He arrived seemingly from nowhere, taking a room in the Kelly family boarding house. It would be fair to say that John Singer is a man who marches to the beat of a different drum. He is a deaf mute who, paradoxically, becomes a sounding board for broken individuals who seek him out to tell him of their hopes and dreams. With listening ears that cannot hear, Singer's calm and understanding gaze provides solace to those who are outraged at social injustices, wrongs that need to be righted. He bears the face of a man who is an old friend, comfortable and kind. What is there about him that draws those who are isolated and misunderstood, the irregular weaves?

A haunting title for a novel that is apt to stay with you and make you think. Where does a person's hope go after it has been irretrievably lost? Well worth reading.

A classic of Southern Gothic literature with a strong wake-up call for anyone willing to listen for it. We become so wrapped up in a tangle of our dreams and insecurities that we can't see when we're draining the life out of the one who is best able to help us reconcile those dreams and insecurities.

Carson McCullers, at the young age of 23, has written a marvel of literary worth. Her ability to put into such eloquence the essence of human nature, is unparalleled. To have such a depth of understanding of such issues as racial inequality, social injustices, and ideological beliefs is truly mesmerizing. Her message resounds still today.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was her debut novel and deals with the themes of isolation and loneliness. McCullers writes about the struggle of 4 disparate people who are trying to seek validation in their lives. They desire companionship and find in John Singer a person that they all believe is the only one who truly understands them.
“Owing to the fact he was a mute they were able to give him all the qualities they wanted him to have.”

Singer is a deaf mute who has lost his companion, a Greek mute name Spiro Antanopolous, when his cousin admits him to an asylum. Singer is distraught by his loss and looks forward to the times when he can take a trip to visit him and bring him gifts. Singer never really knew how much Spiro understood him but it didn’t concern him. He talked and talked to Spiro who was selfish and concerned mainly with his own gratification. Singer said of Spiro:
“The way I need you is a loneliness I cannot bear.”

Biff Brannon is the lonely bartender who is in a loveless marriage. He longs for a family and children of his own and demonstrates an unusual fascination with Mick. Biff is the one character who doesn’t interact with Singer in the way the others do. He is an observer, curious about the puzzle and mystery of John Singer. “He was thinking that in nearly every person there was some special physical part kept always guarded.”


Singer eats 3 meals every day in Biff’s cafe. He is perhaps the most lonely and isolated character because he is unable to communicate with those around him and his world is silent. “People felt themselves watching him even before they knew that there was anything different about him. His eyes made a person think that he heard things nobody else had ever heard, that he knew things no one had ever guessed before. He did not seem quite human.”

However, Jake Blount, the angry and belligerent yet intelligent drunk befriends Singer. Blount has radical Marxist ideas and wrestles with social isolation because of his drunkenness and far-left ideas. “The loneliness in him was so keen that he was filled with terror. Usually he had a pint of bootleg white lightning. He drank the raw liquor and by daylight he was warm and relaxed.”

Doctor Copeland, a black doctor frustrated by the injustices facing his community, faces his own isolation. He is respected in the black community however, he is isolated from his own children who have never believed in his ideas for wanting better for his people. He also comes across as a radical in his Marxist views and desire for justice.
“Sometimes he thought that he had talked so much in the years before to his children and they had understood so little that now there was nothing at all to say.”

Mick Kelly, a 14 year old dreamer and lover of music, has plans and desires to go places in life that do not involve staying in her hometown. She has 4 siblings and lives in a boarding house where Singer also lives. She feels unable to connect with anyone other than her brother Bubber/George.
“Mister Singer reminded her of this music. She wished there was some place where she could go to hum it out loud. Some kind of music was too private to sing in a house cram full of people. It was funny, too, how lonesome a person could be in a crowded house.”

All of these folks are drawn to Singer. They believe that he is the only person who truly understands their loneliness and isolation and feel wholly accepted by him. However, the problem with the communication among these folks and Singer is that it is a one way street. There isn't true conversation, back and forth expression of ideas and discussion. It is only an expression of ideas from one side and Singer chooses not to speak and only listen. Despite the bleak and somber tone throughout, McCullers leaves readers with a smidgen of hope for at least two of its characters.

This poignant and powerful novel portrays people who lead very different lives but share the same underlying loneliness. Each one is searching, but no one is finding:

- A poor teenage girl who is blocked trying to express her artistic talents

- A wannabe activist for the poor who is constantly stymied in his desire to help

- A black doctor who is unable to leverage his knowledge and abilities to advance his family and race

- A local restaurant owner who befriends but always fails to really connect with anyone

_ And finally the deaf mute they all pin their hopes on who is the loneliest of them all.

Like the intricate parts of a fine watch these characters’ stories work together to deliver a potent message of the search of the human heart for love, friendship and companionship. McCullers is extremely gifted offering us simple, direct prose that never seems trivial and is deeply insightful. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is not just an extraordinary book because the author was 23 years old when it was published. This book would be a masterpiece for any author of any level of maturity and ability. Highly recommended for everyone with a heart.

Storytelling of the highest order, characters that pull at the heart strings, and a moment of intense sadness that really hits you, McCullers has a written a novel I will never forget. the sympathy I felt for poor old Mr Singer was off the scale, a sweet and caring gentleman but who is also fragile minded, has a yearning for those close to him including the tom-boyish Mick who is trying to grow up too fast and wonders what the future will hold for her. Tingled with a sadness and longing that leaves a lump in the throat, where everything is carried along with a deep reflection of times gone by when things were a struggle for everyday folk in small town america. The fact Carson McCullers was in her early 20's when this was written shows a maturity beyond her years. Unforgettable, and cause of much heartache.

How can the dead be truly dead when they still live in the souls of those who are left behind?

¡Qué decir de este libro! Un clásico a la altura de To Kill a Mockingbird. De hecho, para mí, superior. A todos aquellos que disfrutaron el libro de Harper Lee les digo que The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter los va a dejar maravillados.

Este libro trata sobre sus personajes, sobre lo que son, lo que sufren, lo que viven, lo que pierden e intentan dar. Los ignorados, los escuchados, los que pelean batallas internas mientras le sonríen al día, los solitarios, los que conservan la esperanza como su bien más preciado; los que buscan el amor y cuando lo creen atrapar se les escurre de las manos, los que gritan con el corazón y no con la boca, los que saben demasiado y el conocimiento los supera; todos ellos son los protagonistas del baile que organizó Carson McCullers. Todos ellos son los danzantes que tratan de evadir la soledad en lugares poblados sin saber que la soledad agrieta el alma con sus raíces cuando ningún rostro que se ve es el que se quiere encontrar.

The Heart is a lonely hunter with only one desire. To find some lasting comfort in the arms of anothers fire...driven by a desperate hunger to the arms of a neon light, the heart is a lonely hunter when there's no sign of love in sight.

Párrafo aparte para el eje del relato: John Singer. John Singer, aquel sordo que escucha a todo el mundo. John Singer, aquel mudo que no habla pero siempre entiende. Aquel que yace en un pueblo como una especie de ente etéreo, una clase de dios que mira a los ojos y no pide que se arrodillen ante él. Aquel que agoniza por sus propios tormentos a la vez que debe complacer a quienes asumen su silencio como una respuesta inequívocamente perfecta. Aquel que se preocupa por todos pero que no tiene a nadie que se preocupe por él. Pocas veces leí sobre un personaje tan bien desarrollado, tan complejo y tan bien meticulosamente armado. Soberbio el trabajo que se tomó la autora para crear a una persona que sea capaz de sobrepasar los límites de la narrativa para sentarse al lado del lector como un espectro que refleja lo más desolado de su ser.

Carson McCullers evokes this complex South, social misery, and racial segregation, in which violence sometimes explodes unexpectedly. Her view of the world is pessimistic. Their characters struggle in desperate battles, which have no way out.
It's a great novel, very well constructed, based on small facts, heroes of a complex daily life, which speaks to us of many things: the end of childhood, the difficulty of an era, impossible dreams, and shameful loves.
That's an essential author, a novel that leaves you wondering for a moment.

إلى الفتاة التي كانت تنزل من تروللي 44 مع بداية أغنية حاول تفتكرني في بلكونة الكيت كات
مع رضا كنت أتحدث، سألتني: "هل تجد نفسك داخل الروايات في صورة شخصية محددة؟ أو موزع بين الشخصيات؟ أو لديك قناعة مسبقة
أن هذا العالم بمعزل عنك وأنه وحده في كماله الذي تنقصه القراءة
وفي جماله الذي ينتظر ذاكرة تنصب فيها أنهاره؟ سألتني فسرحت في كلامها بمعنى الكلمة
ليس في الصور المختلفة التي طرحتها إنما في حضورها وصوتها ورواية بداخلها تتمنى أن تكتبها يوما
قلت لها: أعايش المؤلف، يصعب عليّ ذاك الإنسان الذي شغل نفسه بعالم دقيق جميل متسق لابد أن يكتمل، لابد أن يرحل فيه من يرحل، ويتألم فيه من
يتألم، ويتكلّم فيه كثيرون، كل منهم له فكره وتصوراته وأحلامه التي قد يحققها وقد تظل معلقة بخيوط فجر نائم بين السطور
تقول لي: "كأن المؤلف نهر، يتدفق مداده في ضفاف الأوراق." أتذكر نصا كتبناه معا

الأنهار في الجسد شريان
وفي الدنيا أكوان
وفي الحضارات أوطان
وفي المشاعر أوتار لأفراح وأحزان
وفي الصفحات نوافذ نرى منها أحبابا ليس لهم عنوان
ننزل مياه السرد لا نخشى من الغرق
تأخذنا مراكب الورق
نرى فيها من عبر ومن احترق
ويظل معنا من صدق

​ جميل أن تجد الأشياء في أماكن دقيقة، فهناك الراوي الذي وضعها بعناية لتلمسها حواسك
لتكون رموزا تشغل فكرك بالعالم الشاسع الذي يتجمّع كقطع معدنية يلقطها مغناطيس مشحون
بصمت حائر ينطق في داخل إنسان فتح مطعما على الطريق وأخذ يستقبل الوافدين
الذين يتحدثون كثيرا ولديهم حسرات على الخطاب الصاخب الذي يضيع سدى
ويودّع الراحلين الذين لم تصل أفكارهم وعواطفهم أبدا لمن حولهم
مثلما تتردد في عالمهم البعيد الغريب الذي مازال يتشكّل في
مساحات رمادية ضبابها لا يفتح نوافذه لشموس المعاجم
الوضوح لا يفسّر غموض الحياة
وسنجر الذي لا يغني لنا
صوتنا الأبكم هو
نظن أن صوتنا يصل لمن حولنا وهو على مسافة بيانية لا تتيح له أن يفهم ما يؤرقنا
كل شخصية تتخيّل أن سنجر موسيقى تصويرية لكلماتها التي تقولها بصخب
أو لا تستطيع التعبير عنها في انتظار أن تكشف لها الحياة عن الغاية
الجدار يا صديقي أمامنا يحجز عنا المعنى، والصوت ضائع
في الصخب وهوة الاغتراب في عيون كالسراب
الشخصيات والأماكن والكدح والحلم
ولحظة التواصل المفعمة بالأمل
ولحظة فراق تؤجل الكلام
كي يولد في أغنية
بلا قافية
رصاصته الوحيدة المكتومة في قلبه المعذب بفقد رفيق لم يقل يوما كلمة
وستائر المقهى ترتفع في انتظار العابرين الجدد فهناك صفحات لهم
في فؤاد مستقر في شروده يكتب قصتهم حين يتهجى ملامحهم
وهو يضع لهم وجبة الصغيرة ومشروبا وبعض الحلوى
سيتركونه ويغادرون خلف أحلام تنمو بوهن
وسيأتي سنجر آخر يصمت يسمعنا مضطرا
أو ميك بريئة قوية تخرج من طفولتها لتسكن لوحة الفتاة الجميلة التي
تجد في موتسارت إلهاما لأغنية قد تكملها في رواية اسمها
وتتخذ لنفسها داخلها اسما يشبه اسمها
أيا كان لونه ولسانه ومذهبه وشخصيته المنفعلة الهادرة أو الساكنة الرزينة
الإنسان هو الكائن الذي يقول كثيرا، وتسقط كلماته في بالوعة المدينة
والكلمات كأمواج بحر مالح تزيد الناس عطشا
فيبحثون عن المقهى المفتوح طوال الليل لأن شخصية غريبة في مكانها
تقاوم وحدتها الأبدية حين تقرأ وجوه العابرين
استعادت ماكولرز تكوينها في شخصية ميك
كأنها معهم ومعنا ومع السرد الذي تكتبه بضمير الغائب ووعي الحاضرين
الرواية حروف متناثرة في مخيّلة سنجر الصامت الذي يكتب فقط
ويظل بيف رمزا لهوية المغترب، وهو يستقبلهم بمقهاه الصغير
ويلاحظهم بمودة خالصة لا أغراض فيها
سوى أن يجد محبة عند أحدهم حتى لو لم يبح بها
ينزلون في قصر أشواقه فيتجاوز بهم وحدته
العبور من الطفولة للمراهقة مرحلة ثرية لها نماذج تكوينية معبّرة بخاصة ميك وجورج
نضال المثقف ضد العنصرية والتخلّف له نموذجه في الطبيب اليساري
الموسيقى لها سلمها المتصاعد طوال السرد
وسنجر الأبكم يهديها لهم وتستلمها منه ميك
مع كل الجدل والدجل والألم
يظل الأمل في إشراق جديد من سحر يستسلم لفجر جديد
مع كل نفايات المدينة يولد الشعر والنقاء
جميل في الترجمة أن تحافظ على لعبة الحروف في لغة مغايرة
أتمنى أن يشير المترجمون للترجمات السابقة حتى لو نفدت أو لم يعثروا عليها

Timeless

A beautifully written timeless novel. A classic of American literature. It will stay with you for a very long time after you finish reading it.

(review to be inserted here)


(Second reading, Dec. 2021)
I was thinking about what I planned to write but now I'm totally distracted. I hate what I wrote after my first reading. Anyways, this book is amazing to me. There's something about Singer. The development of Blount via Singer stuck out more during this second read. I was hoping to better understand the book, in both structure and content, and I'm really glad I spent time with these characters again.

Maybe I'll attempt a review after the third reading. Unrelated: I wonder what it was like to hang out with Ms. McCullers in the years around this publishing. Writing this at 23 is totally (insert your own adjective for emphasis).

I read it on Kindle the first time and on a hard copy the second time. If you love a book - buy a hard copy if you don't have one. This is not an opinion I hold, this is a universal truth of how things should be done. I will debate you on this topic if necessary. You better bring your army, too.


(First reading, May 2021)
I finished this book about 2 or 3 days ago. I had never heard of it, though the title sounds familiar...it sounds like it could be an album title. (A great L.A. band, Failure, has an album called "The Heart is a Monster").

After reading a quick summary blurb and learning that the author was 23, I just dove in.

At first, the writing did not catch my attention. If anything, I thought it felt a little "hazy" at first, but that might've been the characters taking shape in my head. The way McCullers weaves between character voices and maintains a thread of stark rawness is quite beautiful. The writing becomes a smooth buzz, a sunny afternoon with a cool breeze. It’s there with you for at least the moment.

It took me a few days to mark the book finished, as I wanted to write some initial thoughts in temporary place of a review.

Those few days of reflection have helped me understand that this book is pretty high on my list after one read. I'm not entirely sure what that means, I'm sure it's not my #1, all time favorite book on planet earth - but still, there's something special about how it's stayed with me.

For now, I'm speechless.

From the first line, "In the town there were two mutes, and they were always together," this book sings a melancholy song. I have re-read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter several times, and each time I see a new vantage. I often say that we lean on words because they are what make us human, and this book shows how important words can be. The Deaf know this. They know the loneliness of the crowd. And McCullers, with her two characters who start the book - the two mutes - softly pushes to an understanding of a sad silence that at times all of us have experienced, and some must live with.
A beautiful, beautiful book.

3.5 stars

The heart is a lonely hunter was one of those books you keep coming across on books lists over the years and it always piqued my interest and yet I never got around to reading it until now.

Written in 1940 by Carson McCullers and set in a small Southern town in America.

A character driven novel that highlights the loneliness of it's main characters and the racial injustices of the time.

I was really surprised to learn that the author was a 23 year old girl at the time she wrote this novel as her writing had a wealth of experience normally seen in someone older.

I really enjoyed the read but on conclusion could easily have started the book from page one again in order to to get a better understanding of the novel and it's characters. The book is really well written and the characters very intriguing if not a little unbelievable in their actions at times and while some characters are very well developed I was disappointed by the lack of development in others.
I was disappointed with the ending of the book as I felt I had more questions than answers.

I think this novel would work really well as a book club read as there is much character discussion in this one. I read this as a buddy read and was delighted to get the opportunity to finally read this much loved novel.