Told in the voice of a writer looking back on his younger days, Old School initially leads the reader to believe that the narrator is still in high school. However, as the story unfolds, we discover that it is a recollection of the trials and tribulations of a prep school boy in 1961. The narrator, who remains unnamed, describes the school as a "literary place," with literary giants like Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Ernest Hemingway making appearances at different points.

But it's not clear if this literary enthusiasm extends beyond the narrator and his group of friends who are all aspiring writers. In fact, perception and deception, both of others and oneself, play a significant role in the novel. Wolff's portrayal of adolescent boys is incredibly accurate. He captures their attempts at profundity, their haughty self-importance, their insecurities, their sense of truth, and their appraisals of each other with unfailing accuracy.

The ending of Old School is particularly noteworthy. The plot leads us down one path for pages and then suddenly veers off in another direction, which is both surprising and a little shocking. It's a classic Wolff maneuver, and while it may be unexpected, it adds to the overall story. This is a good, quick read that offers a lot to think about. It's fast-paced, smart, and may even inspire you to become a writer. I would recommend it, perhaps for a creative writing elective. The treatment of character is excellent, although there are better novels for teaching the craft of writing. The lasting impressions are the unpredictable plot and the accurate portrayal of the complexities of an adolescent boy.

Literature In An Old School

Tobias Wolff's short novel "Old School" (2003) is a masterpiece that combines self-reflection and irony within its seemingly simple narrative. Set in a nameless New England prep school for boys in 1960, during the Kennedy-Nixon presidential election, the story follows a student in his final year. The narrator, whose name is never revealed, comes from a middle-class background and has a Jewish father, but has been raised Catholic. He is acutely aware of his differences and tries to hide them from his wealthy classmates.

The book is centered around the school's "visiting writers" program, which brings in famous authors like Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Earnest Hemingway. The students compete eagerly for the honor of having their work selected by the visiting writer and receiving a private meeting. The narrator, passionate about literature like many of his peers, is determined to submit a winning entry for Hemingway's visit. However, in his efforts, he crosses the line into plagiarism.
The story is filled with foreshadowing and echoes, and the students and teachers take literature and the writing life very seriously. While many readers may see the novel as a celebration of reading and literary seriousness, there is also an element of irony and skepticism. The narrator himself is critical of the school's class mystique and the students' literary pretensions. Both Frost and Rand are shown to be fallible human beings, and their selections of the winning student works are subtly critiqued.
In conclusion, "Old School" is a thought-provoking novel that explores the nature and value of writing in a complex and ambiguous way. It reminds us that while literature can be a source of inspiration and joy, it also has its limitations and should not be taken too seriously.

In this day and age, if one can summon the will to be interested in the growing pains of straight, white Ivy League college students as narrated by an old white man, there is much to be gained from Tobias Wolff's short autobiographical novel. Written two decades ago and detailing his time as an aspiring writer at a prestigious college in rural Pennsylvania in the 1960s, "Old School" has the essence of a classic.

For Toby and his fellow English majors, nothing is more coveted than having one's short story selected by a visiting author, resulting in a private audience with the celebrity. This accolade is an implicit anointment that, more than the act of writing, permits one to label oneself a writer. The book is organized around the successive visits of three authors - Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Ernest Hemingway - and the literary battle to capture their attention.

The narrator's aspiration is to be chosen - to belong - rather than to be read. Wolff is masterful at描绘 the unseen barriers that demarcate the boundaries of power, between women and men, the poor and the rich, and Jews and gentiles. It is also a novel of delusion and self-acceptance, mapping the journey from "the dross of self-consciousness" to "the gold of self-knowledge."

"Old School" succeeds because its simple yet precise prose conceals craftsmanship and wisdom that never draw attention to themselves. I found myself rereading a seemingly harmless sentence only to uncover a subtle provocation, an invitation to philosophical exploration, or a piece of social commentary that is no less incisive for being thinly veiled.

The book inspired me to become a better reader. In fact, I believe that might be its true theme: learning to read and write as a metaphor for our pursuit of growing up and becoming good individuals. True coming-of-age in "Old School" occurs not through experience alone, which can be attained through various means of deception, but through the rare act of learning from it how to be honest with oneself and, consequently, with the world.

This ingenious novel maximizes its narrow focus to reach something profound, and, like a great old-fashioned short story, gives itself the freedom to make its point with an absolutely stunning ending.

A strong 4.5 only because the ending lost some momentum for me.

This may have been intentional, as for the first two-thirds of the book, the narrator is reflecting back on his last year of prep school, which ends rather suddenly.

Definitely a book lovers' book, it's an homage to American literature, to the teachers who are passionate about it, and to the early 1960s, before the deaths of JFK and Ernest Hemingway and the general upheaval later in the decade.

Wolff's writing pulls you right into the narrator's insular, prep school world.

He's a scholarship boy with Jewish heritage, successfully "blending" in with his well-bred, wealthy, wanna-be writer peers.

But he's also struggling to maintain honesty in his writing since he can't be honest about who he is all the while.

He's embroiled in this fabulous writing contest to meet the great Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and ultimately, his hero, Hemingway.

It takes you back to those days as a young reader when you might absolutely fall in love with a book and, by extension, the writer of that book before fully understanding what it's all about.

Perhaps you were "set straight" by a clever friend or a formidable English teacher, and finally came to your own conclusion and/or disillusion down the road after experience or more reading changed you.

As always, Wolff's prose is pointed and real, and such a pleasure to read.

On Friday, Big Jeff made it abundantly clear that if his cousin were to be kicked out for skipping the next afternoon's chapel, he would be leaving right along with him. This was an unexpected and rather interesting turn of events. Big Jeff was like a spaniel, following his cousin around with his tongue out, barking at imaginary phantoms as he trailed him into what seemed like a martyrdom of sorts. It put the entire situation in a somewhat farcical light, as Purcell surely must have understood, for he was absolutely furious.

This passage appears late in Tobias Wolff's "Old School". At this juncture, the narrator and his fellow schoolmates are just a few weeks away from graduating from their Exeter-like institution. Purcell has become the most insufferable kind of person: an adolescent convert, in this case from an inherited, nominal Christianity to an ardent atheist. Now, he stands alone, on principle. Given that it is 1960, elite Protestant prep-schools mandate that their students attend daily chapel. Purcell wants no part of it and will soon be expelled for his nonchalant form of passive resistance. Sadly for Purcell, "Big Jeff" has thrust himself into the spotlight that was meant for only one, transforming what could have been a tragic drama of noble principle into a Laurel and Hardy comedy. Fraudulent motivations have been exposed, along with a great deal more.

It is a comic episode, one of many, beautifully framed by a writer who takes the comic imperative very seriously. The novel's school is quite the literary construct, a sort of Hogwarts for young writers. The boys all vie for a private audience with the literary stars of the era (Frost! Rand!! Hemingway!!!). The fictions written by these youngsters are, in reality, masks crudely fashioned to fit over their faces. Facade upon facade, painstakingly maintained to safeguard their vulnerabilities - their truths - from being revealed.
Wolff creates a captivating self-awareness that is completely unselfconscious - a precarious and breathtaking feat of balance. After all, this is a novel in which young writers fabricate fiction upon fiction in a vainglorious attempt to build themselves up into something they are not. Wolff's narrator, for example, is attending the school on a scholarship and actually comes from a struggling household of modest means. Understandably, he is evasive about this with his schoolmates. He is also a Jew - a fact he is evasive about with himself.
Wolff's narrator's voice perfectly captures the unfocused heat of youthful longing, now seen through a lens tempered by experiences that either humiliate or humble a person. Every character gets their just deserts. Only the truest among them discover that their vulnerabilities are not something to be rejected but rather embraced.
Earlier, I made a comparison to Harry Potter. Had this been a novel of bold and clumsy measures, that is how it might have actually read. The fact that so many readers consider "Old School" to be a memoir is a testament to Wolff's remarkable powers of fictive persuasion. Perhaps there are a few "police court facts" thrown into the mix, but Wolff's compassionate exploration of life and truth is indeed novel, and ultimately an endearing and delightful work of fiction.

Where has this book been all my life?

It's a question that often pops into my mind whenever I come across a truly remarkable book.

This particular book seems to have been hidden away, waiting for just the right moment to enter my world.

I can't help but wonder how I managed to go through so many years without it.

It's as if it was a missing piece of a puzzle that I didn't even know was incomplete.

Now that I've found it, it's like a whole new universe has opened up before me.

The words on the pages seem to dance and come alive, captivating my imagination and taking me on a journey I never thought possible.

It's a book that makes me think, feel, and question everything I thought I knew.

I'm truly grateful to have discovered it, and I can't wait to see where it takes me next.

An Elegant Tale of Life in a Private Boys School

This is an enchanting story that unfolds within the walls of a private boys school. It delves deep into the trials and tribulations that the students face during their formative years. The narrative is presented in a memoir-like style, which adds a touch of authenticity and personal reflection.

The author's use of beautifully-written proper English elevates the story to a whole new level. Each sentence is crafted with care, painting vivid pictures in the reader's mind. The language is not only elegant but also thoughtful and insightful, allowing the reader to truly understand the emotions and experiences of the characters.

As the story progresses, we witness the growth and development of the boys as they navigate through the challenges of school life. We see their friendships form and break, their academic struggles and achievements, and their coming-of-age moments. It is a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever attended a private school or has faced similar difficulties in their own lives.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, I just couldn't seem to get into it.

Perhaps one of the reasons could be that I don't have a favorable impression of the author as a person. I recall listening to an interview with him where he was constantly trashing Ayn Rand.

Sure, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that's fine. However, it seems rather inappropriate when she is a character in his own book!

Come on, show some respect!

Moreover, another issue I had with the book was that not much really seemed to happen until about the last third of it.

The first two-thirds felt rather slow and lacking in excitement or significant plot developments.

It made it quite a struggle for me to stay engaged and interested in the story.

I was hoping for a more captivating and eventful read from the beginning, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Overall, my experience with this book was rather disappointing.

VOGLIA DI RICOMINCIARE


This is a novel recommended by a writer friend, which talks a lot about writers and writing. It explores life through the writing of literature, whether it's poetry or short stories. To understand the importance of writing, I quote the recurring vision of the protagonist, a true nightmare: Being invited to a party with many writers and realizing that after so many years of work, I had no place at the table.


This novel reminds me of the beautiful film by Peter Weir in 1989, “Dead Poets Society”. It's fascinating how it's usually told through an episode that takes up a relatively small portion of the entire duration. It is reached through a long and tortuous preparation, and from which one exits with an unexpected twist that, by telling an apparently different story, repeats and reflects the one that is put at the center of any summary or comment. A story within a story, this unexpected ending, which is perhaps the artistic culmination of the novel, a small gem given at the exit.


Published in 2003, it is a novel mainly set in the era when J.F. Kennedy became president. In an American college on the East Coast, great writers are seasonally invited: in order, the poet Robert Frost will come, then the Russian-born novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, and finally the father of all American writers of the 20th century, at least of those of short stories, Ernest Hemingway. But he will never arrive as he will commit suicide before doing so.


These pages also make me think of the beautiful film by Gus Van Sant, “Finding Forrester” in 2000. On the occasions of these invitations and visits, the school organizes competitions among the senior students, a poetry competition if the guest is a poet, a short story competition if the guest is a narrator. Our protagonist, the narrator, presents a short story copied from a minor magazine, written by a female student from another college. He does this because he can't write anything of his own, and he does it because, by chance reading the words of his peer, he recognizes and reflects himself, he feels called into question, he identifies. He wins the competition, is elected the best by Hemingway himself, and will have the honor of spending an hour one-on-one with his idol. But, the plagiarism comes to light, the boy is expelled, and Hemingway won't come anyway.


Also, the debut of Mel Gibson as a director, “The Man Without A Face” in 1993, tells a beautiful relationship between a student and a teacher. The theme of falsehood and deceit is recurring in the work of Tobias Wolff. Already before, in his memoir novel This Boy's Life - Voglia di ricominciare, the young Toby fakes his grades to be admitted to university with a scholarship. Here, when the fraud comes to light, the misdeed discovered, Wolff gives a moment of rare, precious intensity.


Wolff knows the things he writes, more than he says, and this is a good thing. He writes with precision and skill the things he knows, he writes from his conscience; which always raises the stakes. In fact, the italicized part is a quote from the book: it is an interview with Hemingway published in the school newspaper, perhaps true or perhaps invented, and these are the words that the great writer uses to congratulate the young writer who won the competition.


The 1993 film directed by Michael Caton-Jones, with Leonardo DiCaprio (then 18 years old), Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin, based on the memoir novel of Tobias Wolff “Voglia di ricominciare - This Boy’s Life”.

This book reads so much like a memoir that I was truly surprised to discover it wasn't.

The story is set in 1960 and follows a young man in his senior year at a private boarding school in New England. He is part of the "scribblers", a group of "book drunk boys" who revere writing.

Several renowned authors visit the school. In preparation for Ayn Rand's visit, the narrator reads "The Fountainhead" and becomes infatuated with her radical ideas. However, this changes quickly when she appears with her thuggish entourage and gives a Fascist presentation. It's a scene that is both funny and scary.

The story takes a dramatic turn when Hemingway is scheduled to appear and a short story contest is announced. The students are to submit their stories and Hemingway himself will judge. Here, our narrator makes a crucial error that could have serious repercussions in both his academic and adult life.

I loved Wolff's memoir "This Boy's Life" and am looking forward to reading his short story collections. This, his first novel, was a pleasure to read. It offers a unique and engaging look into the world of a young writer at a pivotal time in his life.

A well-written and intellectually amusing monograph offers an interesting perspective on private school life and the experiences of a young writer. While it may be a bit slight to be fully considered a Bildungsroman, it is not without a certain spirit and joie de vivre. The author manages to capture the essence of the private school environment, with its unique social dynamics and educational challenges. The young writer's journey within this setting is engaging and offers some valuable insights. However, the last part with the Dean seems wholly superfluous. It detracts from the overall flow of the narrative and adds little to the story. It could have been omitted without significant loss. Nevertheless, despite this minor flaw, the monograph is still an enjoyable read that provides an entertaining and thought-provoking look at a particular aspect of life.

OLD SCHOOL is presented in the guise of a fictionalized memoir of a student at an exclusive prep school around the 1960s, populated by "book-drunk" boys.

Through a succession of student writing competitions with the prize being a private audience with a renowned author, the reader is introduced to profiles of Carl Sandburg, Ayn Rand, and Earnest Hemingway. Along the journey, we learn a lesson about how ambition masquerading as a passion for writing can lead to unfortunate consequences. There's a hilarious moment in the story when Ayn Rand misinterprets a student's essay in support of vegetarianism as an invective against big government. It seems the author doesn't hold Ayn Rand in high regard.

At the end of the book, the narrator, now an adult, reflects on his school days. He says, "Memory is a dream to begin with, and what I had was a dream of memory, not to be put to the test." From his memories, he extracts a story of unfulfilled expectations and, ultimately, redemptive self-awareness.

I, too, am sufficiently "book-drunk" to appreciate this vicarious immersion into literature. I can also identify with the story of failing to achieve the grand plans of youthful dreams. Reflecting on one's past life and making peace with the many what-could-have-beens is, I believe, part of attaining inner peace. And that's precisely what occurs in this book. The final words of the book are, "His Father when he saw him coming ran to meet him." Anyone familiar with the Christian New Testament will recognize the origin of this. So, the overall message of the book is one of forgiveness, both giving and receiving.

Frankly, the title didn't appeal to me. Neither "old" nor "school" (in the context of an elite eastern prep school) holds much charm for me. I would never have read this book if it hadn't been chosen as a community-wide "Big Read" book. However, once I started, it held my attention.

Writers like Wolff clearly enjoy writing about intelligent students who love to read and write because, implicitly, they are writing about themselves. Someday, I hope to discover a book about a young person who despises reading and writing and doesn't have the advantage of being a gifted student. Such a book would truly be a story of overcoming life's challenges and obstacles. Alas, despite my own apparent feelings of envy towards gifted writers like Wolff hinting at their youthful talent, I must admit that this book is skillfully written. The narration climbs up the trunk of the story line while frequently venturing out onto the numerous branches along the way, leading to a big, surprising thud. Then it's a matter of reflecting on what kind of person the story's narrator must be to have lived that life.

The following review is from the 2006 PageADay Book Lover's Calendar:

The Critics Rave

“Not a word is wasted in this spare, brilliant novel.” - People

“An elegant ode to writers, and to writing, from one of our most exquisite storytellers.” - Esquire

“Wolff displays exceptional skill in capturing the small sights and sensations that evoke the whole rarefied world he’s taking us back to.” - The Atlantic Monthly

Tobias Wolff is acclaimed for his short stories and two memoirs, This Boy’s Life and In Pharaoh’s Army. Old School is his tour de force first novel, the story of a writing contest set in an elite prep school in the early 1960s and how it causes the life of a boy there to unravel.

OLD SCHOOL, by Tobias Wolff (Alfred A. Knopf, 2003)