A great American novelist dies
Philip Roth: A Life Recalled
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Culture That Time Donald Trump Boasted Of Reading Philip Roth
Among his fans, the late Philip Roth boasted Zadie Smith, Saul Bellow, the Library of America, and just about every awards committee save for the one named after Alfred Nobel. Roth could also have counted two presidents who enjoyed his work; Barack Obama, who awarded Roth with the National Humanities Medal, and, apparently, Donald Trump….
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Culture How Philip Roth Won the Battle for the Jews
In October 2016, author and essayist Anne Roiphe sung the praises of “The Conversion of the Jews,” a story from Philip Roth’s 1959 book “Goodbye, Columbus.” Upon hearing of Roth’s death, she writes: “Ah Phillip… the counter feminist gremlin of our time… Yes, you were a king of comedy. Yes, you saw right through the…
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Food What Philip Roth Taught Us About The Jewish Appetite, Liver And Beyond
“So. Now you know the worst thing I have ever done. I fucked my own family’s dinner,” Philip Roth famously wrote in Portnoy’s Complaint, a line that remains, decades later, as compelling as the first time I read it. It was the idea of food as sex as solo activity as sustenance. There was an…
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Culture Philip Roth’s Newark Still Exists — If You Know Where To Look
On Philip Roth’s 80th birthday, a group of the author’s most fervent fans boarded a tour bus in Newark, New Jersey, Roth’s hometown and the site of many of his novels. Stops included Weequahic High, where Roth graduated from High School, and one of Roth’s childhood homes. The tour gathered a far-flung set of Roth…
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Culture Writers Remember Philip Roth: ‘The Planet Weighs So Much Less Without His Words’
Yesterday, at the age of 85, Philip Roth passed away. Roth was a titan of American letters, but his influence spread past his native shores. His death made headlines across the world, and his obituary appeared on the front page of Le Monde, France’s pre-eminent newspaper. But the most touching tributes to the decorated novelist,…
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Culture Philip Roth Dies, And Part Of Our America Dies With Him
I’m moving again and my books are packed up and sealed in boxes. Just two days ago I took all the Roth books down from my highest shelf: The first edition of “Portnoy’s Complaint,” the first book I gave to my boyfriend, now my husband, twenty years ago at the Shark Bar in Soho; “American…
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Culture Philip Roth’s Legacy, In Their Words
Philip Roth passed away on May 22, 2018, aged 85. For his 85th birthday, on March 19, Talya Zax had collected the thoughts of writers and politicians about Roth’s astonishing achievements. They stand as testament to his work, even on this, sadder, milestone. -Editors In 1981, Philip Roth gave a now-famous description of his experience…
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Fast Forward Philip Roth, Great American Novelist, Is Dead At 85
(JTA) — Philip Roth, whose notorious novels about the sex drives of American men gave way to some of the most probing examinations of the American Jewish condition in the 20th and 21st centuries, has died. He was 85. His death was confirmed to The New York Times by his friend, Judith Thurman. Early in…
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