by Saul Bellow
First published 1984
Charlie Citrine receives word that his former mentor Humboldt has died alone in a rundown New York hotel room. The brilliant poet who once seemed destined for greatness has ended up a failure, forgotten and penniless. Charlie, now a successful writer himself, finds himself wrestling with what Humboldt's tragic end means for his own career and choices. As Charlie navigates the complications that come with literary success in America, he cannot escape the shadow of his dead friend's unfulfilled promise. The contrast between his own prosperity and Humboldt's ruin forces Charlie to examine whether success and failure in the writing life are as clear cut as they appear. Bellow explores the costs of artistic ambition through Charlie's reckoning with both his achievements and his losses.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, biographical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, contrast, rags-to-riches
Setting: New York
Period: 20th Century
487 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books