Vanya, all his great roles, "are melted into air, into thin air". When he goes on stage he feels like a lunatic and looks like an idiot. His confidence in his powers has drained away; he imagines people laughing at him; he can no longer pretend to be someone else. "Something fundamental has vanished." His wife has gone, his audience has left him, his agent can't persuade him to make a comeback.
Into this shattering account of inexplicable and terrifying self-evacuation bursts a counterplot of unusual erotic desire, a consolation for the bereft life so risky and aberrant that it points not toward comfort and gratification but to a yet darker and more shocking end. In this long day's journey into night, told with Roth's inimitable urgency, bravura, and gravity, all the ways that we persuade ourselves of our solidity, all our life's performances - talent, love, sex, hope, energy, reputation - are stripped off.
Following the dark meditations on mortality and endings in Everyman and Exit Ghost, and the bitterly ironic retrospective on youth and chance in Indignation, Roth has written another in his haunting group of late novels.
Into this shattering account of inexplicable and terrifying self-evacuation bursts a counterplot of unusual erotic desire, a consolation for the bereft life so risky and aberrant that it points not toward comfort and gratification but to a yet darker and more shocking end. In this long day's journey into night, told with Roth's inimitable urgency, bravura, and gravity, all the ways that we persuade ourselves of our solidity, all our life's performances - talent, love, sex, hope, energy, reputation - are stripped off.
Following the dark meditations on mortality and endings in Everyman and Exit Ghost, and the bitterly ironic retrospective on youth and chance in Indignation, Roth has written another in his haunting group of late novels.
140 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2009
About the author
Philip Roth
261 books6,741 followersPhilip Milton Roth was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity. He first gained attention with the 1959 short story collection Goodbye, Columbus, which won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. Ten years later, he published the bestseller Portnoy's Complaint. Nathan Zuckerman, Roth's literary alter ego, narrates several of his books. A fictionalized Philip Roth narrates some of his others, such as the alternate history The Plot Against America.
Roth was one of the most honored American writers of his generation. He received the National Book Critics Circle award for The Counterlife, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Operation Shylock, The Human Stain, and Everyman, a second National Book Award for Sabbath's Theater, and the Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral. In 2005, the Library of America began publishing his complete works, making him the second author so anthologized while still living, after Eudora Welty. Harold Bloom named him one of the four greatest American novelists of his day, along with Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo. In 2001, Roth received the inaugural Franz Kafka Prize in Prague.
Roth was one of the most honored American writers of his generation. He received the National Book Critics Circle award for The Counterlife, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Operation Shylock, The Human Stain, and Everyman, a second National Book Award for Sabbath's Theater, and the Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral. In 2005, the Library of America began publishing his complete works, making him the second author so anthologized while still living, after Eudora Welty. Harold Bloom named him one of the four greatest American novelists of his day, along with Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo. In 2001, Roth received the inaugural Franz Kafka Prize in Prague.
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January 24, 2024
The second to last novel Roth wrote before he retired, The Humbling is the second lowest rated (3.21) Roth novel on Goodreads (the lowest being The Breast, 3.18! about a man who wakes up one morning—as in Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”—to discover he is a breast). 3.21 is a low rating for Goodreads, and at a glance it appears many people hated it. It’s part of a loosely connected series of final books Roth wrote, called Nemeses, that focuses on decline and death (sounds like fun, eh?). So I will admit I had low expectations for this novel.
And so, at least half way into it, I was increasingly annoyed by it. Simon Axler is a famous actor who plays Prospero and Macbeth at the Kennedy Center, fails, gets terrible reviews and falls apart, ending up in a psych hospital, suicidal. Okay, so far so not encouraging. I mean: Failure happens, but how do you handle it? Simon thinks about suicide and the arts:
"What was remarkable was the frequency with which suicide enters into drama, as though it were a formula fundamental to the drama, not necessarily supported by the action as directed by the workings of the genre itself."
Suicide is also a consideration for some characters in the two previous Nemeses books, Everyman and Indignation. So I wasn’t surprised to see it here, as it is one choice some people consider making as they face a challenging (or hopeless) future. The suicide rate is going up, it's an important issue, and I am sympathetic with the character's struggle, but in the second section of the novel I get less sympathetic, when Axler, 65, meets Pegeen, 40, the lesbian daughter of old friends, and abruptly begins a sexual relationship with her. Ach! I suddenly thought I was watching a Woody Allen movie, Manhattan (or a few others from Allen) about an unhappy older man rescued by an affair with a much younger woman. And that he would hope to “turn” this younger woman, buying her more feminine clothes, getting her to get a very different hair cut than she had ever had, ugh. If it were played for laughs, okay, but it does not seem to be. But maybe the situation is so patently ludicrous that it is meant to be comedic, I'm not sure.
Then this couple invites yet another woman into the scenario, to create a three-some, and wow, everything is going great, even though Simon has a bad back (as, famously, Roth had) and no longer has a career! Hey! Unhappy 65-year-old men! Try this at home! Seduce a young lesbian and your life will improve and your depression will vanish! Disappointing. At one point the desperate Simon imagines that Pegeen might like a child with him, he fantasizes a happy future with her, he creates this elaborate fiction and begins performing it for himself. An act of hope, but finally, not realistic, alas.
But that is, as it turns out, the point we are to discover: Simon's getting involved with this woman was never going to work, it was just a kind of experiment for her, he was her Dad's famous actor friend, wow, and a hopeless fantasy for him. She’s a lesbian! No can do!
What I liked about this book is that it focuses on performance; the failing performer Simon also failing to perform the role of Pegeen’s lover. Sad double whammy. No acting career, no rescuing lover. Pegeen tries to perform as a straight woman, just as Simon tries to perform a role no longer possible for him, as lover of a woman half his age. It’s sad, but sadder still that he sees no hopeful role for himself anymore. So it’s not a happy novel, finally involving two crazy jilted lovers and also, as it turns out, guns: See, Pegeen had prior to hooking up with Simon dumped Louise--the dean of a small college whom she was having an affair with--and Louise, crazy with residual jealousy, confronts Simon, and then Pegeen dumps Simon. The drama! So I know what you are thinking at this point: Eh.
But how do I get to four stars for this book after all that? I really began to like this novel more and more after I reread The Seagull, which makes its appearance in the conclusion of The Humbling. This tragicomic play involves a playwright who goes into despair over the critical reception of a play he has been writing, and his subsequent failure of a relationship with a young woman, Nina. Roth loved Chekhov, and he loved this play, and it figures in the shaping of The Humbling in many ways. The tone of The Humbling feels like tragic farce, it’s so ridiculous in places, but read through The Seagull, you can see how he was inspired by it. The Seagull has (melo)-drama in it, despairing characters, but Chekhov’s play is more comic, featuring warmer characters. There’s little (explicit, at least) joking around in The Humbling. Chekhov's play is better, because of the intended humor, but still, I like the connection.
I like this book, though, finally, it is not one of his towering achievements. I didn't like it as much as Everyman or Indignation. But there’s at its core this stoical dimension to it that works it’s way into all the final novels, a kind of drive to accept what is given to you and live with it, work with it, something Chekhov would have been pleased to see:
“Play the moment, play whatever plays for you in that moment, and then go to the next moment. It doesn't matter where you're going. Don't worry about that. Just take it moment, moment, moment, moment.”
And so, at least half way into it, I was increasingly annoyed by it. Simon Axler is a famous actor who plays Prospero and Macbeth at the Kennedy Center, fails, gets terrible reviews and falls apart, ending up in a psych hospital, suicidal. Okay, so far so not encouraging. I mean: Failure happens, but how do you handle it? Simon thinks about suicide and the arts:
"What was remarkable was the frequency with which suicide enters into drama, as though it were a formula fundamental to the drama, not necessarily supported by the action as directed by the workings of the genre itself."
Suicide is also a consideration for some characters in the two previous Nemeses books, Everyman and Indignation. So I wasn’t surprised to see it here, as it is one choice some people consider making as they face a challenging (or hopeless) future. The suicide rate is going up, it's an important issue, and I am sympathetic with the character's struggle, but in the second section of the novel I get less sympathetic, when Axler, 65, meets Pegeen, 40, the lesbian daughter of old friends, and abruptly begins a sexual relationship with her. Ach! I suddenly thought I was watching a Woody Allen movie, Manhattan (or a few others from Allen) about an unhappy older man rescued by an affair with a much younger woman. And that he would hope to “turn” this younger woman, buying her more feminine clothes, getting her to get a very different hair cut than she had ever had, ugh. If it were played for laughs, okay, but it does not seem to be. But maybe the situation is so patently ludicrous that it is meant to be comedic, I'm not sure.
Then this couple invites yet another woman into the scenario, to create a three-some, and wow, everything is going great, even though Simon has a bad back (as, famously, Roth had) and no longer has a career! Hey! Unhappy 65-year-old men! Try this at home! Seduce a young lesbian and your life will improve and your depression will vanish! Disappointing. At one point the desperate Simon imagines that Pegeen might like a child with him, he fantasizes a happy future with her, he creates this elaborate fiction and begins performing it for himself. An act of hope, but finally, not realistic, alas.
But that is, as it turns out, the point we are to discover: Simon's getting involved with this woman was never going to work, it was just a kind of experiment for her, he was her Dad's famous actor friend, wow, and a hopeless fantasy for him. She’s a lesbian! No can do!
What I liked about this book is that it focuses on performance; the failing performer Simon also failing to perform the role of Pegeen’s lover. Sad double whammy. No acting career, no rescuing lover. Pegeen tries to perform as a straight woman, just as Simon tries to perform a role no longer possible for him, as lover of a woman half his age. It’s sad, but sadder still that he sees no hopeful role for himself anymore. So it’s not a happy novel, finally involving two crazy jilted lovers and also, as it turns out, guns: See, Pegeen had prior to hooking up with Simon dumped Louise--the dean of a small college whom she was having an affair with--and Louise, crazy with residual jealousy, confronts Simon, and then Pegeen dumps Simon. The drama! So I know what you are thinking at this point: Eh.
But how do I get to four stars for this book after all that? I really began to like this novel more and more after I reread The Seagull, which makes its appearance in the conclusion of The Humbling. This tragicomic play involves a playwright who goes into despair over the critical reception of a play he has been writing, and his subsequent failure of a relationship with a young woman, Nina. Roth loved Chekhov, and he loved this play, and it figures in the shaping of The Humbling in many ways. The tone of The Humbling feels like tragic farce, it’s so ridiculous in places, but read through The Seagull, you can see how he was inspired by it. The Seagull has (melo)-drama in it, despairing characters, but Chekhov’s play is more comic, featuring warmer characters. There’s little (explicit, at least) joking around in The Humbling. Chekhov's play is better, because of the intended humor, but still, I like the connection.
I like this book, though, finally, it is not one of his towering achievements. I didn't like it as much as Everyman or Indignation. But there’s at its core this stoical dimension to it that works it’s way into all the final novels, a kind of drive to accept what is given to you and live with it, work with it, something Chekhov would have been pleased to see:
“Play the moment, play whatever plays for you in that moment, and then go to the next moment. It doesn't matter where you're going. Don't worry about that. Just take it moment, moment, moment, moment.”
May 25, 2018
Not the strongest Roth book, nor the most positive, the story of Simon Axler's loss of his phenomenal acting skills and subsequent descent, his Humbling, is still a compelling one. It is classic Roth in its extraordinarily evocative text and dialogs, how he expresses inner torment, the sexual passages, and his cynical view on life. It is nonetheless quite depressing and hardly as good as Everyman or Indignation. It is still a good read and now I shall read the last book of the tetralogy, his very last book Nemesis.
RIP (1933-2018). One of America's literary giants has left us.
RIP (1933-2018). One of America's literary giants has left us.
March 17, 2018
این که مترجم اقدام به انتشار این کتاب کرده واقعا کلاهبرداری است. به شدت واضح است که چنین کتابی در ایران قابل ترجمه نیست. لااقل ترجمه نکن تا برویم متن اصلیاش را از همان ابتدا بخوانیم. مطمئن باش فیلیپ راث را ما با ترجمه شدن نشناختیم و بهانهی حداقلیِ معرفی کتاب به جامعهی ایرانی پر بیراه است. (و با اینکه تا حالا کتابهای نسبتا زیادی از سهیل سمی خواندهام، دیگر هرگز به او اعتماد نخواهم کرد. کاش سیستم شکایت از ناشر در ایران داشتیم؛ واقعا همینقدر از نشر نیماژ و سمی عصبانی هستم!)
وقتی تقریبا به انتهای کتاب رسیدم و دیگر شکم به یقین تبدیل شد که این وسط یک چیزهایی را نمیفهمم، دو قسمت را با متن اصلی چک کردم که این پایین آوردم. داستان اصلی گویا از این قرار است که این بازیگر تئاتر که حالا دیگر قدرتش را از دست داده، با کارگردانوار عمل کردن در تختخواب و هدایت لزبینها، قدرت از دست رفتهاش را بدست میآورد. چیزی که در کتاب فارسی میخوانیم یک داستان آبکی از عشق پیرمرد و زن بسیار جوانتر از خودش است.
وقتی کتاب انگلیسی 140 صفحهای میشود 102 صفحه، شما خود حدیث مفصل بخوانید دیگر...
وسط صفحهی 80:
ONE NIGHT IN BED Pegeen said to him, “I’ve found a girl for you. She’s on the Prescott swim team. I swim with her in the afternoon. Lara. How would you like me to bring you Lara?”
She was slowly rising and falling above him and all the lights were out, though the room was dimly lit by the full moon shining through the branches of the tall trees out back of the house.
“Tell me about Lara,” he said.
“Oh, you’d like her all right.”
“Obviously you do already.”
“I watch her in the pool. I watch her in the locker room. A rich kid. A privileged kid. She’s never known a minute’s hardship. She’s perfect. Blond. Crystal blue eyes. Long legs. Strong legs. Perfect breasts.”
“How perfect?”
“It makes you awfully hard to hear about Lara,” she said.
“The breasts,” he said.
“She’s nineteen. They’re solid and they’re just up there. Her cunt is shaved and there’s just a fringe of blond hair to either side.”
“Who’s fucking her? The boys or the girls?”
“I don’t know yet. But somebody’s been having some fun down there.”
From then on Lara was with them whenever they wanted her.
“You’re fucking her,” Pegeen would say. “That’s Lara’s perfect little pussy.”
“You fucking her too?”
“No. Just you. Close your eyes. You want her to make you come? You want Lara to make you come? All right, you blond little bitch—make him come!” Pegeen cried, and no longer did he have to tell her how to ride the horse. “Squirt it all over her. Now! Now! Yes, that’s it—squirt in her face!”
اول صفحهی 84:
It didn’t make sense that this Tracy should fall into their laps to do all of the Lara-like stuff they’d been dreaming excitedly about in bed. Though what did make sense? His being unable to go out and act on a stage? His having been a psychiatric inpatient? His conducting a love affair with a lesbian whom he’d first seen nursing at her mother’s breast?
When a man gets two women together, it is not unusual for one of the women, rightly or wrongly feeling neglected, to wind up crying in a corner of the room. From how this was going so far, it looked as though the one who’d wind up crying in the corner would be him. Yet as he watched from the far side of the bed, he did not feel painfully overlooked. He had let Pegeen appoint herself ringmaster and would not participate until summoned. He would watch without interfering. First Pegeen stepped into the contraption, adjusted and secured the leather straps, and affixed the dildo so that it jutted straight out. Then she crouched above Tracy, brushing Tracy’s lips and nipples with her mouth and fondling her breasts, and then she slid down a ways and gently penetrated Tracy with the dildo. Pegeen did not have to force her open. She did not have to say a word—he imagined that if either one of them did begin to speak, it would be in a language unrecognizable to him. The green cock plunged in and out of the abundant naked body sprawled beneath it, slow at first, then faster and harder, then harder still, and all of Tracy’s curves and hollows moved in unison with it. This was not soft porn. This was no longer two unclothed women caressing and kissing on a bed. There was something primitive about it now, this woman-on-woman violence, as though, in the room filled with shadows, Pegeen were a magical composite of shaman, acrobat, and animal. It was as if she were wearing a mask on her genitals, a weird totem mask, that made her into what she was not and was not supposed to be. She could as well have been a crow or a coyote, while simultaneously Pegeen Mike. There was something dangerous about it. His heart thumped with excitement—the god Pan looking on from a distance with his spying, lascivious gaze.
It was English that Pegeen spoke when she looked over from where she was, now resting on her back beside Tracy, combing the little black cat-o’-ninetails through Tracy’s long hair, and, with that kid-like smile that showed her two front teeth, said to him softly, “Your turn. Defile her.” She took Tracy by one shoulder, whispered “Time to change masters,” and gently rolled the stranger’s large, warm body toward his. “Three children got together,” he said, “and decided to put on a play,” whereupon his performance began.
وقتی تقریبا به انتهای کتاب رسیدم و دیگر شکم به یقین تبدیل شد که این وسط یک چیزهایی را نمیفهمم، دو قسمت را با متن اصلی چک کردم که این پایین آوردم. داستان اصلی گویا از این قرار است که این بازیگر تئاتر که حالا دیگر قدرتش را از دست داده، با کارگردانوار عمل کردن در تختخواب و هدایت لزبینها، قدرت از دست رفتهاش را بدست میآورد. چیزی که در کتاب فارسی میخوانیم یک داستان آبکی از عشق پیرمرد و زن بسیار جوانتر از خودش است.
وقتی کتاب انگلیسی 140 صفحهای میشود 102 صفحه، شما خود حدیث مفصل بخوانید دیگر...
وسط صفحهی 80:
ONE NIGHT IN BED Pegeen said to him, “I’ve found a girl for you. She’s on the Prescott swim team. I swim with her in the afternoon. Lara. How would you like me to bring you Lara?”
She was slowly rising and falling above him and all the lights were out, though the room was dimly lit by the full moon shining through the branches of the tall trees out back of the house.
“Tell me about Lara,” he said.
“Oh, you’d like her all right.”
“Obviously you do already.”
“I watch her in the pool. I watch her in the locker room. A rich kid. A privileged kid. She’s never known a minute’s hardship. She’s perfect. Blond. Crystal blue eyes. Long legs. Strong legs. Perfect breasts.”
“How perfect?”
“It makes you awfully hard to hear about Lara,” she said.
“The breasts,” he said.
“She’s nineteen. They’re solid and they’re just up there. Her cunt is shaved and there’s just a fringe of blond hair to either side.”
“Who’s fucking her? The boys or the girls?”
“I don’t know yet. But somebody’s been having some fun down there.”
From then on Lara was with them whenever they wanted her.
“You’re fucking her,” Pegeen would say. “That’s Lara’s perfect little pussy.”
“You fucking her too?”
“No. Just you. Close your eyes. You want her to make you come? You want Lara to make you come? All right, you blond little bitch—make him come!” Pegeen cried, and no longer did he have to tell her how to ride the horse. “Squirt it all over her. Now! Now! Yes, that’s it—squirt in her face!”
اول صفحهی 84:
It didn’t make sense that this Tracy should fall into their laps to do all of the Lara-like stuff they’d been dreaming excitedly about in bed. Though what did make sense? His being unable to go out and act on a stage? His having been a psychiatric inpatient? His conducting a love affair with a lesbian whom he’d first seen nursing at her mother’s breast?
When a man gets two women together, it is not unusual for one of the women, rightly or wrongly feeling neglected, to wind up crying in a corner of the room. From how this was going so far, it looked as though the one who’d wind up crying in the corner would be him. Yet as he watched from the far side of the bed, he did not feel painfully overlooked. He had let Pegeen appoint herself ringmaster and would not participate until summoned. He would watch without interfering. First Pegeen stepped into the contraption, adjusted and secured the leather straps, and affixed the dildo so that it jutted straight out. Then she crouched above Tracy, brushing Tracy’s lips and nipples with her mouth and fondling her breasts, and then she slid down a ways and gently penetrated Tracy with the dildo. Pegeen did not have to force her open. She did not have to say a word—he imagined that if either one of them did begin to speak, it would be in a language unrecognizable to him. The green cock plunged in and out of the abundant naked body sprawled beneath it, slow at first, then faster and harder, then harder still, and all of Tracy’s curves and hollows moved in unison with it. This was not soft porn. This was no longer two unclothed women caressing and kissing on a bed. There was something primitive about it now, this woman-on-woman violence, as though, in the room filled with shadows, Pegeen were a magical composite of shaman, acrobat, and animal. It was as if she were wearing a mask on her genitals, a weird totem mask, that made her into what she was not and was not supposed to be. She could as well have been a crow or a coyote, while simultaneously Pegeen Mike. There was something dangerous about it. His heart thumped with excitement—the god Pan looking on from a distance with his spying, lascivious gaze.
It was English that Pegeen spoke when she looked over from where she was, now resting on her back beside Tracy, combing the little black cat-o’-ninetails through Tracy’s long hair, and, with that kid-like smile that showed her two front teeth, said to him softly, “Your turn. Defile her.” She took Tracy by one shoulder, whispered “Time to change masters,” and gently rolled the stranger’s large, warm body toward his. “Three children got together,” he said, “and decided to put on a play,” whereupon his performance began.
September 24, 2020
As far as myths go, Philip Roth has the Distinguished Old Man Disgraced and Betrayed (DOMDAB) prototype down. Oh yeah, he's truly the master. S. Rushdie's & I. McEwan's brand of DOMDAB always parades about his previous experiences (ever so distinguished heights) in career and love--a patina of affluence settles over everything very megauncomfortably (I am myself allergic to this type of literary dust). Coatzee's tragic DOMDAB (see: Disgrace, Slow Man, Diary of a Bad Year...) surrounds himself with an unexpected ruthlessness that segues quite commonly into violence.
"The Humbling" finds a middle ground--sex scenes are explicitly charged; orbiting, lingering anecdotes of American tragedy are told in a proper realistic American vernacular--a sustained pathos that makes Roth soooo The (contemporary) Shit.
Damn, he died.
"The Humbling" finds a middle ground--sex scenes are explicitly charged; orbiting, lingering anecdotes of American tragedy are told in a proper realistic American vernacular--a sustained pathos that makes Roth soooo The (contemporary) Shit.
Damn, he died.
Shelved as 'reviews-of-books-i-didnt-read'
October 8, 2017John Crace over at The Guardian has written a beautiful parody of this and here's my favourite bit:
After his release, Axler had retreated to his farmhouse in upstate New York and it was there that Pegeen had visited him. Her parents were old friends and he had known her since she was a baby, suckling at her mother's breast. Now she was 40, a lesbian teaching at a progressive women's college in Vermont. "Have you ever slept with a man?" he asked.
"Not for more than 20 years," Pegeen replied. "But there's something about your arthritic body I find irresistible."
"I can only make love if you're on top of me because my back's playing up," he said, fondling her heavy breasts.
"You're a smooth talking lesbo-converter, Philip . . ."
"It's Simon."
"Whatever. No one else could make me want cock."
He started to buy her expensive lingerie, and though it grieved him that her parents were concerned about the age gap between Pegeen and him, he was greatly cheered up when her former lover Louise turned up at his house distraught with grief. "Why has she left me?" Louise cried.
"Because it's my book and in my books younger women always want to have sex with me."
She had now become insatiable. "As it's you, Philip, I mean Simon," Pegeen had said, "I'm up for the full range of dirty-old-man sexual fantasies. Bring on the anal sex, the dildos, the strap-ons and the threesomes with another girl with a shaved bush."
"Hello," said Tracy. "I've never met you before but it's always been my fantasy to have sex with a 40-year-old woman with a green strap-on and a 65-year-old man. And, by the way, I've just shaved my bush. You're the best!"
After his release, Axler had retreated to his farmhouse in upstate New York and it was there that Pegeen had visited him. Her parents were old friends and he had known her since she was a baby, suckling at her mother's breast. Now she was 40, a lesbian teaching at a progressive women's college in Vermont. "Have you ever slept with a man?" he asked.
"Not for more than 20 years," Pegeen replied. "But there's something about your arthritic body I find irresistible."
"I can only make love if you're on top of me because my back's playing up," he said, fondling her heavy breasts.
"You're a smooth talking lesbo-converter, Philip . . ."
"It's Simon."
"Whatever. No one else could make me want cock."
He started to buy her expensive lingerie, and though it grieved him that her parents were concerned about the age gap between Pegeen and him, he was greatly cheered up when her former lover Louise turned up at his house distraught with grief. "Why has she left me?" Louise cried.
"Because it's my book and in my books younger women always want to have sex with me."
She had now become insatiable. "As it's you, Philip, I mean Simon," Pegeen had said, "I'm up for the full range of dirty-old-man sexual fantasies. Bring on the anal sex, the dildos, the strap-ons and the threesomes with another girl with a shaved bush."
"Hello," said Tracy. "I've never met you before but it's always been my fantasy to have sex with a 40-year-old woman with a green strap-on and a 65-year-old man. And, by the way, I've just shaved my bush. You're the best!"
January 16, 2023
M-am gandit foarte mult ce sa scriu in aceasta recenzie, fiind primul roman al lui Philip Roth pe care il citesc si probabil ca nu cel mai indicat cu care sa incep, insa asa s-a nimerit.
Avem de-a face cu o poveste grava si nu stiu ce este mai trist in acest volum: geniul care-si pierde talentul, linia fina dintre esecul si reusita unui artist, dispretul si zeflemeaua publicului, barbatul care ramane fara iubita, femeia care nu stie ce vrea, disperarea, uratenia sperantei, sinuciderea, scena goala in lumina necrutatoare a reflectoarelor si intr-un final cortina care cade greoi.
Romanul reprezinta povestea unui barbat de 65 de ani care fusese odinioara un mare actor si care, ramanand fara cariera, isi pierde si sotia. Ratacind singur intre neputinta, disperare si speranta isi gaseste colacul de salvare intr-o dragoste atipica si anume o lesbiana cu 25 de ani mai tanara ca el. Avertizat de fosta ei iubita ca si el va fi parasit, acesta ignora ratiunea si are iluzia ca poate sa renasca in totalitate si ca actor si ca barbat, ca pana la urma sa fie lovit si mai crunt de soarta. In final, chiar si in ultima clipa a vietii spectacolul trebuie sa continue si acest actor decazut isi va rosti ultima replica din ultimul sau rol din 'Pescarusul': "Konstantin Gavrilovici s-a impuscat."
Desi romanul este scurt ne face sa ne gandim la situatia in care probabil ne-am aflat multi dintre noi si anume cand omul este cazut, cand a esuat pe toate planurile (cariera, familie, sine, perspective de viitor, tinerete, talent) si zacand acolo in tarana se gandeste ca poate sa renasca precum o pasare Pheonix. Acest lucru pare ca se intampla, insa este doar o falsa renastere care prelungeste agonia si iluzia, in persoana lui Pegeen, femeia de care se indragosteste.
Daca cititorul crede ca alegerea sinuciderii este usor de luat si de infaptuit, se inseala. Aceasta alegere vine doar atunci cand disperarea, care este motorul actiunii la un om, dispare. De asemenea dispare si speranta care il tinea in viata. Pierzand aceste doua motoare prabusirea este fireasca.
Foarte potrivita este coperta cartii ce infatiseaza o scena puternic luminata de un reflector. Un artist candva mare abandonat de soarta in bataia luminii crude ce scoate la iveala toate defectele, toate neajunsurile, toate neimplinirile si imperfectiunile. Nu exista nimic mai tragic decat o scena goala pe care personalitatea, valoarea si talentul unui artist n-o mai pot umple.
Esecul si reusita actoriceasca sunt delicios dezbatute intre el si agentul sau care incearca sa-l convinga sa revina pe scena. Monologul interior prin care incearca sa supravietuiasca si sa cantareasca situatia in care se afla este de asemenea minunat descris si face deliciul lecturii.
In concluzie recomand acest mini-roman pentru toate lucrurile la care ne face sa ne gandim intr-un mod atat de profund si pentru ca autorul doar prezinta faptele simplu, nu moralizeaza, nu judeca, nu trage concluzii - toate aceste lucruri revenind in sarcina cititorului.
Avem de-a face cu o poveste grava si nu stiu ce este mai trist in acest volum: geniul care-si pierde talentul, linia fina dintre esecul si reusita unui artist, dispretul si zeflemeaua publicului, barbatul care ramane fara iubita, femeia care nu stie ce vrea, disperarea, uratenia sperantei, sinuciderea, scena goala in lumina necrutatoare a reflectoarelor si intr-un final cortina care cade greoi.
Romanul reprezinta povestea unui barbat de 65 de ani care fusese odinioara un mare actor si care, ramanand fara cariera, isi pierde si sotia. Ratacind singur intre neputinta, disperare si speranta isi gaseste colacul de salvare intr-o dragoste atipica si anume o lesbiana cu 25 de ani mai tanara ca el. Avertizat de fosta ei iubita ca si el va fi parasit, acesta ignora ratiunea si are iluzia ca poate sa renasca in totalitate si ca actor si ca barbat, ca pana la urma sa fie lovit si mai crunt de soarta. In final, chiar si in ultima clipa a vietii spectacolul trebuie sa continue si acest actor decazut isi va rosti ultima replica din ultimul sau rol din 'Pescarusul': "Konstantin Gavrilovici s-a impuscat."
Desi romanul este scurt ne face sa ne gandim la situatia in care probabil ne-am aflat multi dintre noi si anume cand omul este cazut, cand a esuat pe toate planurile (cariera, familie, sine, perspective de viitor, tinerete, talent) si zacand acolo in tarana se gandeste ca poate sa renasca precum o pasare Pheonix. Acest lucru pare ca se intampla, insa este doar o falsa renastere care prelungeste agonia si iluzia, in persoana lui Pegeen, femeia de care se indragosteste.
Daca cititorul crede ca alegerea sinuciderii este usor de luat si de infaptuit, se inseala. Aceasta alegere vine doar atunci cand disperarea, care este motorul actiunii la un om, dispare. De asemenea dispare si speranta care il tinea in viata. Pierzand aceste doua motoare prabusirea este fireasca.
Foarte potrivita este coperta cartii ce infatiseaza o scena puternic luminata de un reflector. Un artist candva mare abandonat de soarta in bataia luminii crude ce scoate la iveala toate defectele, toate neajunsurile, toate neimplinirile si imperfectiunile. Nu exista nimic mai tragic decat o scena goala pe care personalitatea, valoarea si talentul unui artist n-o mai pot umple.
Esecul si reusita actoriceasca sunt delicios dezbatute intre el si agentul sau care incearca sa-l convinga sa revina pe scena. Monologul interior prin care incearca sa supravietuiasca si sa cantareasca situatia in care se afla este de asemenea minunat descris si face deliciul lecturii.
In concluzie recomand acest mini-roman pentru toate lucrurile la care ne face sa ne gandim intr-un mod atat de profund si pentru ca autorul doar prezinta faptele simplu, nu moralizeaza, nu judeca, nu trage concluzii - toate aceste lucruri revenind in sarcina cititorului.
February 1, 2021
È una storia di fallimento e disgregazione, la storia di una caduta, di una faticosa risalita e di una nuova caduta, di un sogno a occhi aperti che, per un istante, sembra poter colmare il vuoto infinito che il protagonista porta nel cuore, ma che, in extremis giunge solo a condurlo di un altro passo, stanco, disilluso, fragile, innanzi ai propri demoni.
September 17, 2020
Upon rereading, I found this book more engrossing than before. Upgraded rating from 3 to 4.
Why? I liked the strong emotional core. There is usually an influx of emotion and logic in Roth's books. In this one, the emotional fragility of characters is pronounced. The fragility of strained relationships is par for the course for literary fiction of all stripes and this is not the first time I've seen the washed-up actor character trope used, but it it fits in well with Roth's preoccupation with older men sleeping with younger women. It's got all the grab-bag elements from his oeuvre: sickness, lack of mental stability, people going through the motions, losing the edge, losing the battle against aging, society's expectations being too high, succumbing to sensual obsessions, art, drama, and a touch of dread.
Our main character, Axler gets locked in his role as an old American male, and is yet unable to act, which had been his calling. Could this be a comment on Roth's writing and reputation, since this book was written when the author was in his seventies? The difference between living a life and playing a role is not always well-defined.
You have in here the quintessential fears of life: man's ultimate ineptitude, the ineffectual therapies which are presented to us as ultimate options, and more. Roth can be dramatically persuasive at times. We are reminded how easy it is to slip into self-delusion, and that this is all part of staging the grand performance of "your life."
Accomplishment and failure, how these define us. Regret and pride. Dignity, or the lack thereof. The precariousness of any of life's or relationship's perceived stability. How controllable is one's trajectory? The marriage of a man to his work, the ups and downs, and the artist's responsibility to reinvent himself. How the fear of failure in anything can be paralyzing, and persistent denial can get us through tough times, but only provides a temporary reprieve.
Parts of the book resemble a stage play, and the setting is minimal. Also discussed are the politics of maintaining a front, the responsibility of parents toward grown children, confidence, liberty, how easily doubt creeps in and undermines the enactment of a life, the little messes in which we wallow, the twisted relationships that cross our path, and the pursuit of happiness and how it differs from the pursuit of pleasure. Spiraling self-sabotage and of course, the inevitable end. Should we change or compromise ourselves to please the person we love? Good old mortality rears his head at every juncture. It teaches us how to properly disregard the advice of others. The author posits that love requires living in the moment. All relationships carry the risk of pain if they are worth anything. Lastly, gratuitous sex. Or just enough for Philip Roth devotees.
Why? I liked the strong emotional core. There is usually an influx of emotion and logic in Roth's books. In this one, the emotional fragility of characters is pronounced. The fragility of strained relationships is par for the course for literary fiction of all stripes and this is not the first time I've seen the washed-up actor character trope used, but it it fits in well with Roth's preoccupation with older men sleeping with younger women. It's got all the grab-bag elements from his oeuvre: sickness, lack of mental stability, people going through the motions, losing the edge, losing the battle against aging, society's expectations being too high, succumbing to sensual obsessions, art, drama, and a touch of dread.
Our main character, Axler gets locked in his role as an old American male, and is yet unable to act, which had been his calling. Could this be a comment on Roth's writing and reputation, since this book was written when the author was in his seventies? The difference between living a life and playing a role is not always well-defined.
You have in here the quintessential fears of life: man's ultimate ineptitude, the ineffectual therapies which are presented to us as ultimate options, and more. Roth can be dramatically persuasive at times. We are reminded how easy it is to slip into self-delusion, and that this is all part of staging the grand performance of "your life."
Accomplishment and failure, how these define us. Regret and pride. Dignity, or the lack thereof. The precariousness of any of life's or relationship's perceived stability. How controllable is one's trajectory? The marriage of a man to his work, the ups and downs, and the artist's responsibility to reinvent himself. How the fear of failure in anything can be paralyzing, and persistent denial can get us through tough times, but only provides a temporary reprieve.
Parts of the book resemble a stage play, and the setting is minimal. Also discussed are the politics of maintaining a front, the responsibility of parents toward grown children, confidence, liberty, how easily doubt creeps in and undermines the enactment of a life, the little messes in which we wallow, the twisted relationships that cross our path, and the pursuit of happiness and how it differs from the pursuit of pleasure. Spiraling self-sabotage and of course, the inevitable end. Should we change or compromise ourselves to please the person we love? Good old mortality rears his head at every juncture. It teaches us how to properly disregard the advice of others. The author posits that love requires living in the moment. All relationships carry the risk of pain if they are worth anything. Lastly, gratuitous sex. Or just enough for Philip Roth devotees.
June 10, 2018
Una parodia di sé stesso, un uomo avviato lungo il viale del tramonto, un grande attore che non è più in grado di affrontare il palcoscenico del teatro e della vita, al quale resta una unica illusione cui aggrapparsi, destinata fina dall’inizio a fallire? Può darsi. Un tema, quello della decadenza e della vecchiaia, che scorre in ogni pagina scritta da Philip Roth, ancora una volta trattato, e magari anche meno bene che in altri suoi romanzi? Sarà così.
Per me, per una lettrice per la quale Philip Roth resterà il più amato, questo è un altro romanzo da tenere a cuore, da ricordare, non un romanzo da leggere a vent’anni perché non lo si comprenderebbe in pieno, ma adesso sì, lascia tutto il segno e anche di più.
Grazie Philip per quello che ci hai dato. Anche le tue opere meno riuscite lasciano secchiate di emozioni indelebili.
Per me, per una lettrice per la quale Philip Roth resterà il più amato, questo è un altro romanzo da tenere a cuore, da ricordare, non un romanzo da leggere a vent’anni perché non lo si comprenderebbe in pieno, ma adesso sì, lascia tutto il segno e anche di più.
Grazie Philip per quello che ci hai dato. Anche le tue opere meno riuscite lasciano secchiate di emozioni indelebili.
October 17, 2020
«A Humilhação» de Philip Roth
Livro organizado em três capítulos, Desfeitos em Ar Leve, A Transformação e O Último Acto, é a história de Simon Axler, 66 anos, actor consagrado que perde a capacidade de representar, é internado num hospital psiquiátrico por um período de 26 dias, e, posteriormente, envolve-se numa relação sentimental com uma lésbica, Pegeen de 40 anos.
Depois da derrocada colossal que sente com a morte do seu talento, com Pegeen Simon recupera a confiança, vence o medo, recupera a confiança e começa a reconstruir a vida.
Sente-se extasiado com o regresso da sua força e com o fim da sua humilhação e do seu desaparecimento do mundo.
Mas, inevitavelmente, um dia Peggen diz:
«Acabou. Não é o que eu quero. Cometi um erro.»
Simon chora lágrimas de vergonha, de perda e de raiva.
«Os fracassos eram seus, como sua era a biografia desconcertante em que estava empalado»
Uma reflexão sobre o envelhecimento, ou o medo de o encarar.
Um final trágico representado como no apogeu da sua carreira.
Gostaria de acrescentar mais algumas observações, mas teria de recorrer a spoilers.
Livro organizado em três capítulos, Desfeitos em Ar Leve, A Transformação e O Último Acto, é a história de Simon Axler, 66 anos, actor consagrado que perde a capacidade de representar, é internado num hospital psiquiátrico por um período de 26 dias, e, posteriormente, envolve-se numa relação sentimental com uma lésbica, Pegeen de 40 anos.
Depois da derrocada colossal que sente com a morte do seu talento, com Pegeen Simon recupera a confiança, vence o medo, recupera a confiança e começa a reconstruir a vida.
Sente-se extasiado com o regresso da sua força e com o fim da sua humilhação e do seu desaparecimento do mundo.
Mas, inevitavelmente, um dia Peggen diz:
«Acabou. Não é o que eu quero. Cometi um erro.»
Simon chora lágrimas de vergonha, de perda e de raiva.
«Os fracassos eram seus, como sua era a biografia desconcertante em que estava empalado»
Uma reflexão sobre o envelhecimento, ou o medo de o encarar.
Um final trágico representado como no apogeu da sua carreira.
Gostaria de acrescentar mais algumas observações, mas teria de recorrer a spoilers.
January 12, 2017
"What was remarkable was the frequency with which suicide enters into drama, as though it were a formula fundamental to the drama, not necessarily supported by the action as directed by the workings of the genre itself."
-- Philip Roth, The Humbling
Not my favorite Roth. It reads like a Greek tragedy mixed with a bit of Chekhov, but somehow it just doesn't work for me. I'll admit that I avoided reading these later, smaller Roth novels for some time. I felt as if they were a bit of an author's indulgence: an aging, well-respected writer tossing off a few novellas toward the end of his career for money and because ALL he does is write.
I now am ready to eat those words a bit, but not necessarily with THIS novella. This one IS a bit indulgent, but still it is Philip Roth, so even when he is indulgent, he still manages to shock and move the reader. Anyway, not as good as his other, late-career novellas: Nemesis & Indignation.
I see these books as being Roth trying to exercise some final demons before putting his pen down. I'm not sure if the demon is gone, or if I even liked this book, but it still is impossible to not respect and like Roth even when he disappoints.
-- Philip Roth, The Humbling
Not my favorite Roth. It reads like a Greek tragedy mixed with a bit of Chekhov, but somehow it just doesn't work for me. I'll admit that I avoided reading these later, smaller Roth novels for some time. I felt as if they were a bit of an author's indulgence: an aging, well-respected writer tossing off a few novellas toward the end of his career for money and because ALL he does is write.
I now am ready to eat those words a bit, but not necessarily with THIS novella. This one IS a bit indulgent, but still it is Philip Roth, so even when he is indulgent, he still manages to shock and move the reader. Anyway, not as good as his other, late-career novellas: Nemesis & Indignation.
I see these books as being Roth trying to exercise some final demons before putting his pen down. I'm not sure if the demon is gone, or if I even liked this book, but it still is impossible to not respect and like Roth even when he disappoints.
December 24, 2020
دومین تجربه ام از فیلیپ راث، و این هم حول خودکشی میچرخید، ولی تجربه ی قبلیم (یکی مثل همه) دلنشین تر بود.این اثر اولش خوب شروع شد ولی یه هو شد یه داستان معمولی، انتظار بیشتری داشتم. قلم ساده و روانی داره این آقای راث، دوست دارم بازم ازش بخونم. صوتی گوش دادم با صدای آقای میرزایی.
April 22, 2020
Wow. What a book!
I feel sorry for anyone who's going to borrow my hardc0ver copy of this, coz it's highlighted to death. Almost every page has a line or two or three or four, highlighted. that's how brilliant and quotable this book is.
I must admit, I've always been curious about Roth's writing, and it's a shame that this is his first book I've read... well, completed. I tried reading the Human Stain a long while ago, but I guess, like some of Saul Bellow's books, there are certain Literary Masterpieces that cannot appreciated until you've devoured a substantial amount of good writing. or a substantial amount of good writing has devoured you. In this case, it's a little bit of both. I won't go as far as to say my palette is refined, but I have an appreciation for writing such as his and his peers. Okay, enough about me.
The most striking thing about The Humbling is not the strength of the narrative voice, or the well littered anecdotes, but the depth of the humanity in Axler's plight. It resonates, and even though it's too close to home, it's comforting. especially if you're caught up in any creative endeavor, where ceaseless doubt and endless uncertainty dog your every waking breathe. Axler isn't the embodiment of everything we wish to be, but he goes through his crisis, existential and otherwise, with a kind of graceless hope that's both empowering and endearing.
I wouldn't want to grow up to be Axler, but it wouldn't be too much of a tragedy if I did.
I feel sorry for anyone who's going to borrow my hardc0ver copy of this, coz it's highlighted to death. Almost every page has a line or two or three or four, highlighted. that's how brilliant and quotable this book is.
I must admit, I've always been curious about Roth's writing, and it's a shame that this is his first book I've read... well, completed. I tried reading the Human Stain a long while ago, but I guess, like some of Saul Bellow's books, there are certain Literary Masterpieces that cannot appreciated until you've devoured a substantial amount of good writing. or a substantial amount of good writing has devoured you. In this case, it's a little bit of both. I won't go as far as to say my palette is refined, but I have an appreciation for writing such as his and his peers. Okay, enough about me.
The most striking thing about The Humbling is not the strength of the narrative voice, or the well littered anecdotes, but the depth of the humanity in Axler's plight. It resonates, and even though it's too close to home, it's comforting. especially if you're caught up in any creative endeavor, where ceaseless doubt and endless uncertainty dog your every waking breathe. Axler isn't the embodiment of everything we wish to be, but he goes through his crisis, existential and otherwise, with a kind of graceless hope that's both empowering and endearing.
I wouldn't want to grow up to be Axler, but it wouldn't be too much of a tragedy if I did.
April 12, 2018
Τρίτο βιβλίο του Φίλιπ Ροθ που διαβάζω, μετά το καταπληκτικό "Αγανάκτηση" που διάβασα πέρυσι τον Ιούλιο και το πάρα πολύ κ��λό "Νέμεσις" που διάβασα φέτος τον Ιανουάριο, δυστυχώς αυτή τη φορά δεν μπορώ να πω ότι έμεινα και τόσο ικανοποιημένος. Σαν βιβλίο είναι αρκετά διαφορετικό από τα άλλα δυο, μιας και ο πρωταγωνιστής είναι μεγάλος σε ηλικία ενώ στα προηγούμενα και οι δυο ήταν νέοι, ενώ και το μέγεθος της ιστορίας είναι σαφώς μικρότερο.
Σε κανένα σημείο δεν ένιωσα κάποια ιδιαίτερη σύνδεση με τον πρωταγωνιστή και τα προβλήματά του, ενώ η ιστορία μου φάνηκε κάπως ισχνή σε περιεχόμενο, αν και ίσως όχι και τόσο αδιάφορη. Κάποια πράγματα δεν με έπεισαν ούτε δευτερόλεπτο, κάπ��ια άλλα μου φάνηκαν κάπως αστεία ενώ δεν είχαν τέτοιο σκοπό (ή μπορεί και να είχαν, ποιος ξέρει), όπως και να'χει σίγουρα χρειαζόταν λίγος περισσότερος χώρος και χρόνος για μεγαλύτερη εκβάθυνση στους χαρακτήρες και την πλοκή. Η γραφή μου φάνηκε και πάλι πολύ καλή και οξυδερκής, αλλά δεν βοήθησε και τόσο την όλη κατάσταση. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι κρατούσα μικρό καλάθι με όλες τις κριτικές που είδα και διάβασα από εδώ και από εκεί, οπότε στην τελική δεν ξενέρωσα κιόλας.
Μπορεί να πει κανείς ότι η ανάγνωση του συγκεκριμένου μικρού βιβλίου ήταν μια αγγαρεία που έπρεπε να κάνω, μιας και σκοπεύω να διαβάσω πολλά ακόμα βιβλία του Φίλιπ Ροθ, και αυτό φαίνεται να είναι από τα πιο αδύναμα. Σε καμία περίπτωση δεν το προτείνω για πρώτη επαφή με το έργο του μεγάλου αυτού συγγραφέα, πιθανότατα όμως μια ανάγνωση την αξίζει έτσι κι αλλιώς, αν κάποιος έχει σκοπό να ξεκοκαλίσει το έργο του.
Σε κανένα σημείο δεν ένιωσα κάποια ιδιαίτερη σύνδεση με τον πρωταγωνιστή και τα προβλήματά του, ενώ η ιστορία μου φάνηκε κάπως ισχνή σε περιεχόμενο, αν και ίσως όχι και τόσο αδιάφορη. Κάποια πράγματα δεν με έπεισαν ούτε δευτερόλεπτο, κάπ��ια άλλα μου φάνηκαν κάπως αστεία ενώ δεν είχαν τέτοιο σκοπό (ή μπορεί και να είχαν, ποιος ξέρει), όπως και να'χει σίγουρα χρειαζόταν λίγος περισσότερος χώρος και χρόνος για μεγαλύτερη εκβάθυνση στους χαρακτήρες και την πλοκή. Η γραφή μου φάνηκε και πάλι πολύ καλή και οξυδερκής, αλλά δεν βοήθησε και τόσο την όλη κατάσταση. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι κρατούσα μικρό καλάθι με όλες τις κριτικές που είδα και διάβασα από εδώ και από εκεί, οπότε στην τελική δεν ξενέρωσα κιόλας.
Μπορεί να πει κανείς ότι η ανάγνωση του συγκεκριμένου μικρού βιβλίου ήταν μια αγγαρεία που έπρεπε να κάνω, μιας και σκοπεύω να διαβάσω πολλά ακόμα βιβλία του Φίλιπ Ροθ, και αυτό φαίνεται να είναι από τα πιο αδύναμα. Σε καμία περίπτωση δεν το προτείνω για πρώτη επαφή με το έργο του μεγάλου αυτού συγγραφέα, πιθανότατα όμως μια ανάγνωση την αξίζει έτσι κι αλλιώς, αν κάποιος έχει σκοπό να ξεκοκαλίσει το έργο του.
September 11, 2015
A famous 60-something classical actor loses his acting ability and becomes suicidal, then takes up with the 40-year-old lesbian daughter of some mutual friends and they embark on some kinky sex (I guess she was just waiting for an older man to “turn” her straight) in this brief, slight novel by one of America’s best novelists. (Seriously: a few weeks ago I read American Pastoral, and came away thinking it one of the most powerful novels of the past quarter century.)
I was initially interested in the idea of an actor losing his or her powers – like a thespian Prospero, a role that’s evoked early on – but Roth doesn’t follow through with this theme. The opening section, partly set in a psychiatric hospital, is intriguing. But the book soon devolves into a bunch of sex scenes that just feel like wanking off.
I liked the ending, which alludes to the theory of Chekhov’s gun (appropriate, since there is an autumnal Chekhovian feel about the plot). And the book is generally well written. I don’t think Roth is capable of writing a bad sentence.
If the 140-page book had been included in a collection of stories or novellas, say The Humbling And Other Stories, it would have been okay. Forgivable.
But a stand-alone novel? It’s indeed humbling - especially for the mighty Roth.
I was initially interested in the idea of an actor losing his or her powers – like a thespian Prospero, a role that’s evoked early on – but Roth doesn’t follow through with this theme. The opening section, partly set in a psychiatric hospital, is intriguing. But the book soon devolves into a bunch of sex scenes that just feel like wanking off.
I liked the ending, which alludes to the theory of Chekhov’s gun (appropriate, since there is an autumnal Chekhovian feel about the plot). And the book is generally well written. I don’t think Roth is capable of writing a bad sentence.
If the 140-page book had been included in a collection of stories or novellas, say The Humbling And Other Stories, it would have been okay. Forgivable.
But a stand-alone novel? It’s indeed humbling - especially for the mighty Roth.
February 7, 2021
My first Philip Roth book.
It is a meditation on life and death, perfectly written, as I would say, pure power :)
Dark theme, dark atmosphere, and dark ending - it is a depressing read.
It deserves 5 stars, it really does, but because of the subject it deals with, I couldn't fully enjoy this little novel. Also, why didn't Roth get the Nobel prize?? One of the great mysteries...
Anyway, 4.4 stars. I will soon read 'Everyman' too.
It is a meditation on life and death, perfectly written, as I would say, pure power :)
Dark theme, dark atmosphere, and dark ending - it is a depressing read.
It deserves 5 stars, it really does, but because of the subject it deals with, I couldn't fully enjoy this little novel. Also, why didn't Roth get the Nobel prize?? One of the great mysteries...
Anyway, 4.4 stars. I will soon read 'Everyman' too.
May 22, 2023
The Humbling
I read "The Humbling", the thirtieth novel of the late Philip Roth (1933 -- May 22, 2018), after reading his "American Pastoral" and being greatly moved. Roth is a gifted and deservedly celebrated American novelist. As with any prolific writer, his work tends to be uneven. Although it is a lesser work of Roth, "The Humbling" is a short carefully constructed novel about the sadness of growing old, the never-ending power of human sexuality, and the difficulty of changing one's character.
The novel tells the story of Simon Axler, a highly regarded actor in his 60s. When he plays both Shakespeare's Macbeth and Prospero at the Kennedy Center, Axler realizes he is losing his skill and interest in being an actor. He suffers a severe depression with suicidal tendencies. Axler thinks about all the suicides in the plays he has performed over his career. He must check himself into a psychiatric institution and when, a month later, Axler is released, he loses his wife to divorce and becomes lost and alone. The early sections of the novel offer a compelling portrayal of a man who has lived for one thing in his life -- his acting career -- and is adrift when he loses it.
Axler is rescued by a 40ish academic woman, Pegeen, whom he knew as a baby when he was a young actor with Pegeen's parents. Pegeen is a lesbian who is coming out of a pair of unsatisfactory relationships, including a relationship with the dean at her college. Pegeen begins a relationship with Axler in an attempt to recast herself as a heterosexual. Axler dotes on Pegeen and buys her expensive, womanly clothes. Pegeen's parents warn her against the relationship and Axler has serious and increasing doubts. Yet with the apparent joy and meaning Pegeen brings to him, the relationship persists. As the relationship continues, Roth makes it increasingly clear that Pegeen cannot remain heterosexual. She introduces lesbian elements into her relationship with Axler, confesses to two relationships with women while seeing Axler, and ultimately introduces other women into their relationship. After Axler and Pegeen meet a drunk 28 year old woman in a bar and bring her home, the relationship quickly dissipates. Axler should have seen it coming, but he is devastated.
The novel includes a great deal of symbolism and allusion as the story develops to its crashing close. The characters are sketched quickly and well. The tone, as with much of Roth, includes elements of sadness, sarcasm, and mordancy. The title of the novel, "The Humbling" seems to me of several meanings regarding the character who is humbled and when the "humbling" occurs. At first thought, Axler is humbled when he finds he can no longer act and loses meaning for his life. But perhaps the defining moment of the tale occurs when Axler takes Pegeen for an expensive haircut as part of his efforts to remake her as a heterosexual. Roth describes this scene as follows
"He had never seen Pegeen look as disarmed as she did sitting in front of the chair in front of the mirror after her hair had been washed. He'd never before seen her look so weakened or so at a loss as to how to behave. The sight of her, silent, sheepish, sitting there at the edge of humiliation, unable even to look at her reflection, gave the haircut an entirely transformed meaning, igniting all his self-mistrust and causing him to wonder, as he had more than once, if he wasn't being blinded by a stupendous and desperate illusion. ...What if he proved to be no more than a brief male intrusion into a lesbian life?" (p.65)
Pegeen receives a humbling at Axler's hands, even as Axler is humbled by the loss of his acting ability and by the denouement of the story. Neither Axler nor Pegeen can give up the identity they have created for themselves and become something else. Both are humbled when they try to be a person other than the persons they are.
A short slight work, "The Humbling" still rewards reading.
Robin Friedman
I read "The Humbling", the thirtieth novel of the late Philip Roth (1933 -- May 22, 2018), after reading his "American Pastoral" and being greatly moved. Roth is a gifted and deservedly celebrated American novelist. As with any prolific writer, his work tends to be uneven. Although it is a lesser work of Roth, "The Humbling" is a short carefully constructed novel about the sadness of growing old, the never-ending power of human sexuality, and the difficulty of changing one's character.
The novel tells the story of Simon Axler, a highly regarded actor in his 60s. When he plays both Shakespeare's Macbeth and Prospero at the Kennedy Center, Axler realizes he is losing his skill and interest in being an actor. He suffers a severe depression with suicidal tendencies. Axler thinks about all the suicides in the plays he has performed over his career. He must check himself into a psychiatric institution and when, a month later, Axler is released, he loses his wife to divorce and becomes lost and alone. The early sections of the novel offer a compelling portrayal of a man who has lived for one thing in his life -- his acting career -- and is adrift when he loses it.
Axler is rescued by a 40ish academic woman, Pegeen, whom he knew as a baby when he was a young actor with Pegeen's parents. Pegeen is a lesbian who is coming out of a pair of unsatisfactory relationships, including a relationship with the dean at her college. Pegeen begins a relationship with Axler in an attempt to recast herself as a heterosexual. Axler dotes on Pegeen and buys her expensive, womanly clothes. Pegeen's parents warn her against the relationship and Axler has serious and increasing doubts. Yet with the apparent joy and meaning Pegeen brings to him, the relationship persists. As the relationship continues, Roth makes it increasingly clear that Pegeen cannot remain heterosexual. She introduces lesbian elements into her relationship with Axler, confesses to two relationships with women while seeing Axler, and ultimately introduces other women into their relationship. After Axler and Pegeen meet a drunk 28 year old woman in a bar and bring her home, the relationship quickly dissipates. Axler should have seen it coming, but he is devastated.
The novel includes a great deal of symbolism and allusion as the story develops to its crashing close. The characters are sketched quickly and well. The tone, as with much of Roth, includes elements of sadness, sarcasm, and mordancy. The title of the novel, "The Humbling" seems to me of several meanings regarding the character who is humbled and when the "humbling" occurs. At first thought, Axler is humbled when he finds he can no longer act and loses meaning for his life. But perhaps the defining moment of the tale occurs when Axler takes Pegeen for an expensive haircut as part of his efforts to remake her as a heterosexual. Roth describes this scene as follows
"He had never seen Pegeen look as disarmed as she did sitting in front of the chair in front of the mirror after her hair had been washed. He'd never before seen her look so weakened or so at a loss as to how to behave. The sight of her, silent, sheepish, sitting there at the edge of humiliation, unable even to look at her reflection, gave the haircut an entirely transformed meaning, igniting all his self-mistrust and causing him to wonder, as he had more than once, if he wasn't being blinded by a stupendous and desperate illusion. ...What if he proved to be no more than a brief male intrusion into a lesbian life?" (p.65)
Pegeen receives a humbling at Axler's hands, even as Axler is humbled by the loss of his acting ability and by the denouement of the story. Neither Axler nor Pegeen can give up the identity they have created for themselves and become something else. Both are humbled when they try to be a person other than the persons they are.
A short slight work, "The Humbling" still rewards reading.
Robin Friedman
June 6, 2009
about one simon axler, a world renowned stage actor who is humbled by the fact that he's lost his gift. he doesn't know how to play a scene, his timing is off, the words come out sounding false, he cannot get out of his mind and lose himself in the role. so he lays around his house in the woods and contemplates suicide. 'all the world's a stage'/identity/and-other-important-themes aside, what is interesting here (and what, i suspect, certain reviewers will write about upon the release of this book) is how 'meta' roth is getting. he's always been pretty biographical, sure, but i, for one, feel roth, like simon axler, has lost his touch. is the humbling a cry for help? a literary suicide letter? approached in that light, the book is certainly made more interesting.
well, i love the old coot. as flawed as parts might be (particularly the third volume), his USA trilogy is, for my money, as astonishing and revealing about the latter half of the american century as dos passos's trilogy was for the first. but old rothie has seemed on auto-pilot for a while. he lives alone in a house in the woods and frequently (contemplates suicide?) speaks of the death of the novel and its growing irrelevance. then why write? is it all he knows how to do? whatever. (apologies for drawing too many parallels between author and character and the reductive and annoying pop-psychologizing but it's kind of impossible to resist on this one)
the humbling isn't without merit or interest -- and had it been part of a collection of longish stories i think it would've fared better. but on its own the deficiencies and one-notedness are too glaring. reader beware.
well, i love the old coot. as flawed as parts might be (particularly the third volume), his USA trilogy is, for my money, as astonishing and revealing about the latter half of the american century as dos passos's trilogy was for the first. but old rothie has seemed on auto-pilot for a while. he lives alone in a house in the woods and frequently (contemplates suicide?) speaks of the death of the novel and its growing irrelevance. then why write? is it all he knows how to do? whatever. (apologies for drawing too many parallels between author and character and the reductive and annoying pop-psychologizing but it's kind of impossible to resist on this one)
the humbling isn't without merit or interest -- and had it been part of a collection of longish stories i think it would've fared better. but on its own the deficiencies and one-notedness are too glaring. reader beware.
July 13, 2016
Na linha a que já nos habituou Philip Roth, mais uma história à volta de um homem surpreendido pelos infortúnios da idade e que vai encontrar compensação na relação com uma mulher mais nova. Podia ser no álcool, podia ser nas drogas…mas não, sexo desvairado com uma mulher com menos vinte anos é muito mais apelativo.
O facto de aligeirar o assunto não desvaloriza em nada a obra. Gosto muito de Philip Roth, aprecio o modo como aprofunda situações que são comuns a qualquer pessoa a partir de certa idade, sem dramatizar demasiado mas simultaneamente sem dourar a pilula. É sobretudo realista e se as personagens têm este tipo de comportamentos, mais não é que uma resposta às fragilidades emocionais, devidas a um corpo que se tornou estranho e já não nos obedece como antes.
Apesar do aparente bom humor nas cenas de sexo, subentende-se algum desconforto, alguma dificuldade em aceitar as novas regras – a rapariga era uma lésbica em aparente conversão heterossexual – no fundo, uma humilhação a que se sujeita para a conservar.
O final é trágico; cai o pano e as ilusões e o ator Simon Axler sai de cena com a sua derradeira atuação.
O facto de aligeirar o assunto não desvaloriza em nada a obra. Gosto muito de Philip Roth, aprecio o modo como aprofunda situações que são comuns a qualquer pessoa a partir de certa idade, sem dramatizar demasiado mas simultaneamente sem dourar a pilula. É sobretudo realista e se as personagens têm este tipo de comportamentos, mais não é que uma resposta às fragilidades emocionais, devidas a um corpo que se tornou estranho e já não nos obedece como antes.
Apesar do aparente bom humor nas cenas de sexo, subentende-se algum desconforto, alguma dificuldade em aceitar as novas regras – a rapariga era uma lésbica em aparente conversão heterossexual – no fundo, uma humilhação a que se sujeita para a conservar.
O final é trágico; cai o pano e as ilusões e o ator Simon Axler sai de cena com a sua derradeira atuação.
August 26, 2019
“Aveva perso la sua magìa”
C’è un legame, neppure tanto sotterraneo o nascosto, fra il soggetto di questa penultima opera di Philip Roth e la decisione dell’autore di concludere la sua carriera, ufficializzata ai media nel 2012 ma meditata già da qualche tempo.
L’Umiliazione è uno dei tre romanzi brevi con cui Roth si è congedato dal suo pubblico, con un risultato che, rispetto a “Indignazione” (2008) e a “Nemesi” (2010), appare forse il meno riuscito dal punto di vista narrativo, ma si presenta come il più intimo e sincero sul piano personale.
Si potrebbe definire un’opera in tre atti, tanto per rimanere nell’ambito che appartiene a Simon, il protagonista, famoso e talentuoso attore teatrale che nella prima parte del racconto viene colto dall’improvvisa consapevolezza di avere smarrito la propria ispirazione (“Aveva perso la sua magia.” è l’incipit del romanzo) precipitando nella depressione e nello sconforto non senza tentazioni di suicidio, e rassegnato all’impossibilità di un recupero, nonostante gli incoraggiamenti di coloro che lo circondano e lo incitano a tornare sulla scena.
Come spesso accade nella narrativa di Roth, è l’esplosione della sessualità nel rapporto con una donna problematica ma molto più giovane, la chiave di volta che restituisce vitalità e speranza a Simon, se non sul piano professionale almeno su quello fisico e psicologico, e parallelamente anche la prosa dell’autore, dopo una prima parte più pallida e incolore, acquista nerbo nel capitolo esplicitamente intitolato “La trasformazione”, sorretta dai dialoghi geniali e spregiudicati di cui è indiscusso maestro.
Ma la prevedibile disillusione è dietro l’angolo, a concludere la parabola del personaggio, che pure, in un momento di lucidità, aveva previsto che alla fine sarebbe arrivato il momento di trovarsi faccia a faccia con la realtà irreversibile della solitudine, della decadenza, dell’anticamera della fine, un giorno in cui, anche a causa dell’ingannevole parentesi, …il colpo che verrà inferto sarà insopportabile.
C’è un legame, neppure tanto sotterraneo o nascosto, fra il soggetto di questa penultima opera di Philip Roth e la decisione dell’autore di concludere la sua carriera, ufficializzata ai media nel 2012 ma meditata già da qualche tempo.
L’Umiliazione è uno dei tre romanzi brevi con cui Roth si è congedato dal suo pubblico, con un risultato che, rispetto a “Indignazione” (2008) e a “Nemesi” (2010), appare forse il meno riuscito dal punto di vista narrativo, ma si presenta come il più intimo e sincero sul piano personale.
Si potrebbe definire un’opera in tre atti, tanto per rimanere nell’ambito che appartiene a Simon, il protagonista, famoso e talentuoso attore teatrale che nella prima parte del racconto viene colto dall’improvvisa consapevolezza di avere smarrito la propria ispirazione (“Aveva perso la sua magia.” è l’incipit del romanzo) precipitando nella depressione e nello sconforto non senza tentazioni di suicidio, e rassegnato all’impossibilità di un recupero, nonostante gli incoraggiamenti di coloro che lo circondano e lo incitano a tornare sulla scena.
Come spesso accade nella narrativa di Roth, è l’esplosione della sessualità nel rapporto con una donna problematica ma molto più giovane, la chiave di volta che restituisce vitalità e speranza a Simon, se non sul piano professionale almeno su quello fisico e psicologico, e parallelamente anche la prosa dell’autore, dopo una prima parte più pallida e incolore, acquista nerbo nel capitolo esplicitamente intitolato “La trasformazione”, sorretta dai dialoghi geniali e spregiudicati di cui è indiscusso maestro.
Ma la prevedibile disillusione è dietro l’angolo, a concludere la parabola del personaggio, che pure, in un momento di lucidità, aveva previsto che alla fine sarebbe arrivato il momento di trovarsi faccia a faccia con la realtà irreversibile della solitudine, della decadenza, dell’anticamera della fine, un giorno in cui, anche a causa dell’ingannevole parentesi, …il colpo che verrà inferto sarà insopportabile.
January 26, 2021
“He’d lost his magic. The impulse was spent.”
The Humbling is a novel written by one of the most important authors in American literature, Philip Roth. It was originally published in 2009 and is his penultimate novel.
Simon Axler is a stage actor who has suddenly lost his ability to act. The unexpected change for the worse causes Simon to suffer from depression. On the advice of his doctor, he admits himself to a psychiatric hospital and stays there for almost a month.
After he goes back to his house in upstate New York, he begins an affair with his former colleagues’ daughter, Pegeen – an ex-lesbian who’s left her former girlfriend after she’d decided to undergo a sex reassignment surgery. Things are starting to change for the better, but little does Simon know, he’s about to get humbled again…
In this quick little novel, Philip Roth demonstrates with brilliant brevity and urgency what one goes through, the inner struggle, when they suddenly lose everything they valued in life; job, family, self-esteem, etc. The author also tries to explore what it means for an older man to be in a relationship with a younger woman and how it affects not only them but also their families.
In short, it’s a book about how we let ourselves be defined more by the downs than by the ups in our lives. An amazing psychological character analysis that I can heartily recommend to anyone who’s interested in this type of story.
The Humbling is a novel written by one of the most important authors in American literature, Philip Roth. It was originally published in 2009 and is his penultimate novel.
Simon Axler is a stage actor who has suddenly lost his ability to act. The unexpected change for the worse causes Simon to suffer from depression. On the advice of his doctor, he admits himself to a psychiatric hospital and stays there for almost a month.
After he goes back to his house in upstate New York, he begins an affair with his former colleagues’ daughter, Pegeen – an ex-lesbian who’s left her former girlfriend after she’d decided to undergo a sex reassignment surgery. Things are starting to change for the better, but little does Simon know, he’s about to get humbled again…
In this quick little novel, Philip Roth demonstrates with brilliant brevity and urgency what one goes through, the inner struggle, when they suddenly lose everything they valued in life; job, family, self-esteem, etc. The author also tries to explore what it means for an older man to be in a relationship with a younger woman and how it affects not only them but also their families.
In short, it’s a book about how we let ourselves be defined more by the downs than by the ups in our lives. An amazing psychological character analysis that I can heartily recommend to anyone who’s interested in this type of story.
April 9, 2021
If you would have told me that this book was written by Phillip Roth, I would have told you that I was Queen Marie of Romania! Since we know I am not, then I will have to rethink this little 140 page story and exactly why Roth wrote it.
The main character is a famous actor who has suddenly lost his talent for some reason never explained. He ends up in a psychiatric hospital for a year and then retires to his country home to live out his life in misery. At age 64, he meets a 40 year old lesbian who decides to leave that life and she takes up romantically with him.. That's pretty much it......kinda'.
It is predictable and you see the ending coming a mile away. Roth has written some darned good books, but this is not one of them. Very disappointing.
The main character is a famous actor who has suddenly lost his talent for some reason never explained. He ends up in a psychiatric hospital for a year and then retires to his country home to live out his life in misery. At age 64, he meets a 40 year old lesbian who decides to leave that life and she takes up romantically with him.. That's pretty much it......kinda'.
It is predictable and you see the ending coming a mile away. Roth has written some darned good books, but this is not one of them. Very disappointing.
February 10, 2024
It’s never too late to start again. The Humbling is about a 65 year actor named Simon Axler, living in New York, who loses all self-esteem after a few poorly recieved stage plays, and has a breakdown. He then tries to get his life back in order.
There’s plenty of graphic, sexual descriptions, some gratifying, others disturbing. The story is surprisingly dark, and I wouldn’t call it a particularly joyful experience, although it was in no way difficult to get through.
This is the second book I’ve read by Roth, and despite not having a great reputation I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like DeLillo’s latest book, The Silence, it’s not groundbreaking in any way but I don’t care. They are both entertaining, occasionally amusing, reflective, have brilliant dialogue, and short enough to enjoy in a single sitting.
3.7/5
P.s. Al Pacino bought the rights, and made a movie in 2014. It’s not supposed to be very good but I’m curious to see it anyway.
There’s plenty of graphic, sexual descriptions, some gratifying, others disturbing. The story is surprisingly dark, and I wouldn’t call it a particularly joyful experience, although it was in no way difficult to get through.
This is the second book I’ve read by Roth, and despite not having a great reputation I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like DeLillo’s latest book, The Silence, it’s not groundbreaking in any way but I don’t care. They are both entertaining, occasionally amusing, reflective, have brilliant dialogue, and short enough to enjoy in a single sitting.
3.7/5
P.s. Al Pacino bought the rights, and made a movie in 2014. It’s not supposed to be very good but I’m curious to see it anyway.
November 15, 2018
2.5 Really. I didn't buy into the numerous veers that the plot takes, and felt that it would have functioned much better as a fully-fledged novel than as a VERY brief novella (btw, I hope I bought it remaindered: 30 bucks for the hardcover's 125 beautifully laid-out and therefore sparsely blackened pages!). We never get any kind of understanding of Pegeen, the female lead, for starters.
Otherwise, Roth's command of voice is still unparalleled, such that you can't help get sucked into the male lead's story, though there too it feels like a preliminary sketch to a painting, leaving me wanting much more—a Prospero whose revels now are ending, a Macbeth whose way of life has fallen into the sere, the yellow leaf, is a great proposition, I just feel like the book needed more pages to fulfill it.
David Schaafsma's excellent review contradicts what I have just said above, so cast a cold eye on my quick reaction, horseman, pass by:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have loved the other late Roth novellas that I have read. Just not this one--or, not enough.
Otherwise, Roth's command of voice is still unparalleled, such that you can't help get sucked into the male lead's story, though there too it feels like a preliminary sketch to a painting, leaving me wanting much more—a Prospero whose revels now are ending, a Macbeth whose way of life has fallen into the sere, the yellow leaf, is a great proposition, I just feel like the book needed more pages to fulfill it.
David Schaafsma's excellent review contradicts what I have just said above, so cast a cold eye on my quick reaction, horseman, pass by:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have loved the other late Roth novellas that I have read. Just not this one--or, not enough.
November 19, 2018
شخصیت اصلی رمان "حقارت" از فیلیپ راث یک بازیگر موفق تئاتر به نام سایمون اکسلر است. سایمون به ناگهان در می یابد در اجرای نقش بر روی
صحنه ناتوان و عاجز است و به یکباره آن چشمه جوشان غریزی اش را خشک شده می بیند. اتفاقی غیر قابل تصور و غیر منتظره برای اکسلر.
"تلخ ترین بخش مشکل این بود که عمق این فروپاشی درونی را به همان وضوحی می دید که عمق نحوه ی بازی کردنش را بر صحنه. رنجش جانکاه بود، و با این حال، او به حقیقی بودن رنجش شک داشت. مسئله ای که خودش قوز بالای قوز بود ... هر روز به این فکر می کرد که در اتاق زیر شیروانی با تفنگ خودش را بکشد و با همه ی این حال و احوال، به نظرش می آمد که کل ماجرا یک نمایش است، بازی ای بد در یک نمایش. وقتی نقش کسی را ایفا می کنید که وجودش شقه شقه شده، کار نظم و سیاق دارد، وقتی شاهد شقه شقه شدن وجود خودتان هستید، وقتی نقش مرگ و سقوط خودتان را بازی می کنید، قضیه فرق دارد، نقشی لبریز از رعب و وحشت ... همان طور که نتوانسته بود دیگران را متقاعد کند که پراسپرو یا مکبث است، نمی توانست به خودش بقبولاند که دیوانه شده است. حتی در این جایگاه نیز دیوانه ای تصنعی بود. تنها نقش ممکن برای او نقش کسی بود که نقش بازی می کرد. مردی عاقل در نقش مردی مجنون. مردی باثبات در نقش مردی در هم شکسته. مردی مسلط بر خود در نقش مردی عنان از کف داده."
حرف پایانی : امان از سانسور. هر چقدر جلوتر می روی، سانسور را بیشتر حس می کنی. سانسور در متن قابل تشخیص است متاسفانه.
صحنه ناتوان و عاجز است و به یکباره آن چشمه جوشان غریزی اش را خشک شده می بیند. اتفاقی غیر قابل تصور و غیر منتظره برای اکسلر.
"تلخ ترین بخش مشکل این بود که عمق این فروپاشی درونی را به همان وضوحی می دید که عمق نحوه ی بازی کردنش را بر صحنه. رنجش جانکاه بود، و با این حال، او به حقیقی بودن رنجش شک داشت. مسئله ای که خودش قوز بالای قوز بود ... هر روز به این فکر می کرد که در اتاق زیر شیروانی با تفنگ خودش را بکشد و با همه ی این حال و احوال، به نظرش می آمد که کل ماجرا یک نمایش است، بازی ای بد در یک نمایش. وقتی نقش کسی را ایفا می کنید که وجودش شقه شقه شده، کار نظم و سیاق دارد، وقتی شاهد شقه شقه شدن وجود خودتان هستید، وقتی نقش مرگ و سقوط خودتان را بازی می کنید، قضیه فرق دارد، نقشی لبریز از رعب و وحشت ... همان طور که نتوانسته بود دیگران را متقاعد کند که پراسپرو یا مکبث است، نمی توانست به خودش بقبولاند که دیوانه شده است. حتی در این جایگاه نیز دیوانه ای تصنعی بود. تنها نقش ممکن برای او نقش کسی بود که نقش بازی می کرد. مردی عاقل در نقش مردی مجنون. مردی باثبات در نقش مردی در هم شکسته. مردی مسلط بر خود در نقش مردی عنان از کف داده."
حرف پایانی : امان از سانسور. هر چقدر جلوتر می روی، سانسور را بیشتر حس می کنی. سانسور در متن قابل تشخیص است متاسفانه.
November 26, 2020
A bitter, restrained little tale of aging, madness, and betrayal. Gulped it down in one sitting.
May 29, 2021
Un Philip Roth mai putin efervescent, chiar resemnat şi înţelegãtor vis-a-vis de metehnele/neputinţele bãtrâneții.
In cele nici 200 de pagini am empatizat cu omul Axler, cel care simte cã şi-a pierdut farmecul şi pofta de viaţã, dar care are şansa unei dragoste târzii, a traiului în doi presãrat cu sex si picanterii erotice. Abia atunci când apare inexplicabilul abandon din partea iubitei (*o "junioarã" de numai 40 de ani) şi iarãsi încep zilele triste de unul singur, abia atunci începe sfârşitul. Pentru fiecare dintre noi.
In cele nici 200 de pagini am empatizat cu omul Axler, cel care simte cã şi-a pierdut farmecul şi pofta de viaţã, dar care are şansa unei dragoste târzii, a traiului în doi presãrat cu sex si picanterii erotice. Abia atunci când apare inexplicabilul abandon din partea iubitei (*o "junioarã" de numai 40 de ani) şi iarãsi încep zilele triste de unul singur, abia atunci începe sfârşitul. Pentru fiecare dintre noi.
September 17, 2014
-El fin de muchas cosas y en muchos sentidos.-
Género. Novela.
Lo que nos cuenta. Simon Axler es un maduro actor de teatro muy reconocido que siente haber perdido su don para la actuación y, lo que es más, cree que no estará a la altura de ningún papel ni sabrá cómo representarlo con profesionalidad. Axler se aisla cada vez más, piensa en el suicidio, su mujer le abandona y la ayuda profesional no parece estar funcionando.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Novela.
Lo que nos cuenta. Simon Axler es un maduro actor de teatro muy reconocido que siente haber perdido su don para la actuación y, lo que es más, cree que no estará a la altura de ningún papel ni sabrá cómo representarlo con profesionalidad. Axler se aisla cada vez más, piensa en el suicidio, su mujer le abandona y la ayuda profesional no parece estar funcionando.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
December 25, 2017
ماجراي زندگي بازيگر توانمندي كه به طور ناگهاني توانايي اجراي خود را از دست داده و درگير افكار مايوسانه و خودكشي مي شود
December 16, 2019
اولش خوب بود ولی هرچی رفت جلو آبکی تر ، قابل پیش بینی تر و بی محتوا تر شد
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