(born March 19, 1933, Newark, N.J., U.S.) U.S. writer.
Roth attended the University of Chicago and first achieved fame with Goodbye Columbus (1959), whose title story concerns the boorish materialism of a suburban family. His works are characterized by an acute ear for dialogue, a concern with Jewish middle-class life, and the painful entanglements of sexual and familial love. Among his many subsequent novels are the comic and scandalous Portnoy's Complaint (1969) and an admired series centring on a writer named Nathan Zuckerman, including The Ghost Writer (1979) and Zuckerman Unbound (1981). Other works include Sabbath's Theater (1995, National Book Award), American Pastoral (1997, Pulitzer Prize), and The Human Stain (2000).
This is the complete article, containing 111 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
View More Summaries on Philip Roth
