I could fault Roth for truncating his "Novelist's Autobiography".

It only chronicles his life into his early-thirties, even though he wrote it twenty years later.

He also skims over some episodes like his time in the army, his illnesses, and his erotic adventures, while belaboring others such as his choice of a fraternity and his agonizing years with "Josie".

But Roth is quite capable of upbraiding himself.

In an epilogue-esque "letter" from his alter-ego Nathan Zuckerman, he tears into his creator's chapters.

Roth frankly admits at the start that setting down the details of his early years in New Jersey, his college days in Pennsylvania, and his progression into the literary worlds of Chicago and New York is part of a post-breakdown exercise.

What's not so clear is how many of his "facts" are diminished by omission.

While Roth's chapters are sturdy and fascinating, it's difficult to figure out how his literary genius emerged.

We learn how his preoccupations with anti-Semitism and sex were developed, but not how the artist behind them first discovered his capacity.

Regardless, Roth-as-Zuckerman beats me to the punch in the concluding semi-self-critique, pointing out both the inherent flaws of autobiography and Roth's particular indiscretions.

It's more fun-house mind games and incisive narration from a writer I not only greatly admire but whose works I'm steadily crossing off my list.

(Alternate fact: I'm still three books ahead of my brother Dave in our race through the Roth bibliography.)

This autobiography, which was written when Roth was in his 50's, yet the focus lies on his life during his 30's and 40's. It is almost exactly what one would anticipate if they have perused his early works. This is because Roth is among those writers who draw a significant amount of his material from his own life. He delves into various aspects such as his family, college years, and the early days of his writing career. He also touches upon antisemitism, his relationships, and his conflicts with the orthodox community. His own "facts" might seem rather unremarkable. However, the end of the book, where he introduces his alter ego Zuckerman to dispute these "facts", showcases Roth at his classic comical kvetching best. It is here that the true essence of Roth's unique writing style shines through, captivating the readers with his humorous and yet thought-provoking approach.

In what kind of stories does people transform life, in what kind of lives does people transform stories.

During the reading of an autobiography of this kind, the most appropriate - and at the same time most presumable - question one can ask oneself concerns the presence (and at the same time absence) of an effective concreteness in the facts narrated by the author.

But this is not a commissioned book: no one has commissioned it, no one has ever asked for an autobiography of Roth. At most, such a request had been formulated about thirty years ago by some old Jews who had loudly asked to know more about the boy who wrote that stuff.

Logically speaking, from a Roth biographer, one can only expect an unusual text. And it couldn't be otherwise: the work begins with a letter from the author addressed to his alter-ego Zuckerman, rather cryptic and full of ideas, suitable for approaching The Facts with a bit more awareness.

After the original overture, the tedious biography begins in which the American writer spouts viewpoints (on euphemisms, Jewish tradition, politics and literature) and rather intimate events described meticulously (turbulent relationships, self-hatred, parental relationships and appendicitis problems), originating, in my humble opinion, a prose of considerable heaviness. But in the end, only a meager and reluctant conclusion can be drawn from The Facts: in every book of Roth there is a strong autobiographical component.

In my first student stories, I managed to absorb from Salinger a rather artificial verve and to crib from the young Capote a certain vulnerable delicacy as well as to poorly imitate my titan, Thomas Wolfe, to the point of self-pity and self-exaltation..

Three stars due only to the spark of genius in the photo finish with which Roth managed - in part - to remedy what, for me, has been a disappointment. Perhaps a text of this kind is more suitable for the fans of the writer than for beginners like me; this does not mean that I still have a great desire to deepen this author.

And I agree with Zuckerman when he criticizes Roth and his autobiography with such words: As for characterization, you are, Roth, the least successful of the characters. You have the gift not of impersonating your experience but of personifying it, of incarnating it in the representation of someone who is not yourself.

This is a truly remarkable story.

It is ingenious in that at the end, a long letter from a friend is printed, which explains why the book should not be published.

The story likely takes the reader on an interesting journey, filled with various events and emotions.

The addition of the friend's letter adds an unexpected twist and provides a different perspective.

Perhaps the friend has valid reasons for not wanting the book to see the light of day, or maybe there are hidden secrets or conflicts that are revealed through the letter.

Either way, it makes the story even more engaging and thought-provoking.

One can't help but wonder what would have happened if the book had been published despite the friend's objections.

Would it have been a success? Or would it have caused more problems?

The possibilities are endless, and that's what makes this story so captivating.

Overall, it's a story that leaves a lasting impression and makes the reader eager to know more.

The late Philip Roth's 1988 "novelist's autobiography" THE FACTS is, for the most part, a rather distasteful experience. It comes across as self-indulgent, often inviting a charge of sour grapes. What's more, it is surprisingly flat considering that Roth's novels are typically wildly energetic.

I did find it enjoyable to read that when Roth was in his twenties, a teacher and graduate student at the University of Chicago, he was unable to progress beyond 60 pages in SWANN'S WAY over two successive summers. (I wish I could recall or locate the splendidly conflicted statement Wallace Stegner once made about Proust.)

The most interesting (and shortest) section of the book centers on Roth's problems throughout his career with Jewish readers and organizations that regarded him and his writing as anti-Semitic and "self-hating." After describing a 1962 panel at New York's Yeshiva University where he was attacked, Roth concludes with this: "After an experience like mine at Yeshiva, a writer would have had to be no writer at all to go looking elsewhere for something to write about. My humiliation before the Yeshiva belligerents — indeed, the angry Jewish resistance that I aroused virtually from the start — was the luckiest break I could have had. I was branded."

It is clear that Roth's experiences with these accusations had a profound impact on his writing and his perception of himself as a writer.

Livro lido 3°/Abr//22°/2017

Título: Os fatos - a autobiografia de um romancista

Título original: The Facts - A novelist's autobiography

Autor: Philip Roth (EUA)

Ano de publicação: 1988

Editora: Companhia das Letras

Páginas: 208

Minha classificação: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

_______________________________________________

The formula always works: any good reader who has his list of favorite writers will want to delight in their lives, the details and nuances behind how the books were conceived.

Philip Roth composes my [short] list of essential writers. Just as I did with Machado de Assis -- another essential writer -- of whom I read all the novels and a bunch of short stories and chronicles, I also intend to read all his novels. With the difference that not in the order in which they were published, as I did with the Machadian novels.

While in Machado I delight in the best of Brazilian Realism, with its ironic and dissecting touches of the human soul, in Roth I find a prose of unequaled elegance, whose thorny and not at all pleasant themes such as death, the Jewish question and the very meaning of existence are challenged in wonderful books such as Everyman and Patrimony.

In this The Facts, a generous piece of the personal life of the author of Portnoy's Complaint is presented to us. It ranges from his youth in the Weequahic neighborhood in Newark to showing a Roth already established, but out of a devastating marriage that made his existence hellish much more than just money. It is a revealing book in several aspects. It does not exactly bring what every reader wants to find in a biography of a beloved author, such as the readings he did, where the ideas that conceived the books were drawn from or even banal details that, to some extent, delight the fan-reader. However, you can easily find in The Facts details that make up a large part of the matter treated in his books, mainly regarding his Jewish essence. Roth apparently seeks to have the most Americanized life possible. At no point in his narrative do you see him worried about tradition, habits and requirements with objects related to Judaism. Perhaps for this reason he can, with all propriety, always be questioning his Jewish characters, with their incongruities and dictates.

I really liked learning from this book how the author often comes face to face with his creations. Or even realizes that it is not possible to dissociate one from the other. Many times Roth perceives this duality, or even his inability to create characters with such complex nuances. Notable is the passage where he analyzes the "trick" that his ex-wife played on him by buying a sample of urine from a pregnant black woman and making him believe that he was going to be a father....

Incidentally, it is in the emotional life that the book dwells the most, mainly in the failed marriage he had with Maggie Williams, a disorganized and uncontrollable woman who, in addition to deceiving Roth with a false pregnancy, is his greatest and most terrible jailer for years, until she dies in a car accident. Yes, writers have apparently normal lives.

Roth never disappoints: even when speaking about himself through the mouth of one of his most exquisite characters, Nathan Zuckerman, he reveals a facet that, in my opinion, does not diminish him at all.

Interrupted in the middle of it.

It seems like there was a sudden stop, and there was no way to go back.

At that moment, one might wonder, why bother?

Perhaps if you have a deep love for Roth, then everything might seem perfect.

Roth could be a person, a place, an idea, or something else entirely that holds a special charm for you.

When you love something or someone so deeply, even the interruptions and difficulties might not seem to matter as much.

It's as if that love provides a kind of shield or a source of strength that helps you to persevere.

Maybe in the grand scheme of things, these interruptions are just part of the journey, and they add to the overall experience.

So, even though it was interrupted and couldn't be continued as planned, there might still be a sense of contentment and fulfillment if you truly love Roth.

Who knows what the future holds? Maybe there will be more opportunities to explore and discover the beauty and wonder that lies within that love.

* UPDATED: May 22, 2018: R.I.P., Philip Roth. He never penned an autobiography. There are a couple of biographies available, and Blake Bailey is currently working on another. This is the closest Roth got to writing about "himself":

Up until the final chapter, I was prepared to award 3 stars to this collection of autobiographical essays by novelist Philip Roth. As he reveals in the introduction, he wrote these essays after experiencing a "crack-up" in 1987 and pondering the mortality of his then 80-something father.

In clear and elegant prose, Roth writes about various aspects of his life. He discusses anti-Semitism in his childhood neighbourhood in New Jersey. He shares his journey of finding the right college and fraternity, which might have influenced his career choice (he initially wanted to be a lawyer). He explores how he discovered his identity not only as a Jew but also as an American. He delves into honing his literary tastes and uncovering the power of the pen. He writes about dating, being deceived into marriage by a woman who faked her pregnancy (she is immortalized in his novel My Life As A Man), getting published, considering a career in academia, dealing with accusations of Jewish self-loathing from critics, and finally, the process behind the creation of his breakthrough novel, Portnoy’s Complaint.

All of this is fine, but it's not extraordinary. His mom isn't like Alexander Portnoy's mom? Understood. His dad was proud of his stories, including "Defender Of The Faith," which led to the Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith requesting a meeting with its author? Okay.

The account of his first wife and what happened to her is indeed captivating. But when compared to Roth's finest works? It's a 3-star effort.

And then comes the lengthy final section, "written" by Roth's fictional alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman, as a response to the work we've just read. Zuckerman challenges Roth on the book's balance, its technique, and his motives for writing.

It's a brilliant, dark, clever, and hard-hitting piece of post-modern writing about the act of documenting "the facts." And it elevates my rating to 4 stars.

Some relevant facts that we can see have an impact on certain books, but others are extensively detailed and do not clarify much further. However, it is worth remembering that the book is from 1988 and precedes the late period. Perhaps this is the best of the entire work.

It is interesting to note that the details provided in the book may not always be sufficient to fully understand the subject matter. This could be due to the limitations of the time or the author's own perspective. Nevertheless, the book still holds value as it offers a unique insight into the topic.

Moreover, the fact that it was written in 1988 gives it a certain historical context. It allows us to see how the subject has evolved over time and how our understanding of it has changed. Despite its age, the book can still be relevant today and serve as a starting point for further research and exploration.

Interesting but Confusing


I found it really interesting to gain more insights into his relationship with Josie. However, I始终 couldn't quite figure out what exactly it was about her that accounted for his distress whenever she was around. It seemed rather mysterious and left me scratching my head.

Moreover, the comments made at the end by Zuckerman and his wife were equally bewildering. Their words seemed to hint at something deeper, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It added another layer of confusion to the already complex situation.

Overall, while the story had its interesting aspects, the lack of clarity regarding his feelings for Josie and the puzzling comments at the end made it a bit of a head-scratcher for me. I was left with more questions than answers, which in a way, made it all the more engaging and thought-provoking.

This statement is recommended only for die-hard fans of the author - and for them, it is debatable.

It implies that the content or idea being presented may not be suitable or appealing to everyone.

Only those who are truly dedicated and passionate about the author's work would find it worthy of consideration.

The use of the term "die-hard fans" suggests a high level of loyalty and enthusiasm.

However, even among these fans, there may be differences of opinion and debate.

What one fan may find fascinating and engaging, another may have reservations about.

This highlights the subjective nature of literary appreciation and the importance of individual perspectives.

In conclusion, while the statement may have its merits for a specific group of people, it is not a universal truth and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Few novelists pen autobiographies. However, recently, I delved into Paul Bowles' autobiography. It presents a rather unexpectedly ordinary account of his life, shying away from certain personal topics. Roth commences in a similar vein with his early years in an almost entirely Jewish neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. At times, he focuses on the personalities that left a profound impact on him. But following college, he finds himself ensnared in a rotten relationship and ultimately a marriage, the first of many. That story, which isn't a bad one, evolves into the obsessive subject matter of this book,占据了书中的大部分篇幅. By no means is it the typical tale of a marriage gone awry. In the final part of the book, he psychoanalyzes himself and his relationships, and it's a rather original perspective, I suppose.