A very sad and thought-provoking book.

It is a really brilliantly told story that is beautifully written.

The author has managed to create a world that is both engaging and deeply moving.

After reading this book, I really must read more of Philip Roth's works.

This particular book is very short, yet it feels very complete.

Despite its brevity, it manages to explore complex themes and emotions with great depth and sensitivity.

The characters are well-developed and the plot is engaging from start to finish.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking literature.

It is a book that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

Overall, I was very impressed with this book and look forward to reading more of Philip Roth's work in the future.

This is the story of a man who has reached a stage in life that he never expected to arrive at - "the remote future" - the very moment of his obliteration. It is a novel that delves into the themes of aging, sickness, and death. In it, Roth contemplates the gradual decline of human powers, presenting his thoughts with the unique economy of language that he is renowned for.

At the beginning, as the book weaves its family saga, it may seem rather sketchy and even shallow. However, it is in the second half of the book that Roth truly shines. Here, he contemplates the mistakes, regrets, and small triumphs that make up a life. The first half of this book can perhaps be rated three stars, while the second half, where the philosophical essence lies, deserves a five-star rating. I find myself splitting the difference.

I had intended to write more about this book, but at the moment, I am a bit tired. Moreover, after reading it, I have a strong urge to go out and embrace life. I want to take a long and vigorous bike ride, feeling the power of my body before it succumbs to the inevitable decay that the Everyman protagonist of this book experiences.

There are many myths and legends surrounding death. One of them, but seen through a different prism, is "Peri Thanatou" (About Death) by Saramagos. However, it is so deeply steeped in poetry and love that, perhaps, we should set it aside for now and focus on this masterpiece here, because that's what we're talking about.

Here, there are no masks and literary tricks. And if there are, they are so masterfully hidden that ultimately they don't concern me. Here, the game is played slowly, but completely lethally. Because as you read it, you have the impression that you are participating in a splatter work with yourself as the hero.

It's as if Roth is telling you: "Look, my friend, no matter which camera you look at, no matter how you look at it, in the end it will devour you. So each of us should patiently await our certain doom, like a true child of Camus, because there's simply no other way."

Here, in this work, only the bones think, because only cemeteries offer the most certain certainties.

It's a work that, if you read it, may make you despair, may terrify you, but you won't be bored for a single moment. And that's no small thing.

And, ultimately, it's not for everyone. And why should it be anyway.

The favorable biography of a man, his life after retirement, and the beginning of a stage of depression and a physical and mental breakdown that ended in death. Here we have a personality who neither accompanied herself nor others, so she ended up alone, spiritless, and dimmed, except for a faint ray of light, which is the only man who always loved and forgave her regardless. Her son.

It is a gloomy story that deals with a sensitive age period that is not often touched upon. However, it was dull and did not appeal to me. I would have preferred if the author had exploited more the psychological side and the inner monologues instead of delving into the details of the diseases and surgical operations that occupied more than half of the book.

"All these wounds and hospitalizations have made him completely more unified and a man with less confidence than he had in the first year of his retirement. Even the kindness and tenderness of his loved ones seemed to have turned into a self-generating form from individual isolation, and he was chased by the feeling that he was heading towards the end."

This story presents a rather tragic picture of a man's life after retirement, showing how various factors can lead to his downfall. The description of his physical and mental state is quite vivid, making the reader feel同情 for him. However, as mentioned earlier, the excessive focus on medical details may have overshadowed the exploration of his inner world, which could have added more depth and complexity to the story. Overall, it is a story that makes one think about the importance of maintaining a healthy mental and emotional state in life.

Philip Roth's "A Man" is an engaging and accessible read. As you begin to peruse its pages, you find yourself gradually drawn into the story, almost unconsciously gliding along until you reach the final page.

The subject matter of the book is both profound and yet, in some ways, quite ordinary. It delves into the act of observing oneself living, looking both forward and backward in time. It's about recognizing oneself in the various paths of life with an honest and unflinching gaze, but at the very least, without complacency.

It explores the impetuosity of our youth, the irreversible consequences of our actions, the pursuit of some goals at the expense of others, whether for good or ill, and the building of either a court or, conversely, a desert. It's about loving life and sanctifying it when it seems to pass by in the blink of an eye, while we may have squandered it, sometimes without even realizing, when it was freely offered. Through our feelings, we discover the unbreakable bond of devotion that extends beyond the earthly realm and how memory can accompany us here in the best of ways.

Finally, when we consider the broader themes of the book, I would suggest that we need to cast our net wide and maintain an open mind. This is especially true when we realize, perhaps a little too late, that in moments of extreme solitude, we can find comfort from an unexpected and illustrious stranger, while it can be impossible to obtain the same comfort at the right time, on our own impulse, from those we love.

Here's a little appetizer for you:

Excerpt: He hadn't slept with Phoebe for six years, but he could hardly share that intimate detail with his sons to explain his second divorce. He had been Phoebe's husband for fifteen years, Nancy's live-in father for thirteen, Howie's brother and his parents' son since birth, and a brilliant advertising executive for over twenty years: these titles spoke for him.

What a touching experience with aging and death! Merciless and impactful:/

Of course, the fact that I read about the crisis of thirty years old at the beginning also added to its impact;)

This experience was truly profound and left a lasting impression on me. The encounter with aging and death made me realize the fragility and preciousness of life. It was a harsh reminder that time waits for no one and that we must cherish every moment.

The merciless nature of this process was overwhelming, yet it also had a significant impact on my perspective. It made me appreciate the importance of living a meaningful life and making the most of the time we have.

Although it was a difficult and emotional experience, it also taught me valuable lessons about life, love, and loss. It made me stronger and more resilient, and it gave me a newfound appreciation for the beauty and wonder of the world around us.

Everyman

A novel that delves deep into the themes of death and growing old, Philip Roth's "Everyman" (2006) can, paradoxically, be seen as a celebration of life. The title is borrowed from a 15th-century play, highlighting the inescapable fact that all who live must die. It is also the name of the small jewelry store that the father of the unnamed protagonist operated in Elizabeth, New Jersey, for over 40 years starting in 1933. The store was named thus to appeal to all potential customers in the town, regardless of their nationality, religion, or race. Roth's protagonist confronts the inevitable human condition, yet Roth crafts his character with great specificity.

The story commences at the end, with the funeral of the main character at the age of 71. The funeral takes place in an old, poorly maintained Jewish cemetery. Only a small number of mourners are present: the deceased's middle-aged daughter Nancy, his second ex-wife Phoebe, his two estranged sons from his first marriage, his older and highly successful brother Howie, a former nurse and mistress Maureen, and friends. The funeral serves as a springboard for reflection on the life of the deceased, on mortality, and on human fallibility.

The deceased and his brother Howie were the two sons of a small jewelry store owner and his wife. Both sons learned the value of hard work and what their father called "reliability." Outgoing, gifted, and physically healthy, Howie became an investment banker with a stable marriage. His younger brother, on the other hand, was much more sickly and introverted. Despite dreams of becoming an artist, he became the obedient son and pursued a successful career in advertising.

The "Everyman" hero had three wives and three divorces. He prided himself on his reliability and his mundanity, but he could not resist his sexual appetites. Of the three ex-wives, the second, Phoebe, was a woman he should have cherished. When the narrator loses her due to philandering, he condemns himself to a lonely and bitter old age. The protagonist also suffers from severe heart conditions that require repeated and painful surgeries, which Roth describes in detail.

After the opening scene, the book moves back and forth in time, from the protagonist's childhood through his marriages, career, and retirement, and the deaths of his mother and father. The story is not told chronologically but rather in a way that captures the protagonist's inner life. Roth provides a wealth of the protagonist's thoughts and reflections. Although the book is short, many of its scenes are extended dialogues between the protagonist and another person, which heighten the intensity of the book through the development of detail. For example, Roth portrays the long scene after the death of the protagonist's mother when his marriage to Phoebe ends due to his cheating and lying. Near the end of the book, there is a long discussion about grave digging and death in the old Jewish cemetery between the protagonist and the elderly gravedigger who had buried the hero's parents and will soon bury him. There is a Hamlet-like quality to the scene.

In reading this book, I was reminded of Buddhism and its Four Noble Truths, beginning with the truth of suffering and leading to the path of ending suffering. But that is not Roth's approach in this book. Showing the end of a flawed life, Roth's novel is dark but suggests that life is to be lived and treasured. The protagonist's understanding of life is encapsulated in a small motto that he frequently repeats to his faithful daughter, Nancy: "There's no remaking reality. Just take it as it comes. Hold your ground and take it as it comes."

Late in the book, as the protagonist meditates at his parents' graves, he receives some other advice. Telling his deceased mother that he is 71, he imagines her voice: "Good. You lived." And he imagines his father saying: "Look back and atone for what you can atone for, and make the best of what you have left." (p. 171) Both of these internalized comments significantly qualify the protagonist's earlier stated outlook on life.

"Everyman" is a serious and thoughtful work from Roth's own old age. It is valuable to revisit this book following Roth's (1933 -- May 22, 2018) own death. I read this novel in my early 60s, just beginning my retirement, and took the book personally. The book encouraged me to think about the anguish and inevitability of death in the process of cherishing life.

Robin Friedman

Senatvė...

How does a person feel when they have more memories than plans for the future? And those memories are not very pleasant, but unfortunately, the clock cannot be turned back. How does a person feel when they finally realize that happiness and love were right there, within reach, but they missed the perfect opportunity to touch that bird by the tail? And also... How does a person feel when they are left alone, with a sick and weakened body, at the end of their life?

All of this is described by Philip Roth, a classic of modern American literature, who has won the Pulitzer Prize, the Booker Prize, the National Book Award, and other awards, in his novel "Everyman" (translated from English by Laimantas Jonušys).

So far, I have read two of the author's books: "The Complaint of a Porno King" and "American Pastoral". The third time was no different: once again, I was convinced of P. Roth's excellent writing skills, which were just 5 minutes short of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. Year after year, people expected and predicted that this author would become the owner of the golden medal that shines with a nearly blinding light. But, unfortunately...

The plot of the novel "Everyman" begins with the protagonist's funeral. The relatives who have gathered around the grave share their memories of the deceased. But funerals are "the least favorite event of our kind", so soon everyone leaves, leaving the deceased alone. From that moment on, the journey through memories begins. The reader is led through the different stages of the protagonist's life: childhood, adolescence spent in his father's jewelry workshop and watch shop, the years of his career when he was climbing the career ladder in an advertising agency, the marriages that were formed and broken, and old age, with its inevitable attributes - a weak and sick body.

"Old age, dear, is a struggle - if not one, then another misfortune. A constant struggle, and especially in such an age when you are weakened and least able to fight."

I have always been more "touched" by the text that is quite "detached" from autobiographical details. P. Roth wrote the novel "Everyman" in his eighties. Therefore, the reflections on old age, wrong choices, guilt, and the desire for atonement in the book are not made up, but are experienced by the author himself in his body and soul.

This book is an excellent choice for the beginning of the year. It is a text that is easy to read and relax with, inspiring us to make more meaningful use of each day ("Carpe diem") and kindly reminding us: "Memento mori".

In total, 140 pages, but very convincingly about the flow of life, laying a stone on the grave.

#bitėsrekomenduoja #philiproth #kiekvienasžmogus #everyman

This novel is the first work I have read by Philip Roth, and among the few works I have read in American literature. It is number 74 in the series of awards issued by the Egyptian Authority.

I don't know if I should describe that novel as a painful novel, or a terrifying novel. Or perhaps the terror in it is caused by all that pain and all that suffering that describes the life of the elderly. I read a while ago a novel called "This Was the Unit" by Juan José Millás, about the life of a forty-year-old woman, and that period when women reach a crossroads. They begin to look back, to the past, and to that unit that fills their days with silence.

When you read Philip Roth's novel, you will think it is the second part of "This Was the Unit" but with the pen of another writer. And the difference between them is that the first has a female protagonist, while this one has a male protagonist. And since the youth of a man always lasts longer, you will find the protagonist here is a seventy-year-old old man, who not only complains about loneliness, but also about that void and emptiness that fills his days. An emptiness that he fills with self-reflection and self-blame.

It is true that he chose to live alone, but not in an impossible loneliness. And the worst thing than being in an impossible loneliness is that you have to bear it, either that or you drown. You need hard work to prevent your mind from being destroyed by its hungry look at the past and its polluted flow.

Only when you approach the end of your life, and you feel that you are standing on its edge, do you begin to look at those things that you did and those that you did not do. Your entire life asks you, what have you accomplished?

Because progress in life is not a battle; progress in life is a slaughterhouse. And he finds himself surrounded by no one, only memories and illness! The illness that he has been suffering from since childhood until his death. The terrifying illness, you suffer and you cause suffering to those around you. You become helpless and a slave to that pain. Always, illness is the worst enemy, I fear it much more than death.

And as if that were not enough, the author even portrays him in his ugliest form. From the illness of the protagonist to the illness of his student, his wife, his father, and so on. A fragmented picture.

I have always wished not to live too long, as long as I live that life happily. To look back and find something worthy of appreciation in this short life. And not to look back and find many days, many months, many years of nothing.

After reading that terrifying novel, that security will turn into a desperate prayer to God, and I hope He accepts it :))).

Finished.

This book is truly a masterpiece.

It is not only beautiful in its language and prose but also deeply sad and amazing in its portrayal of life.

I found myself completely engrossed in every page, feeling a profound sense of how vulnerable we all are in this vast and unpredictable world.

It also made me realize that life is constantly evolving and changing, often without us even noticing.

Although I haven't read many books by P Roth, this one has left such a lasting impression on me that I am determined to read all of his works.

He is an incredibly talented and amazing writer who has the ability to touch the hearts and souls of his readers.

I wholeheartedly loved this book and would highly recommend it to everyone.

Whether you are a fan of literature or simply looking for a thought-provoking and emotional read, this book is sure to satisfy.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to experience the magic of P Roth's writing.

I cannot say it was a masterpiece.

But I liked it.

I don't know why before starting to read,

I thought Philip Roth was a closed and complex writer.

But when I started, I was faced with a very simple and fluent text.

The boredom of life and its aimlessness,

and the pains resulting from mistakes

that anyone can make in their life

were well incorporated into the story's narrative

and engaged the reader's mind.

I constantly thought I was reading the modern death of Ivan Ilyich.

The death of someone like everyone else.

4.5
The book was both charming and interesting, yet during the reading, there was always a creepy and bitter feeling accompanying the reader...
The book "One Like All" is about a person who passed away at the age of 71. After describing his funeral ceremony, his mortal life from childhood to the moment of death is narrated. By life, it means different emotions, relationships, mistakes, fears, and regrets.

The book seems simple and is a testament to inevitable old age and death, and it also has a relatively small volume. But the author has managed to convey the emotions of an old and lost person extremely well to the reader in this simple and small-volume book. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that Philip Roth wrote this book at the age of 73.

And two interesting points in the book caught my attention. The first was the title of the book: "One Like All". In my opinion, this title not only engages the reader's mind in relation to this book but also has been a consolation for the 73-year-old author himself! A beautiful metaphor for the doomed fate of mankind, anyone, everyone.

And the second point, which supports the first point, is that the protagonist of the book has no name. Which is also an interesting metaphor. The book is about someone like everyone, someone who has no name, but has positive and negative moral qualities and birth and death. Like everyone.