Herbert Gold was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 9 March 1924. His father, Samuel S. Gold, was a Russian immigrant who struggled to establish himself in America. In Cleveland Samuel Gold married Freida Fr...
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Critical Essay by Anatole Broyard
While still in his 40's, Gold had published perhaps a hundred short stories and as many articles, most of them knowledgeable, polished and promising. He was c...
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Critical Essay by Francis King
What Mr Gold has succeeded in doing with considerable success [in Waiting for Cordelia] is to give a picture of modern San Francisco….
Mr Gold has an amusingl...
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Critical Essay by John Mellors
Waiting for Cordelia is soggy with stale crumbs from the bottom of the Great American Crackerbarrel—'perfection means you are what you are'—...
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Critical Essay by H. T. Anderson
Not long into Slave Trade I found myself wondering what I was doing reading a novel about pederasty and male prostitution…. The whole thing is in the private e...
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Critical Essay by Ross Thomas
[Slave Trade] features Sid Kasdan, one of the most morose private eyes in recent memory. Kasdan's wife has left him, his investigator's license has been re...
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In the following negative review, Sklar argues that the father-son relationship is not fully developed in Fathers.
Fathers really defies criticism, for who, when you get right down to it, can say a...
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In the following positive review, Raksin lauds Gold's travel writing in Best Nightmare on Earth.
[In Best Nightmare on Earth: A Life in Haiti,] novelist Herbert Gold is driving through Haiti...
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In the following essay, Walden discusses Gold's role as an American Jewish writer.
Herbert Gold, who is a prolific and honored author, who has been a published author for some three decades,...
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In the following review, Daniels discusses the allure of Haiti as portrayed in The Best Nightmare on Earth and Ian Thomson's Bonjour Blanc.
Haiti is a writer's El Dorado. Though small...
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In the following positive review, Cook praises Gold's journalistic style in Bohemia.
Herbert Gold, dependably fine novelist and wonderful short-story writer, has for years maintained an iden...
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In the following review, Wakefield discusses several highlights of Gold's career, his relationships with various members of the New York literati, and his book Bohemia.
Herbert Gold was one ...
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In the following review, Roraback explores the characters and civilization portrayed in Bohemia.
This is what Bohemia has come to:
—A Personal Ad in the Village Voice reads, “Slim,...
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In the following mixed review, Bernays asserts that while Gold exhibits some of his considerable talents in Waiting for Cordelia, ultimately, the novel fails to deliver.
There are few writers aroun...
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In the following positive review, Rechy lauds Gold's True Love for its comedic appeal and well-written prose.
This superbly written, defiantly hilarious, insidiously entertaining novel [True...
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In the following negative review, Rochmis criticizes Gold for failing to bring to life the characters and situations in True Love.
As an avid follower of those “personal” ads in vario...
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In the following review, Rochmis offers a negative assessment of Mister White Eyes.
Among the least rewarding of this novelist, Gold's current novel [Mister White Eyes] centers on Ralph Meri...
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In the following mixed review, Pesetsky comments that while the stories in Lovers & Cohorts exhibit considerable craftsmanship, they are lacking necessary elements that would make them memorabl...
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In the following interview, originally conducted on December 16, 1986, Gold discusses a variety of subjects, including his writing, teaching, marriage, and Judaism.
The interview is, we know, a pro...
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In the following review, Curzon argues that although Dreaming begins slowly, the narrative is ultimately rewarding.
San Francisco is as much a character in Herbert Gold's new novel, Dreaming...
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In the following review, Taylor discusses the satirical exploration of the American Dream in The Man Who Was Not with It and Dreaming.
If there is an English equivalent of the American Dream, it is...
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