Herzog

Rating:
Summary: Feel the potato love.
Review: "Herzog" is the story of a man with a wide perspective of world history contemplating the absurdities of the twentieth century, not the least of which is his own life. Moses Herzog has the background for it: a middle-aged professor whose field of study is the theory of history sprinkled with bits of philosophy. He is a profound thinker but an ineffectual doer, and part of his discontent is that he knows this, but could not live any other way.

Like his author, Herzog was born in Canada and moved to Chicago as a young boy, his Jewish upbringing defining his earliest world views. Although their father was a bootlegger, the Herzog brothers became honest and successful businessmen, except for Moses, who struggles to remain gainfully employed living in New York, teaching occasional adult workshops, and trying to write an academic book on Romanticism, his specialty.

Both of Herzog's marriages have ended in divorce. His latter wife, Madeleine, had been having an affair with his crippled (and married) best friend, Valentine Gersbach. She is presently living in Chicago with him and her and Herzog's daughter, June, who Herzog fears is being abused. Herzog's awkwardness with the modern, active world is demonstrated when his trip to Chicago in a furtive attempt to see his daughter ends in a dangerous situation and an embarrassing confrontation with Madeleine.

Since Herzog is a man of words and not action, he expresses his feelings and beliefs by writing impromptu letters which he never sends. This is just as well, since his addressees would be indifferent, hostile, unavailable, or are dead. Various relatives, girlfriends, colleagues, civic authorities, and icons like Eisenhower, Martin Luther King, and Nietzsche are the unknowing recipients of his observations, perceptions, complaints, and rhetorical questions. These letters are not just missives of passive aggression; they are the silent manifestos of a man who has no appropriate public forum for expressing his opinions.

The novel is spiced (or spiked) with many of Herzog's acquaintances, including his new girlfriend, a sexy, sultry Argentine florist named Ramona; Sono, the Japanese student he had an affair with; his pathetic, melodramatic lawyer friend Sandor Himmelstein, whose disrespectful daughters are "killing" him; Lucas Asphalter, a zoologist who tried to resuscitate a dead monkey; and his psychiatrist Dr. Edvig. More than just interesting supporting characters, these people are contributors to Herzog's state of mind.

Moses Herzog seems to typify Bellow's brand of American Jewish intellectual, a person with a keen eye for human suffering (witness his casual interest in the sad courtroom cases he spectates) and an instinct for survival in spite of all his faults. His relationship with Ramona assures him that life goes on, even through all the chaos and disillusion of being a learned person trapped in the wasteland of American culture. He will go on writing his letters, and the country will continue to embrace those who reject intellect and express "potato love."

Rating:
Summary: Feel the potato love.
Review: "Herzog" is the story of a man with a wide perspective of world history contemplating the absurdities of the twentieth century, not the least of which is his own life. Moses Herzog has the background for it: a middle-aged professor whose field of study is the theory of history sprinkled with bits of philosophy. He is a profound thinker but an ineffectual doer, and part of his discontent is that he knows this, but could not live any other way.

Like his author, Herzog was born in Canada and moved to Chicago as a young boy, his Jewish upbringing defining his earliest world views. Although their father was a bootlegger, the Herzog brothers became honest and successful businessmen, except for Moses, who struggles to remain gainfully employed living in New York, teaching occasional adult workshops, and trying to write an academic book on Romanticism, his specialty.

Both of Herzog's marriages have ended in divorce. His latter wife, Madeleine, had been having an affair with his crippled (and married) best friend, Valentine Gersbach. She is presently living in Chicago with him and her and Herzog's daughter, June, who Herzog fears is being abused. Herzog's awkwardness with the modern, active world is demonstrated when his trip to Chicago in a furtive attempt to see his daughter ends in a dangerous situation and an embarrassing confrontation with Madeleine.

Since Herzog is a man of words and not action, he expresses his feelings and beliefs by writing impromptu letters which he never sends. This is just as well, since his addressees would be indifferent, hostile, unavailable, or are dead. Various relatives, girlfriends, colleagues, civic authorities, and icons like Eisenhower, Martin Luther King, and Nietzsche are the unknowing recipients of his observations, perceptions, complaints, and rhetorical questions. These letters are not just missives of passive aggression; they are the silent manifestos of a man who has no appropriate public forum for expressing his opinions.

The novel is spiced (or spiked) with many of Herzog's acquaintances, including his new girlfriend, a sexy, sultry Argentine florist named Ramona; Sono, the Japanese student he had an affair with; his pathetic, melodramatic lawyer friend Sandor Himmelstein, whose disrespectful daughters are "killing" him; Lucas Asphalter, a zoologist who tried to resuscitate a dead monkey; and his psychiatrist Dr. Edvig. More than just interesting supporting characters, these people are contributors to Herzog's state of mind.

Moses Herzog seems to typify Bellow's brand of American Jewish intellectual, a person with a keen eye for human suffering (witness his casual interest in the sad courtroom cases he spectates) and an instinct for survival in spite of all his faults. His relationship with Ramona assures him that life goes on, even through all the chaos and disillusion of being a learned person trapped in the wasteland of American culture. He will go on writing his letters, and the country will continue to embrace those who reject intellect and express "potato love."

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Although the book begins as distressing and actually will darken your mood while you read it, that just proves that Bellow is amazingly able to develop a hero of sorts in Moses Herzog, one that the reader may connect with, however super- intellectual Mr. Herzog may be. The book is a masterpiece of what goes on in the insecure human mind but is never allowed to escape, and of how humanity may overcome the shallacking of difficulties mounted on it by life's troubles. Includes the best ending of a book that I can remember.

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable
Review: As is obvious from other reviews, this book is not for everyone. I found Herzog to be at once both both a lovable and despicable, comedic and tragic character; in other words, truly human. The book is full of long diatribes on subjects that most book-of-the-month selections would not dare tackle in such depth, such as intellectualism, philosophical theory, the individual vs. society, etc. Some reviewers seemed to resent these as pedantic personal outbursts from Bellow himself. However, I believe the intent of the author was to build the character of Herzog into a believable, unstable intellectual.

Contrary to some reviewers' opinions, the laughable character of Herzog himself is not to be taken so seriously; nor to be evaluated on the basis of his morals, work ethic, or the time in which he happens to reside (1960's America). Rather he is to be taken as a fascinating character of any era, and read as an up-close examination of a person on the edge. I recommend you take yourself through Herzog's breakneck-speed world and enjoy the ride! That is not too say that this book is an easy read, or full of action. Many passages must be re-read in order to comprehend the context, but this complexity adds to Herzog's character and the reader's enjoyment.

Rating:
Summary: Herzog
Review: For whatever reason this is the first book I have read by Saul Bellow. I would have better off starting with Seize the Day or Henderson the Rain King. Immediately it is obvious why Bellow is so popular. His writing style is thorough and he pays close attention to the small details, especially with the smaller characters. Unfortunately the main character Moses E. Herzog is not much of a fascinating person.

The people he encounters during the course of the book are the most fulfilling for me personally. Even with my reservations about the novel and the main character Bellow does a good job of developing Herzog and bringing the novel to a nice close. I would not recommend this book to a Bellow newbie like myself, but for those accustomed to Bellow's work I am sure there is much to enjoy in Herzog.


Rating:
Summary: A satisfying American masterpiece
Review: From the opening line, "If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me," the reader becomes ensnared by Moses Herzog's churning mind, the mind of a man who sits on the border of of a new period in his life. He sways on the precipice, constantly looking backwards in order to make his next step forward. He worries if he is crazy--and so will the reader, as he or she picks through pages of unsent letters that Herzog composes on a whim. Addressed to people ranging from his ex-wives to God, the letters span various topics, and in doing so, they give the reader an amazing insight into Herzog's situation.
Bellow remains a masterful storyteller, though if you're looking for an action-filled novel, this isn't the one for you. His descriptions are impeccable, and I don't know of any modern novelists who can depict characters in such a masterly fashion. As you read, the images flow into your mind seamlessly; there are very few times that you have to stop reading in order to compose a mental image of what is depicted. Despite Herzog's academic rants, Bellow manages to create a character so familiar in Americana: constantly moving, constantly disappointed, and constantly searching for his or her next step. Bellow's novels are among the most satisfying reads; while difficult, they leave you with the feeling that you have eaten a large yet nonfilling meal, and while your stomach acknowledges that you've eaten a lot, you're still hungry for more.

Rating:
Summary: Fall through a Mad Heart
Review: Herzog is a story of a modern man's strugge to withstand fate. He craves for explanations, reasons, tries to retro-fit justice in his world disfigured by failure and tragedies. Fall, disillusionment, jealousy gnaws at him, he suffers, yet cannot forsake the desire to transcend, by deriving a world view which he understands and explains his fate. Liebnitz preached the doctrine of 'sufficient reason' for all that is good and evil, Volitaire ridiculed this in a tiring tale of human suffering in Candide. Herzog is a victim, like Candide, mired in personal tragedies, seeks transcendence through intellectual theorizing, and ultimately finds refuge in the stalemate of Peace.

Fiction typically delights in rich content and the beauty of its telling. That way, Seul Bellow's Herzog, is not a smooth book to read, it is full of haphazard incisions and brooding. But then it is not a pretty fairy-tale either! Its the story of a 'mad heart' tormenting a middle-aged, sophisticated and sensitive mind. I wouldn't say this is a "must read book", for I didn't find too many flavors the reader would cherish to remember or ponder over. There are bits of philosophy, for example, Herzog's rejection of pseudo intellectualism for solace, appeals. It is strewn with unsent letters to all the shadows haunting his fatigued-consciousness; his children , lovers, psychiatrist, friends, lawyer, brother, estranged wife, the President, Nietzsche. If read in the right light, these letters reflect the storm raging in his mind. For the suffered reader, this is a delightful free fall through hell, with a safety chord of objectivity, often precariously tenuous, owing to Bellow's mastery.

Rating:
Summary: Stalemate at transcending suffering through intellectualism
Review: Herzog is a story of modern man's strugge to withstand fate. He craves for explanations, reasons, tries to retro-fit justice in his world disfigured by failure and tragedies. Fall, disillusionment, jealousy gnaws at him, he suffers, yet cannot forsake the desire to transcend, by deriving a world view which he understands, which explains his fate. Liebnitz preached the doctrine of 'sufficient reason' for all that is good and evil, Volitaire ridiculed this in a tiring tale of human suffering in Candide. Herzog is a victim, like Candide, mired in personal tragedies, seeking transcendence through theorizing, and ultimately finding refuge in the stalemate of Peace.

Fiction delights in the richness of its content and the beauty of its telling. Herzog, is not a smooth book to read, it is full of haphazard incisions and brooding. But then it is not telling a pretty fairy tale either! Its the story of a 'mad heart' tormenting a middle-aged, sophisticated and sensitive mind. I wouldn't say this is a "must read book", for there aren't too many flavors in it the reader would cherish to remember or ponder over. There are bits of philosophy, for example Herzog's rejection of pseudo intellectualism for solace, is poignant. It is strewn with unsent letters to all the shadows haunting his consciousness; his children, lovers, psychiatrist, friends, lawyer, brother, estranged wife, the President , Nietzsche. If read in the right light, these letters become reflections of the storm raging in his head. For the suffered reader this is a delightful free fall through hell, with a the safety chord of objectivity, which is often precariously tenuous, owing to Bellows mastery.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: Herzog is a sustained character study of an engaging, thoughtful man in the midst of a personal crisis. Bellow's writing never fails to delight and surprise, but ultimately there's something missing from this novel. Perhaps the lack of a strong narrative, life-changing event, or any other particular denouement ultimately prevents this novel from reaching the literary heights that you always believe it can. In that sense, then, it is a disappointment, but nothing like a total loss for the reader.

Read it, savor Bellow's prosody, but don't expect to be totally blown away.

Rating:
Summary: Bellow's best novel
Review: Herzog is Bellow's best novel. It is a work tremendously alive . Moses Herzog who is suffering something like a breakdown after being betrayed and left by his beautiful and impossible second wife, who takes with her their daughter takes to writing letters to the world, to the living to the dead, to family to the famous to whoever he has a message for . This device gives the work a special intellectual liveliness and humor. .The work has remarkable characters including Herzog himself his best friend and betrayer Valentine Gersbach, the second wife Madelaine and her successor Bellow's mistress, the spectacularly sensual Ramona.
Herzog is an intellectual and part of his task is figuring it all out. And so the book is filled with meditations on the state of Western Civilization , meditations which at one hand can be taken ironically but are often strangely profound. The great connecting device of the novel is in the letters because they connect Bellow's personal state and breakdown with his perception and attempt to understand the Civilization as a whole.
This is a thinking man's novel, a philosophical novel in the best sense. And a funny and moving one.
It is simply one of the best books I know.