Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Penguin Classics (1996), Paperback, 272 pages
Description
In this unique noir masterpiece by the incomparable Saul Bellow, a young man is sucked into the mysterious, heat-filled vortex of New York City. Asa Leventhal, a temporary bachelor with his wife away on a visit to her mother, attempts to find relief from a Gotham heat wave only to be accosted in the park by a down-at-the-heels stranger who accuses Leventhal of ruining his life. Unable to shake the stranger, Leventhal is led by his own self-doubts and suspicions into a nightmare of paranoia and fear.
User reviews
LibraryThing member baswood
"Its bad to be less than human and it's bad to be more than human"
Says Shlossberg the oldest of a group of Jewish men who have been talking about the merits of current actresses (1947), but it could equally be applied to Asa Leventhal the hero of this story. Asa has come across this group of
The novel is based in New York City it's hot and muggy and Asa Leventhal is alone in his apartment while his wife is visiting her parents in the South to help with a family problem. He works as a copy editor for a trade magazine: a job that he doesn't particularly like but is glad to have. The oppressive weather lies heavy on his big frame and his nerves come under pressure from two events with which throw him into turmoil. His bothers wife telephones, panicking about her sick child (his brother is away looking for work) and he is accosted by Kirby Albee in the street who bears him some sort of grudge. Asa is struggling a little without his wife and is now plunged into issues with which he is ill-equipped to solve, being a touchy individual who can rub people up the wrong way.
The centre of the story is his relationship with Kirby Albee an acquaintance from his past who blames Asa for an incident that led to the loss of his job and subsequently the loss of his wife. Albee has sunk low in the world, but is clever and manipulative and is now drinking heavily. His persistence causes Asa to question his role in the incident and when he seeks advice from a couple of his friends they also add doubt to Asa's own views that he was not to blame. One thing is clear Asa dislikes Albee and fears he is being used, but cannot shrug off a feeling that he may have behaved badly. Few people go through their lives certain that they have always acted for the best, most of us have worries that our actions have caused distress or worse to others and the Victim plays on those fears, what happens if an incident from the past rears up to threaten the future, what happens if we are held to account. The answer mostly is that things are not black or white, but the fear and anxiety caused by a recurring incident can destroy our well being and Asa in this novel is particularly vulnerable.
Asa knows that Albee is anti-Semitic from a previous argument, but now suspects that others that know him may also be suspicious of him, because he is a Jew. He cannot understand why they are not more sympathetic to his plight, similarly he believes he is not being helped by his Jewish circle of friends, there is talk of black lists and his paranoia threatens to tip him over the edge particularly when he is brow beaten into letting Albee stay in his apartment. Bellow is particularly good at creating a hot-house atmosphere that swirls claustrophobically around Asa and his descriptions of an overheated New York City bear down on his unfortunate central character.
The relationship between Asa and Albee crackles with tension and often leads to verbal and physical violence. Asa's sense of family duty, where he does not always understand the undercurrents that make up relationships can make him seem unsympathetic at times, but he is a man who does his best while trying to keep several balls in the air at the same time. Bellow's dialogue is tough and gritty. without resorting to wisecracks or the language of the street. A chapter where the Jewish circle of friends discuss the merits of various showgirls with the knowledge of impresarios is a tour de force and when a joke is made as they are planning to leave the cafeteria, it is Leventhal who thinks it is aimed at him. Bellow ends the chapter with an arresting image of the friends going up to pay:
'The musical crash of the check machine filled their ears as they waited their turn at the cashier's dazzling cage'
Business in New York City just after the second world war, called for men to work hard and sweat to keep their jobs and there were casualties. Knowing how to bend with the boss was how many people kept their head above water, Leventhal struggles with this concept his natural pride and idea of how he should be doing things gets in his way and setbacks lead to a certain amount of paranoia. Bellow captures this strikingly. This is an absorbing read, encapsulating a time and a place to great effect. 4 stars.
Says Shlossberg the oldest of a group of Jewish men who have been talking about the merits of current actresses (1947), but it could equally be applied to Asa Leventhal the hero of this story. Asa has come across this group of
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friends and acquaintances in a cafeteria and has gotten involved in the conversation while looking for an opportunity to "do something" for his unwelcome house guest Kirby Albee. The novel is based in New York City it's hot and muggy and Asa Leventhal is alone in his apartment while his wife is visiting her parents in the South to help with a family problem. He works as a copy editor for a trade magazine: a job that he doesn't particularly like but is glad to have. The oppressive weather lies heavy on his big frame and his nerves come under pressure from two events with which throw him into turmoil. His bothers wife telephones, panicking about her sick child (his brother is away looking for work) and he is accosted by Kirby Albee in the street who bears him some sort of grudge. Asa is struggling a little without his wife and is now plunged into issues with which he is ill-equipped to solve, being a touchy individual who can rub people up the wrong way.
The centre of the story is his relationship with Kirby Albee an acquaintance from his past who blames Asa for an incident that led to the loss of his job and subsequently the loss of his wife. Albee has sunk low in the world, but is clever and manipulative and is now drinking heavily. His persistence causes Asa to question his role in the incident and when he seeks advice from a couple of his friends they also add doubt to Asa's own views that he was not to blame. One thing is clear Asa dislikes Albee and fears he is being used, but cannot shrug off a feeling that he may have behaved badly. Few people go through their lives certain that they have always acted for the best, most of us have worries that our actions have caused distress or worse to others and the Victim plays on those fears, what happens if an incident from the past rears up to threaten the future, what happens if we are held to account. The answer mostly is that things are not black or white, but the fear and anxiety caused by a recurring incident can destroy our well being and Asa in this novel is particularly vulnerable.
Asa knows that Albee is anti-Semitic from a previous argument, but now suspects that others that know him may also be suspicious of him, because he is a Jew. He cannot understand why they are not more sympathetic to his plight, similarly he believes he is not being helped by his Jewish circle of friends, there is talk of black lists and his paranoia threatens to tip him over the edge particularly when he is brow beaten into letting Albee stay in his apartment. Bellow is particularly good at creating a hot-house atmosphere that swirls claustrophobically around Asa and his descriptions of an overheated New York City bear down on his unfortunate central character.
The relationship between Asa and Albee crackles with tension and often leads to verbal and physical violence. Asa's sense of family duty, where he does not always understand the undercurrents that make up relationships can make him seem unsympathetic at times, but he is a man who does his best while trying to keep several balls in the air at the same time. Bellow's dialogue is tough and gritty. without resorting to wisecracks or the language of the street. A chapter where the Jewish circle of friends discuss the merits of various showgirls with the knowledge of impresarios is a tour de force and when a joke is made as they are planning to leave the cafeteria, it is Leventhal who thinks it is aimed at him. Bellow ends the chapter with an arresting image of the friends going up to pay:
'The musical crash of the check machine filled their ears as they waited their turn at the cashier's dazzling cage'
Business in New York City just after the second world war, called for men to work hard and sweat to keep their jobs and there were casualties. Knowing how to bend with the boss was how many people kept their head above water, Leventhal struggles with this concept his natural pride and idea of how he should be doing things gets in his way and setbacks lead to a certain amount of paranoia. Bellow captures this strikingly. This is an absorbing read, encapsulating a time and a place to great effect. 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member A.J.B.
The Victim is mind-blowingly well-written; and the characters and events therein are described so succinctly, with hyper-realism. The character development, exploration of defense mechanisms and psychology is practically unique. However, the story itself, that is the events which transpire, are
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only moderately interesting. I certainly enjoyed this page-turner. Show Less
LibraryThing member CBJames
The Victim by Saul Bellow is the story of Asa Leventhal, left on his own by his wife who is visiting family out of town. Leventhal is at loose ends until he bumps into a former acquaintance Kirby Allbee whom he does not recognize at first. Allbee is down on his luck, drinking suspects Leventhal who
So he latches on to Leventhal. Leventhal feels guilty for what has happened, or rather he feels that others may have a low opinion of him because of it, and that if he can help Allbee their opinion of him may improve. Leventhal is continually motivated not by what he thinks is right but by what he believes others will think of him. Allbee soon becomes the guest who wouldn't leave, showing up at all hours, asking for increasingly intrusive favors from Leventhal, eventually moving into his apartment. Allbee is never grateful for Leventhall's help, he continues to blame him and to suggest that there is a Jewish conspiracy against him. How long Leventhall will put up with Allbee and how far Allbee will go are what make up the conflict of The Victim.
Just who is the victim here Allbee or Leventhal? At what point do their roles reverse? This is an interesting conflict up to a point. I soon found myself having a very hard time with Leventhal and with the book itself. It is a bit of a period piece, and one supposes people may have willingly let near strangers move into their New York apartments in 1947, but who would put up with a "charity case" that insults their race openly? 1947 was a different time, true, maybe people were used to that sort of thing then, but I would have kicked Allbee to the curb by page 150, while Leventhal does not stand up to him until 100 pages later.
The Victim is very well written, this is my first exposure to Saul Bellow--I think I'll be back for more, and it is an interesting window into the Jewish community of the 1940's. But I found the novel frustrating and surprisingly difficult going much of the time. So I'm giving it only three out of five stars.
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is unsympathetic. Allbee confronts Leventhal, blames him for his ill fortune because he once got Leventhal a job interview only to find out that Leventhal insulted his boss rather publicly. Allbee was fired soon-after and still holds Leventhal to blame for what followed; Allbee lost his wife and has not been able to find a decent job since. He is at the end of his money with on where to turn.So he latches on to Leventhal. Leventhal feels guilty for what has happened, or rather he feels that others may have a low opinion of him because of it, and that if he can help Allbee their opinion of him may improve. Leventhal is continually motivated not by what he thinks is right but by what he believes others will think of him. Allbee soon becomes the guest who wouldn't leave, showing up at all hours, asking for increasingly intrusive favors from Leventhal, eventually moving into his apartment. Allbee is never grateful for Leventhall's help, he continues to blame him and to suggest that there is a Jewish conspiracy against him. How long Leventhall will put up with Allbee and how far Allbee will go are what make up the conflict of The Victim.
Just who is the victim here Allbee or Leventhal? At what point do their roles reverse? This is an interesting conflict up to a point. I soon found myself having a very hard time with Leventhal and with the book itself. It is a bit of a period piece, and one supposes people may have willingly let near strangers move into their New York apartments in 1947, but who would put up with a "charity case" that insults their race openly? 1947 was a different time, true, maybe people were used to that sort of thing then, but I would have kicked Allbee to the curb by page 150, while Leventhal does not stand up to him until 100 pages later.
The Victim is very well written, this is my first exposure to Saul Bellow--I think I'll be back for more, and it is an interesting window into the Jewish community of the 1940's. But I found the novel frustrating and surprisingly difficult going much of the time. So I'm giving it only three out of five stars.
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LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
A profoundly disappointing book. I don't even feel enough to vent about it - just apathetic, willing to let it fade out of memory.
LibraryThing member jeffome
St. Barts 2018 #9 - A rather bizarre book to end up my vacation reading for this year. Lots of Jewish cultural thinking here, some of which is bigoted against that thinking. A very weird scenario where our leading man Asa Leventhal is a minor crank in the machinery of a trade magazine in NYC and
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inadvertently, creates tension at a job interview that results in someone else losing their job, and ultimately their whole existence.....at least that is what is proposed to Leventhal, and the absurd notion that he is obligated to make it right....how, we don't know. Leventhal, while innocent of any negative intention, and initially unwilling to take this accusation seriously, eventually buys into his accused role and the accuser sort of takes over his life......and it must be some underlying insecurity that never allows him to say what really needs to be said, and end this ridiculous, destructive force in his life....thus, he becomes the victim of the initial victim. The philosophical ramblings lost me several times, and while the protagonist Allbee is very unpleasant, frankly i felt similarly about Leventhal.....none of these people would ever stay more than a few minutes in my life.....so this was hard to get through......i just could not care for these people the way i wanted to......leaving me to wonder what it really is all about.....and i continue to think such.....which is why it is 2 1/2 stars and not just 2. Proceed with caution on this. I will now read other reviews and see if i've once again completely missed the boat.... Show Less
LibraryThing member jonfaith
Yet another literary plot which would've been nullified by the existence of air conditioning.
Bellow's muscular rpose was as strident as ever. My wife read this a few years ago and pointed out how Edward Albee's Zoo Story has a similar plot device: oh, the antagonist is also named Allbee in Bellow's
Bellow's muscular rpose was as strident as ever. My wife read this a few years ago and pointed out how Edward Albee's Zoo Story has a similar plot device: oh, the antagonist is also named Allbee in Bellow's
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novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member kylekatz
1947. Asa Leventhal lives on Irving Place with his wife and works as an editor of a trade magazine. His wife is visiting her mother and it's a very hot summer. Asa goes to the park and runs into someone he vaguely knows, who starts accusing him of intentionally ruining his life. Asa's self-doubt
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and paranoia allow him to be drawn into this grifter's tissue of lies and manipulation. Wasn't sure if Asa was the victim or if the other guy was ultimately. Beautiful scenes of New York and the Staten Island Ferry. Show Less
LibraryThing member stravinsky
a little flat
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
This is Bellow's second novel, so a very early work for him. Asa Leventhal is alone for the summer, his wife having gone to help her mother move. Walking through the neighborhood one evening, Asa is accosted by an old acquaintance, Kirby Albee, who is drunk. Kirby accuses Asa of having caused him
While all this is going on, Asa must also help out with his absent brother's wife and her very ill son. He also is trying to figure out, contacting others from his past, whether he really had played any part in Kirby's being fired from his job.
In the introduction, the book is described as "a parable in the guise of a middle-European realist novel." At the time he was writing it, details of the Holocaust were just becoming known to the world. Bellow has said that the theme of the book is guilt and it is somewhat about anti-semitism. There is a definite play about the ambiguity over who is the victim--Asa or Kirby? In fact they victimize each other.
I found the style of writing very distancing from the characters. I could never work myself up to sympathize with any of the characters. The writing beautifully portrayed life in post-WW II New York City--the heat of the summer, the crowds, the grittiness, and I enjoyed reading about what life was like in the city then. But it was never a book that called to me because I was enjoying it so much or because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. So, mildly recommended.
3 stars
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to be fired from his job several years previously. Over the next six weeks or so Kirby becomes increasingly more aggressive in his attacks on Asa, many of which Asa interprets as anti-semitic. While all this is going on, Asa must also help out with his absent brother's wife and her very ill son. He also is trying to figure out, contacting others from his past, whether he really had played any part in Kirby's being fired from his job.
In the introduction, the book is described as "a parable in the guise of a middle-European realist novel." At the time he was writing it, details of the Holocaust were just becoming known to the world. Bellow has said that the theme of the book is guilt and it is somewhat about anti-semitism. There is a definite play about the ambiguity over who is the victim--Asa or Kirby? In fact they victimize each other.
I found the style of writing very distancing from the characters. I could never work myself up to sympathize with any of the characters. The writing beautifully portrayed life in post-WW II New York City--the heat of the summer, the crowds, the grittiness, and I enjoyed reading about what life was like in the city then. But it was never a book that called to me because I was enjoying it so much or because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. So, mildly recommended.
3 stars
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Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1947
Physical description
272 p.; 8.06 inches
ISBN
0140189386 / 9780140189384