Howard Fast Summary

Howard Fast tirelessly worked his way from poverty to become one of the most widely read writers of the twentieth century. He was already an acclaimed writer by the mid-1940s, when he decided to forma... Read more

Critical Essay by The New York Times Book Review The American Colonies during the days of the Revolution are the setting for [Two Valleys]…. Mr. Fast is unusually successful in conveying th... Read more

Critical Essay by Hollis Alpert Mr. Fast gives us a liberal mixture [of stories in "Departure and Other Stories,"] and every time you might think you have him summed up the next story w... Read more

Critical Essay by Bernard Levin Mr. Fast's repentance [for his support of Communism is set forth in The Naked God,] a tiny masterpiece of urgent, diamond-hard prose. He tells of the gradual de... Read more

Critical Essay by Anthony Boucher E. V. Cunningham tackles a world-shaking theme in the manner of a slick romance in Phyllis…. Why is Sgt. Tom Clancy, N.Y.P.D. posing as an assistant professor... Read more

Critical Essay by Paul West To be effective, Torquemada would have to do either (preferably both) of two things: document in full the spiritual shame and social inanition of late 15th-century Spain o... Read more

Critical Essay by Victor Howes Howard Fast is a historical novelist known for "Spartacus," "Citizen Tom Paine," "Freedom Road," "The American."... Read more

Critical Essay by Stephan Salisbury [The Immigrants] slides down easily, like a friendly if unexceptional Napa wine. All the elements of popular American mythology are offered up for tasting….... Read more

Critical Essay by Newgate Callendar [E. V. Cunningham's "The Case of the One-Penny Orange"] is the first of a series with a Nisei detective…. [An] investigation takes him ... Read more

Critical Essay by Newgate Callendar [Detective Masao Masuto is back again in E. V. Cunningham's "The Case of the Russian Diplomat"] and this book is every bit as good as its pred... Read more

Critical Essay by Anthony Salamone Lucid characterizations, with an enthralling, if somewhat imitative plot, describe Second Generation,… [which traces] the lives, loves and tragedies of vario... Read more

Critical Essay by Publishers Weekly "The Immigrants" and "Second Generation" were best sellers, and Fast hasn't changed his recipe for this latest volume ["T... Read more

Critical Essay by The Virginia Quarterly Review A Nisei detective in his oriental inscrutability miraculously solves four related murders the day after they are committed in this dull novel [by E. V.... Read more

Critical Essay by Malcolm Cowley [In "The Unvanquished" Mr. Fast makes George Washington's greatness] human and credible. Describing the retreat from New York in 1776—and ... Read more

Critical Essay by Clifton Fadiman I propose Howard Fast as one of America's most important historical novelists. For one thing, he is almost alone in his ability to relate a historical narrati... Read more

Critical Essay by George Mayberry There is neither confusion nor stylistic nonsense in Howard Fast's "Freedom Road," which has at once the virtues and the defects of a cleanly wr... Read more

In the following interview, Fast discusses his life, political concerns, and The Dinner Party. “It's been said,” Howard Fast remarked, “that I am the most widely read wr... Read more

In the following excerpted review, Cook praises the authenticity of The Pledge, though finds fault in Fast's literary ability. To their everlasting discredit, American novelists, most of the... Read more

In the following review of Being Red, Hitchens praises Fast's engaging recollections, though he finds fault in his writing. Murray Kempton once told me what he called the only really funny s... Read more

In the following negative review of Being Red, Kanfer condemns Fast's “disingenuous” account of his life and the Communist Party. Thanks to such works as Lillian Hellman'... Read more

In the following negative review of Being Red, Radosh criticizes Fast's involvement in the Communist Party and discrepancies in his recollection of such activities. Howard Fast is best known... Read more

In the following review, Howe objects to Fast's Communist loyalties and offers unfavorable analysis of The Naked God. The first though not least important thing to be said about The Naked Go... Read more

In the following essay, Traister provides an overview of Fast's life, literary career, political consciousness, and popularity, drawing attention to the need for critical reevaluation of Fast&#... Read more

In the following review, Sheppard offers unenthusiastic assessment of The Immigrants. “Unfortunately,” writes Sheppard, “Fast's life contains more dramatic and moral confli... Read more

In the following review, Lehmann-Haupt offers positive evaluation of The Dinner Party, though he finds fault in Fast's lack of literary sophistication. An old-fashioned Ibsenesque moral dram... Read more

In the following review, Savage offers negative assessment of The Dinner Party. A Washington dinner party could make for a good novel. Politicians are calculators, and the best of them know how the... Read more