About
Philip Roth, born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1933, is one of the major American novelists of the 20th century. A graduate of Bucknell and the University of Chicago, he achieved critical success with his first collection, Goodbye, Columbus (1959), and then enormous public success with Portnoy's Complaint (1969). His work explores Jewish and American identities, sexuality, aging, and politics. He received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral (1997) and the Man Booker International Prize (2011). He created the alter ego Nathan Zuckerman, narrator of nine novels. He died in 2018.
* 1933-03-19 — † 2018-05-22
Major works
- Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories (1959)short story collection
- Portnoy's Complaint (1969)novel
- American Pastoral (1997)novel
- The Human Stain (2000)novel
- Nemesis (2010)novel
Key milestones
- 1960Wins the National Book Award for Goodbye, Columbus.
- 1997Wins the Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral.
- 2011Wins the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement.
Themes
Jewish American identitySexuality and desireAging and mortalityAmerican politics and societyLiterary alter ego
Sources: read.gov · pbs.org · nationalbook.org
