⇒ Descargar Humboldt Gift Classic 20thCentury Penguin Saul Bellow 9780140189445 Books

Humboldt Gift Classic 20thCentury Penguin Saul Bellow 9780140189445 Books

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Humboldt Gift Classic 20thCentury Penguin Saul Bellow 9780140189445 Books

To paraphrase John Cheever’s view of this work, “I think it a work of genius…” The 1976 Pulitzer winner for fiction and Saul Bellow’s best work (my opinion of course), “Humboldt’s Gift” is a literary masterpiece. Straddling the line between powerful introspective spiritual philosophy and the oftentimes quirky inner-workings of our protagonist, the profoundly intellectual Charlie Citrine, we’re provided with scores of some of the most intelligent, transcendental and self-deprecating writing of the modern era. Bellow’s ability to capture Citrine’s book-long attempts at higher consciousness (Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy being his goal, the ability to reach and maintain an otherworldly spiritual state by the use of highly disciplined mental faculties and thinking) and the in-depth cataloging of Citrine’s metaphysical excursions along with his adventures with communicating spiritually with the dead give us a character unlike any presented in great literature before.

As suggested, Charlie Citrine is this high browed intellect who bumbles along throughout…he starts out by leaving Appleton, Wisconsin as a young man in the search of mentoring from his literary and artistic hero, poet Von Humboldt Fleisher. Finding and latching on to him in New Jersey, Humboldt takes an instant liking to the young intellect and, in turn, takes him under his wing. Spouting continual and verbose celestial incantations about art, literature and history, Citrine becomes a sponge and partner, tantalizing Humboldt with a patient ear while also presenting an intelligent challenger.

Soon Citrine is off on his own, publishing books and writing screenplays. He reaches his zenith with a play, “Von Trenck” that becomes widely popular but, for reasons deep inside Humboldt, he’s seen as a traitor suddenly to the arts and intellect by the poet. Never reconnecting, Humboldt deteriorates to a street person in New York where Citrine views him briefly soon before he (Humboldt) dies ignominiously in a flophouse. The guilt Charlie suffers becomes the backbone for the book.

Mixing Citrine’s chaotic present life (a divorce that is breaking him, a very young mistress, a number of entrepreneurial failures involving quaky friends and the constant attention of a Mafioso who Charlie develops a love/hate relationship) with his attempts to find peace, order and this spiritual uplifting, Bellow is masterful at guiding us through the story with amazing literary grace. This work flows from serious cognitive thought into the often very humorous adventures of our guy and his tangential characters, making what could be a very workmanlike and boring book a pleasure to read. The work that the reader puts into this is well worth it...reaching the “gift” provides a very satisfying and happy ending.

At 500 pages, “Humboldt’s Gift” is a definite commitment for the reader…the philosophical discursions may be a tad much for some but the aggregate total of this wonderful book is truly uplifting. I found it both inspiring and informing and any reader, I’m sure, will see why Saul Bellow has been cemented as one of our finest novelists should they undertake it.


Tags : Humboldt's Gift (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) [Saul Bellow] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Charlie Citrine, suffering from steadily worsening troubles with women, career, and life, receives unexpected aid in the form of a belated bequest from his onetime friend and mentor,Saul Bellow,Humboldt's Gift (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin),Penguin Classics,0140189440,Literary,Friendship - Fiction.,Friendship;Fiction.,Poets - Fiction.,Poets;Fiction.,Bellow, Saul - Prose & Criticism,Biographical fiction,Classic fiction,Classic fiction (pre c 1945),Classics,Fiction,Fiction Classics,Fiction Literary,Friendship,General & Literary Fiction,Literature - Classics Criticism,Literature: Classics,Modern & contemporary fiction,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Modern fiction,Poets

Humboldt Gift Classic 20thCentury Penguin Saul Bellow 9780140189445 Books Reviews

This novel won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The author was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature the same year. In reference to some of the other reviews, I would note that readers need to decide whether they want to read literature or to read brain candy. This novel is literature and requires some amount of concentrated thought. The author digresses and backtracks to fill in details of various characters. He also has a tendency to philosophize. It is past page 300 before you actually get to Humboldt's Gift. It took some effort to get into the novel but, once involved, it was worth the effort. Some parts are more interesting than others, especially the parts set in Chicago.
Charlie Citrine is a writer who is at a crisis point in his life. His ex-wife is trying to strip him of everything he has. He is in trouble with the IRS over past tax returns. Investments have gone bad. He is threatened by a hoodlum, who really wants Charlie to help his wife on a PhD dissertation. He is having some conflicts with his girlfriend. He is almost out of funds, but everyone thinks he is rich.
Charlie had been the protege of the poet Von Humboldt Fleisher. Humboldt had early success, than went downhill. He could be compared to Vincent Van Gogh, i.e., people were not buying his work; he was considered psychotic; and he died in poverty; but is now well regarded after his death. He was not as crazy as people thought, and he leaves a surprising legacy.
The novel is a story of Charlie turning his life around, and rebounding to new found fame. He has help from Humboldt from beyond the grave.
I enjoyed reading this 41 year old novel wondering why I had never read Bellow before. In my younger days my novel reading was voracious. Bellow was probably always on my list but I never got around to reading his works unless perhaps a short story in Harpers Magazine or such other periodical.

The story is not what makes this book. It is the discussions that are carried on between the protagonist and several eccentric characters that are either his friends or those who have insinuated themselves upon him. Charlie is ripe for destruction and as the end of the book approached I thought he may descend into sort of a psychotic mysticism. He did not.

The title character von Humboldt was a poete maudit that befriended Charlie some 20 years earlier during their Princeton days. Humboldt’s gift appears as his talents. His writing brought him many accolades and personal connections. He was a candle burning brightly and psychosis led to alcoholism and he died youngish from his illness with the added fuel of gin.

Humboldt’s mother named him from a statue she liked in Central Park. The statue was a tribute to the great 19th century naturalist, one know one seems to know today. Bellows it seems to me, used that as a bit of irony.

Charlie himself had a distinguished career as a writer and historian but at the time of the book he is in his later fifties and sans solid ideas for new material. He was emotionally and financially manipulated by a girlfriend and nearly broke.

He also was haunted by a small time gangster seeking to parasitically earn money by getting a stake in Charlie’s future earnings. There were other characters and they all stimulated Charlie’s intellectual imagination even if he did not want that.

It seems that years earlier while students, Humboldt and Charlie wrote a screenplay that was never published. Suddenly it was a hit movie. From whence the Hollywood producers came upon the script was not clear but it provided Charlie with some legal blackmail with which to usurp a significant sum for a settlement. His financial situation vastly improved, he shared his profits with Humboldt’s uncle and re-buried Humboldt next to his mother. Charlie was at least partially redeemed by this last act.
To paraphrase John Cheever’s view of this work, “I think it a work of genius…” The 1976 Pulitzer winner for fiction and Saul Bellow’s best work (my opinion of course), “Humboldt’s Gift” is a literary masterpiece. Straddling the line between powerful introspective spiritual philosophy and the oftentimes quirky inner-workings of our protagonist, the profoundly intellectual Charlie Citrine, we’re provided with scores of some of the most intelligent, transcendental and self-deprecating writing of the modern era. Bellow’s ability to capture Citrine’s book-long attempts at higher consciousness (Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy being his goal, the ability to reach and maintain an otherworldly spiritual state by the use of highly disciplined mental faculties and thinking) and the in-depth cataloging of Citrine’s metaphysical excursions along with his adventures with communicating spiritually with the dead give us a character unlike any presented in great literature before.

As suggested, Charlie Citrine is this high browed intellect who bumbles along throughout…he starts out by leaving Appleton, Wisconsin as a young man in the search of mentoring from his literary and artistic hero, poet Von Humboldt Fleisher. Finding and latching on to him in New Jersey, Humboldt takes an instant liking to the young intellect and, in turn, takes him under his wing. Spouting continual and verbose celestial incantations about art, literature and history, Citrine becomes a sponge and partner, tantalizing Humboldt with a patient ear while also presenting an intelligent challenger.

Soon Citrine is off on his own, publishing books and writing screenplays. He reaches his zenith with a play, “Von Trenck” that becomes widely popular but, for reasons deep inside Humboldt, he’s seen as a traitor suddenly to the arts and intellect by the poet. Never reconnecting, Humboldt deteriorates to a street person in New York where Citrine views him briefly soon before he (Humboldt) dies ignominiously in a flophouse. The guilt Charlie suffers becomes the backbone for the book.

Mixing Citrine’s chaotic present life (a divorce that is breaking him, a very young mistress, a number of entrepreneurial failures involving quaky friends and the constant attention of a Mafioso who Charlie develops a love/hate relationship) with his attempts to find peace, order and this spiritual uplifting, Bellow is masterful at guiding us through the story with amazing literary grace. This work flows from serious cognitive thought into the often very humorous adventures of our guy and his tangential characters, making what could be a very workmanlike and boring book a pleasure to read. The work that the reader puts into this is well worth it...reaching the “gift” provides a very satisfying and happy ending.

At 500 pages, “Humboldt’s Gift” is a definite commitment for the reader…the philosophical discursions may be a tad much for some but the aggregate total of this wonderful book is truly uplifting. I found it both inspiring and informing and any reader, I’m sure, will see why Saul Bellow has been cemented as one of our finest novelists should they undertake it.