XV: Bellow: Humboldt’s Gift

Disclaimer: I fully admit that this post is the direct result of my desire to procrastinate.

I really didn’t know anything about Saul Bellow when I started reading the novel (which, by the way, I never finished. Time constraints, paper due. You know the drill.) but I was really surprised at how much I loved his prose style. Reminds me a little of James Joyce in that randomly ranting sort of way, but it was a little more direct and rational than the stream-of-consciousness alternative. And he’s funny, too, so I guess he’s really nothing like Joyce in the end.

Humboldt’s Gift is really meant to be a roman à clef, a story whose plot and characters so closely mirror real life that it can be taken as a direct parallel to true events. Bellow utilizes this clever device as a means to explain (apologize for?) his relationship with his deceased former mentor, literary giant and social eccentric Delmore Shwartz, who died an abject failure in the academic community–which is exactly what happens in the book, except a few of the names have been substituted. Ultimately, the celebrated protege realizes that he has sold out his artistic integrity to be a commercial success, while his friend emerges as the tragic hero. More than anything, though, the novel provides interesting insight into the author’s struggle with his Jewish identity as an American intellectual, as well as the (secularized) Jewish experience in general.

My favorite part: Bellow references everything from Marx to Whitman to 007, from scripture to Tiberius to Dostoevsky to The Godfather— which not only betrays the level of his education, but also gives some serious pointers about his political, philosophical, and social convictions. Forgive the metaphor, but think Gilmore Girls’ rapid-fire references with an IQ of 180. Actually, that’s exactly what it’s like and, not gonna lie, I was pretty proud of myself for catching the majority of his obscure quotes =)

Read it, but with a have a dictionary (or Google) on standby.