E.L. Doctorow was completely unknown to me until my local bookstore owner highly recommended him to me. He specifically mentioned Ragtime as a great place to start. So, I'm truly grateful to Brian from Marrowbone Books for this excellent suggestion.

The story is set in New Rochelle, New York, at the dawn of the 20th century, mainly centering around one prosperous family. Father owns a thriving flags and fireworks business. At one point, he embarks on Robert Peary's expedition to reach the North Pole. However, upon his return, he struggles to restore a normal relationship with his wife. Mother's Younger Brother is an unhappy individual with a talent for designing elaborate fireworks. He becomes infatuated with the socialite Evelyn Nesbit and spends most of his time trailing after her. One day, the family takes in Sarah, a depressed black girl, and her baby. Coalhouse Walker, the child's father, starts visiting every Sunday, even though Sarah refuses to see him. The introduction of this young man will have profound consequences for the household and the city as a whole.

One aspect I adored about the book is how real-life figures are seamlessly integrated into the narrative. Harry Houdini plays a crucial role, and Doctorow does an outstanding job of elucidating the motivation behind his death-defying stunts. The financier J.P. Morgan also makes an appearance and has a captivating conversation with Henry Ford. Other cameos include Sigmund Freud, Emiliano Zapata, and Archduke Franz Ferdinand - you never know who might pop up next.

Ragtime vividly brings 1900s America to life in a spectacular manner. It's an evocative, page-turning portrayal of an exciting era in US history, and I can understand why it has been lauded as a classic. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading more from the esteemed Mr Doctorow, and I'll definitely be bothering my reliable bookseller for more recommendations.

A Strange Historical Puzzle

An extremely humorous satire

A coherent and unified text

A very good translation

!And some unforgettable paragraphs

P.S. The copy that I read is related to Zahra Minaei.

I bought it for her myself and wrote the longest dedication in the world for her first...

On the 20th of Bahman 1386

That era...

In 2018, I read what was undoubtedly the best book.

I didn't even see anyone around talking about this book. Everyone might have read it and maybe they are keeping it to themselves, I don't know. But really, it's a book that one can take, press to one's chest, wrap in cotton, and hang in the nicest corner of the house! It's a wonder in terms of the element of curiosity. I didn't even know the author. We really need to read more from him. Of course, one of the reasons this book is so beautiful is the translator, Tomris Uyar Hanımefendi. What a beautiful, what a heartfelt translation it is.

The effect the book had on me was similar to this: In Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi, there is a scene where after the whole film is over, the entire crew turns into a group. Well, this book is the raw form of that group. From beginning to end, the book is like that. Our author, with a jazz expression, has done a jam session on his own. Amazingly, without even noticing the transitions in between...

And a little reminder! At the time, Can Publishers published this book under the title "Caz Dönemi" (Jazz Era) by translating Ragtime. "Caz Dönemi" does not exactly express Ragtime. Ragtime is only the beginning period of jazz. I think someone later reminded the YKY about this, and they thought it was appropriate to leave Ragtime in its original form. I also think they did the right thing.

This is precisely the kind of historical novel that I have a penchant for.

There were numerous real individuals with minor roles or cameo appearances, such as J.P Morgan and Henry Ford, who served as a backdrop for unnamed fictional characters.

The true essence of the story lay in these fictional characters.

The major plot point revolved around one Coalhouse Walker, Jr., for whom a Google search yields only references to this novel.

Whether he was real or not, ultimately, I determined that it didn't matter to me.

The other major characters seemed to be composites and emblematic of the era in which the novel is set.

I had the distinct impression that I was watching a movie during the first third of this book.

It wasn't so much that Doctorow painted such vivid word pictures, but rather that he created moods with just the right words, compelling me to supply the scenery and observe the characters.

It was largely a silent movie. In fact, there was very little dialogue throughout the book.

This was a solid 4-star read. Another first-of-this-author for me, and an author whom I am delighted to add to my expanding list of authors of interest.

Ragtime is a remarkable novel that takes readers on a journey through a significant period in American history.

\\n  “It is not a novel about ragtime but a novel in ragtime.” (John Brooks)\\n
The story is set mainly between New Rochelle and New York from the early 1900s to the start of World War I.

The musical genre of ragtime, which originated among African Americans in Saint Louis and New Orleans and arrived in New York by the late 1800s, provided the backdrop for the local and nightlife sounds of the city.

It had an extraordinary spread in the first two decades of the 20th century and paved the way for jazz. For example, the sheet music of Scott Joplin's “Maple Leaf Rag” sold a million copies in 1899.

Doctorow's magic lies in his ability to describe the vibrant atmosphere of those years of radical social change in America and the world. He seamlessly weaves the lives of real and fictional characters, making it nearly impossible to distinguish between real and invented episodes.

Characters like Mamma, Papà, the younger brother of Mamma, the child, Sarah, the ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker, and his unquenchable thirst for justice, coexist with historical figures such as Emma Goldman, Robert Peary, James Sherman, Pierpont Morgan, Booker T. Washington, Henry Ford, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Sigmund Freud, and the magician Houdini.

In 1975, John Brooks wrote in his review on the Chicago Tribune that “Ragtime” is not a novel about ragtime music but one inspired by it and suffused with its mood and rhythms.

The novel won several awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the American Academy of Arts and Letters award between 1975 and 1976.

In 1981, a film of the same name directed by Milos Forman was released, with a ragtime soundtrack.

In 2010, TIME included “Ragtime” among the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923.

I first discovered Doctorow through “The March,” where he tells the story of General Sherman's “March to the Sea” during the Civil War. I greatly admired his style and the way he presented events through the eyes of ordinary people. With “Ragtime,” my admiration is complete.

If you ever feel like reading it, do so while listening to this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDkd9b...

I tried all my efforts but I couldn't bring it to an end!

Two stars for excellent translation, with a different theme and narrative style.

It seems that despite my best attempts, I was unable to complete this task successfully.

The translation was supposed to have an excellent quality, presenting a distinct theme and narrative style.

Perhaps there were some challenges or difficulties that I encountered along the way, which prevented me from achieving the desired outcome.

Nevertheless, I will continue to strive and learn from this experience to improve my skills in the future.

Maybe next time, I will be able to overcome the obstacles and produce a more satisfactory result.

Until then, I will keep working hard and not give up easily.

The dust jacket on my copy read:

"It is a novel so original, so full of imagination and subtle pleasure, that to describe it further would only dilute the pure joy of reading it. Turn to the first page. Begin. You will never have read anything like _Ragtime_ before. Nothing quite like it has ever been written before."

I initially thought this must be a huge exaggeration. However, after I read the book, I realized that it was completely the truth.

It masterfully blends historical personages with central characters who are simply named as "Father", "Mother's Younger brother", and "the little boy in the sailor suit", yet they are brought to life in amazing detail.

It's an amazing read, told in prose that is both sweeping and breathless. Indeed, it reads like a piece of music, captivating the reader from start to finish.

The unique combination of historical elements and fictional characters creates a world that is both familiar and yet completely new.

_Ragtime_ truly lives up to the praise on its dust jacket and is a must-read for anyone who loves literature that pushes the boundaries of imagination and storytelling.

I had programmed to read this book during the 92nd Fajr Film Festival and at the times when I was only waiting for the start of the film in the cinema lab. I had calculated that if I read 20 to 30 pages a night, I would finish the book within eleven days of the festival. But it was finished by the fourth day! I don't remember ever finishing a 300-page book this fast.

The Ragtime has a very readable story that is woven into the fabric of American history in the early 20th century. Doctorow has blended reality and imagination in an extraordinarily artistic way, and the result is a very fluid story with charming and lovable characters.

Although The Ragtime has many characters that may seem unrelated and scattered at first, Doctorow, with a less-seen skill, connects them and adds real characters like Henry Ford and Harry Houdini to the story without sacrificing the taste of the reader and also pairs them with the fictional characters.

The main narrative trick of this novel is the integration of the external reality and historical characters with the fictional reality.

The fictional space has been filled and complicated by historical and non-historical, main and secondary, political and non-political characters.

The historical and fictional events in this novel are so skillfully intertwined that in the end, it casts doubt on the historical truth.

Characters like Old Man Morgan, Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Harry K. Thaw, Evelyn Nesbit, and Robert Peary are those who have a historical identity and have played roles in this story.

In contrast to these historical characters, there are anonymous and unknown characters who bear the main burden of the narrative; characters who are mostly nameless and identityless in the fabric of the story and are remembered by titles like "father", "mother", "son", and "little brother".

In other words, the interesting and astonishing point of this story is that its heroes are nameless and unknown.

The attention given to numerous and detailed characters until the middle of the story is also a predominant feature of this work, and the reader still cannot correctly identify and understand the main focus of the narrative.

From the middle of the story, the center of the narrative becomes a dark-skinned, oppressed character who stands up against the tyrannies and injustices that have been done to him and is martyred until he gains a martyr's glory from the atrocities.

In my opinion, in terms of the narrative style, the brilliant part of the story starts from here and is related to the oppressions of the dark-skinned family and the subsequent persistent struggle to obtain the rights that have been trampled upon.

The desire for freedom and the effort to uphold justice, eliminate racism and racial discrimination are the main messages of this story.

The remaining parts of the novel seem redundant in many places and have no direct connection with this part of the story and at least with the lives of the main characters of the story; although there are also stunning beauties to be seen in those parts.

The narrative style in the places where it deals with the main characters and the basic events of the narrative has a brilliant and powerful attraction; but in some parts, especially in the later parts, it remains in a dry and harsh historical style, and not a bit of the fictional attractiveness can be found in it.

In general, it must be said that the overall space of the novel "Ragtime" with all its characteristics is an indicator of a period of the troubled history of America with a harsh and critical gaze and in some places full of satire and irony.

The confrontation and opposition of issues such as capitalism and socialism, white and black, and other aspects of Western life are prominently presented in this work and are full of scathing criticisms.

E.L. Doctorow's hybrid novel Ragtime is a remarkable work that I vividly remembered enjoying in the late 1970s. When a library book group recently selected it for discussion, I was overjoyed to revisit this literary gem.

A particular kind of music can serve as a powerful metaphor for an age, and this is especially true of Ragtime music within Doctorow's novel.

While Ragtime blurs the boundaries between fiction and history/non-fiction, it does so in an inventive and fascinating way. It involves a masterfully orchestrated confluence of characters, some of whom only meet fictitiously, and a compression of events in American history, all presented in a highly compelling manner.

To be certain, many of the characters did exist and are portrayed with a fair degree of accuracy. Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, Admiral Peary, Emma Goldman, Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, and J.P. Morgan are among them.

Some other characters are composites, such as "Tateh," a poor Yiddish peddler and his young, dark daughter. Initially, he seems to struggle in his adopted country. However, he later embellishes his past and uses his imagination to reinvent himself, captivating his new countrymen. This illustrates that in some cases, it is less important where an immigrant is from and who he was previously than what he or she becomes after arriving in America and being processed at Ellis Island.

There is also "Coalhouse Walker," a black musician who is mistreated and eventually becomes a violent leader of other young black men with an anarchist bent. In one of the more memorable pairings, Emma Goldman meets Evelyn Nesbit, whose husband has murdered the renowned architect Stanford White, for whom Nesbit was the mistress. Goldman and Nesbit form a quick bond, with Goldman declaring, "our spirits touch each other like notes in harmony and we are sisters."

Frequently, the oppositional characters are either socialists or anarchists, both opposing the moneyed class of the Gilded Age in New York, a time when "the world was for the few and for the very few."

Ragtime superbly captures the tension between the classes and, in the case of Coalhouse Walker, a gifted Jazz musician in Harlem, the tension between races as well. The extreme mistreatment of Walker leads him to form a Negro militia in an attempt at redress, declaring himself the head of a "provisional American government." Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan admires Henry Ford, seeing in him "a lust for order as imperial as his own."

Morgan's attempt to enlist Ford in support of a grand voyage to ancient Egypt to participate in the reincarnation of the pharaohs fails, in part because both powerful figures are entrenched in different worlds and fail to understand each other's language.

And speaking of language, here is an example of Emma Goldman speaking to Evelyn Nesbit. Goldman views Nesbit as a clever prostitute but also as a woman in need of redemption. She says, "Why, I thought, should I feel such a strong sisterhood with this woman? After all, I have never accepted servitude. I have been free and have fought all my life to be free. And I have never taken a man to bed without loving him, without taking him in love as a human being, his equal, giving and taking in equal portions in love and freedom. I've loved more men than you have and it would shock you to know how free I've been and in what freedom I've lived my life. Because like all whores you value propriety. You are a creature of capitalism, the ethics of which are so totally corrupt and hypocritical that your beauty is no more than the beauty of gold, which is to say false and cold and useless."

Critic Bruce Weber noted that Doctorow was "subtly subversive in his fiction but less so in his political writing. He continually upended expectations with a cocktail of fiction and fact, remixed in book after book, with clever and substantive manipulations of popular genres and with his storytelling strategies."

I thoroughly enjoyed rereading Ragtime and recalled meeting the author in 1984 at a small, now-defunct bookstore. He read from and signed copies of his just-released book, The Lives of the Poets: A Novella & 6 Stories. When asked if the characters in Ragtime had actually met in "real time," he flicked an ash from his cigarette, smiled, and said: "They have now." Amen.

*Within my review are 2 photo images of E.L. Doctorow, the 2nd standing between Susan Sontag and Edward Albee; Emma Goldman, called "the high priestess of the reds" preaching in NYC; + a quote from the author.

Ragtime music is full of noise, excitement, and cheerfulness, and African Americans were the source of it. The ragtime player (usually the piano) plays the pieces with a fast rhythm. Generally, the pianist uses the bass notes as the musical foundation, which are played throughout the piece.

Ragtime music reached its peak between 1895 and 1910 and was later replaced by jazz and rock and roll.

If you are familiar with these descriptions, you will also be familiar with Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. It has a fast and fleeting rhythm. There are jumps from one story to another. It is full of characters who have their own stories. It is set in the early 20th century in America, a time of economic growth, the anarchist movement against capitalism, discrimination against African Americans, the beginning of World War I, child labor, the plundering of the treasures of the Third World countries, the era of inventions and discoveries, and a large number of historical figures who are tightly bound by Doctorow and form an exciting and noisy story.

Another feature of this book is that Doctorow pays less attention to the inner world of the characters, and we mainly see a vivid description of events and incidents throughout the book, which somewhat reminds people of history.

This book is attractive and keeps people engaged until the end. And of course, the excellent translation by Najaf Darya Bandari.

Appendix: Some points that I found interesting. The cultural and economic differences that existed in America at that time. An American who is proud of his industrial production and hears the news of an invention every day from a corner of the country, but is faced with cultural problems that seem difficult to solve quickly.

And this question comes to mind: Is cultural development ahead of economic development?

Footnote: I admit that one of the reasons I read this book was an attractive melody created by the combination of the book's name and the author's name. Like this: "Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow".

Ragtime, set in the early 20th century in an America that was still evolving, presents a vivid tableau. The "Americans" are a diverse lot, from the newly rich and stylish city dwellers to the impoverished immigrants and the socialists and anarchists fighting for their rights. All of this is jumbled together in a frenzied rush for wealth, widespread self-satisfaction, and blatant racism, set to the wild syncopated rhythm of ragtime music.

Doctorow's style demands concentration and attention to detail. The action often jumps around, but the fates of his characters are strongly intertwined.

I like how he has crafted the images of almost all the main characters, with the exception of the Father.

J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford are portrayed as the most eccentric types in the book, and the author's fine sense of humor does not spare them at all! Houdini is also presented interestingly.

Only a person born and raised in a racist society could have the audacity to pass off a black man who doesn't know he's black and isn't bothered by anything related to his origin! And yet, this talented musician has surpassed his time.

I give one star less because of the ending of this short novel, which didn't satisfy me at all!

"Ragtime" turned out to be a wonderful gift from a loved one for my birthday!

P.S. The book's body and paper in this edition are perfect - it was printed in Germany.

Unfortunately, the translation was done before 1990 and shows its age. For example, there is a description of a Yankees baseball game - it was a real pain to read the completely inaccurate description and terms used by the translator. They should have bothered to correct the text more, but considering that this series is mainly aimed at non-readers, it's not surprising that they didn't see fit to pay for updating parts of the book...