Impressive, raw, and unmerciful. Roth passes through the sieve of the "American Dream", the very United States, capitalism, communism, anti-communism, human relationships, and the interiors of the psyche. Ira Ringold is a complete character that I will remember for a long time.

This novel takes us on a journey through the complex and often tumultuous landscape of American society and the human condition. Roth's writing is powerful and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the times and the people who lived through them.

The story of Ira Ringold is one of struggle, disappointment, and ultimately, redemption. He is a man who has seen and experienced it all, and yet he still manages to find hope and meaning in the midst of chaos.

Overall, this is a remarkable work of literature that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, sociology, or the human experience.

Le stelle sono indispensabili.

This is the sentence that closes my first reading of a text by Philip Roth. But for me, there are no "stars" capable of briefly indicating how much this book has left me. It was a difficult reading (not so much, or at least, not only because the characters in the edition are small and thus the eyes tire quickly, at my age, of scanning the lines), but mainly because I found myself fighting against the instinct to flee (and really few books have had this effect on me so far!). To resist (I really had to resist!), I told myself: "The sooner you finish it, the better." So I plunged headlong into this American story of the early 20th century, told in six nights by a ninety-year-old English professor to one of his youthful students. The epic of Iron Rinn, the undisputed (?) protagonist (the communist husband mentioned in the title) - and of all those who crowd around him, is perhaps an "excuse" for a text of sociology, anthropology, ideology, American studies, history and historiography, political science, mass media studies. In short, a concentrate of concentrates, in the form of a novel (perhaps also a bit autobiographical?), full of anger, betrayals and vendettas, opportunism, naivety and blindness.

Was all my effort worth it? For the last 10 pages, perhaps.

I admit that I managed to resist also because, among the many Shakespearean quotes, there is also a small verse by Emily Dickinson...

I add the dedication that Ira puts on the copy of Focus that he gives to Nathan:

Nathan, only on very rare occasions do I happen to find a person with whom to have an intelligent conversation. I read a lot, and I believe that the little good that I derive from my readings must be stimulated and take shape in discussions with other people. You are one of these few people. Knowing a young person like you makes me a little less pessimistic about the future. Ira, April 1949.