Herzog by Saul Bellow
Moses Herzog, a notable sufferer, joker, mourner, and charmer, is the subject of this tale. Herzog regards himself as a survivor, both of his personal tragedies and those of the era, despite the fact that his life is rapidly falling apart around him—he has failed as a writer and teacher, as a father, and has lost the affection of his wife to his best friends. He sends unsent letters to coworkers, enemies, and famous individuals, sharing his heart’s deepest secrets and his humorous view of the world.
Herzog by Saul Bellow
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In the book Herzog, a middle-aged man reflects on his life. He’s been in two unhappy unions. He is a professor that travels about a little. He ponders literature, history, and philosophy. He tries to interpret the situation. Tries. There isn’t much of a plot. It rambles. He does a lot of remembering and wandering off in his head, to the point that most of the time I have no idea where he is or what time it is. He consults with his daughter, lawyers, and friends. To thinkers, international leaders, and anybody else he can think of, he writes letters that he never sends. He thinks (a lot). He occasionally scans his surroundings, including the store, the graffiti, the cab on the way to the beach, and the train.
A portion of this book is historical fiction, setting scenes in 1940s Chicago that still exist today. The narrator, an ex-professor in his mid-thirties, looks back on these events from his youth while navigating love affairs, divorce, a custody dispute, and relationships with his supportive, prosperous brothers. Numerous letters Bellows sends to well-known authors, politicians, friends, foes, and acquaintances—none of which are ever mailed—display his slightly unstable mentality as well as his social and political ideas. These protect his seemingly failing mind, which is represented by a remote Berkshire house built for his first marriage but without a solid foundation and afterwards abandoned; it is still standing but slowly reverting to its natural state.
