Buy this book in yet another audacious spin on the doppelganger theme, roths dazzling, maddening and brilliant new novel offers two characters that bear his. Philip roth what if a lookalike stranger stole your name, usurped your biography, and went about the world pretending to be you. For legal reasons, i have had to alter a number of facts in this book. In operation shylock, master novelist philip roth confronts his double, an impostor whose selfappointed task is to lead the jews back to europe from israel. Time magazine best american novel 1993 in this fiendishly imaginative book which may or may not be fiction, philip roth meets a man who. I consider operation shylock to be the culmination of the ideas displayed in the counterlife and the facts.
The international standard book number isbn is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. In both cases, the palestinian subaltern is eliminated except as negative values and is seen as synonymous with everything fanatic, degraded and vicious. The protagonist narrator, the author philip roth, seems to be based on the author of the book itself. Time magazine best american novel 1993 in this fiendishly imaginative book which may or may not be fiction, philip roth meets a man who may or may not. A confession has 4 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. If you like the postmodern aspect of this book, i would give those two a try. Philip roth gifts the reader a supreme narrative with satirical humor and provocation, and a plot that plays with the idea of the author and his double inside.
Fein, who wrote, operation shylock, roth insists with a postmodern straight face, is a confession, not a novel, and he means for us to take this every bit as seriously as the contents labels demanded by the strictures of the food and drug administration. Suspenseful, hilarious, hugely impassioned, pulsing with intelligence and narrative energy, operation shylock is at once a spy story, a political thriller, a meditation on identity, and a confession. A confession 109 american fiction about the arab israeli conflict. A confession, an american jewish novelist called philip roth suffers a breakdown in 1988, probably as a result of using halcion, a sleeping pill. A devilish book, nervously exuding a kind of delirious brilliance like sweat at every pore, and.
A confession by roth, philip and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Operation shylock project gutenberg selfpublishing. In his extraordinary new book, his most ingenious and original work since. A confession, an american jewish novelist called philip roth suffers a breakdown in 1988, probably as. Operation shylock started what might just be the greatest series of amazing books by one author i can think of. A confession 1993 sabbaths theater 1995 american pastoral 1997 i married a communist 1998 the human stain 2000 so, like i tend to do with great writers, i back into their early greats. In march 1993, roth maintained the veracity of his novel to the new york times esther b. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 400 pages and is available in paperback format. Operation shylock is at once spy story, political thriller, meditation on identity and unfathomable journey through a volatile, frightening middleeast. Because someone with that name has been touring israel, promoting a bizarre reverse exodus of the jews. The fake philip roth becomes a monstrous nemesis to the real philip roth, who must take a frightening and mysterious journey through the volatile middle east.
The main characters of this fiction, novels story are. Operation shylock started what might just be the greatest series of great books by one author i can think of. Its protagonist is a fictionalized version of the author himself who travels to israel against the backdrop of the trial of accused war criminal john demjanjuk. A confession, an american jewish novelist called philip roth suffers a breakdown in 1988. Operation shylock is a rare work of fiction that seems to build up throughout the book and doesnt start off too great, remain bland, or only have good patches ie, delillo underworlds beginning, updikes predictability, or beloveds good patches. A confession is novelist philip roths 19th book and was published in 1993.
That book was published in america in 1972, and it was a sensation, critically and commercially, william kennedy famously calling it, with unalbanyish zeal, the first piece of literature since the book of genesis that should be required. A confession isbn 0671703765 is novelist philip roths 19th book and was published in 1993. A confession im looking at myself, he said, ecstatically, except its you. Operation shylock by philip roth the 1703rd greatest. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most. A confession summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching operation shylock. Narrating the palestinian in philip roths operation shylock. A confession isbn 0 671 70376 5 is novelist philip roth s 19th book and was published in 1993. Roth is intent on stopping him, even if that means impersonating. Mar 07, 1993 in philip roths new novel, operation shylock. Operation shylock barrels across the frontier between fact and fiction, seriousness and high comedy, history and nightmare. Complete summary of philip roths operation shylock. A confession 1993 is a loosely autobiographical work of postmodern fiction by american author philip roth.
The difficulty of identifying a perpetrator from the holocaust in order to achieve justice for victims of the holocaust, the deceased as well as the survivors, is the paradigm for philip roths examination of the perplexing nature of truth in the 1993 novel operation shylock. A confession constitute facts remains as problematic as the credibility of the facts 1988, an ostensibly guileless memoir that roth. The novel follows narrator philip roth on a journey to israel where he attends the trial of accused war criminal john demjanjuk. Fein, who wrote, operation shylock, roth insists with a postmodern straight face, is a confession, not a novel, and he means for us to take this every bit as seriously as the contents labels demanded by the strictures of the food and drug. The first edition of the novel was published in 1993, and was written by philip roth. This master novelist has never been more demonically brilliant than in the recreation of his frightening and mysterious journey through the. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Operation shylock by philip roth, 9780099307914, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Philip roths very literary novels, most famously portnoys complaint, have always had the feel of confessional autobiography. Time magazine best american novel 1993 in this fiendishly imaginative book which may or may not be fiction, philip roth meets a man who may or may not be philip roth. Operation shylock tells the story of an american jew author, philip roth, who hears that someone has been using his name in israel to promote the ideology of diasporism, that the european jews of israel should return to their homelands in europe. What if a lookalike stranger stole your name, usurped your biog. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading operation shylock. A confession book by philip roth a confession 719dc5 what if a look alike stranger stole your name, usurped your biography, and went about the world pretending to be you in operation shylock, master novelist philip roth confronts his double, an impostor whose self appointed task is to lead the. When requested to choose an exemplary passage from his work for a new york public library commonplace book, philip roth came up with this, from zuckerman unbound 1981. Operation shylock pdf download full pdf read book page. Buy this book in yet another audacious spin on the doppelganger theme, roths dazzling, maddening and brilliant new.
Time magazine a devilish book, nervously exuding a kind of delirious brilliance like sweat at every pore, and madly comic. The whole content of my being shrieks in contradiction against itself. A confession 1993 sabbaths theater 1995 american pastoral 1997 i married a communist 1998 the human stain 2000. A confession many years ago, i can easily remember having thoroughly enjoyed this brilliant novel with its autobiographical or confessional touches. This detailed study guide includes chapter summaries and analysis, important themes, significant quotes, and more everything you need to ace your essay or test on operation shylock. So jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. The book is pretty dense at times in politics and religion, so a background in both would be useful, but even without it operation shylock is a good and thoughtprovoking read. Operation shylock barrels across the frontier between fact and fiction. If you can only read one book on that ny times list, i would recommend this one. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read operation shylock. Though shylock may be my pick for the funniest of his novels, counterlife may be his most complex. A confession this is where the late, great roth run began.