Nasturtium – Tropaeolum

by | Dec 19, 2023 | Nasturium

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The Actual is a 1997 novella by the American author Saul Bellow.

Plot synopsis

Like most of Bellow's fiction, the story centers on the lives of a group of passionate and anxious people living in Chicago. Harry Trellman has formed a friendship with the fabulously wealthy Sigmund Adletsky. Sigmund aims to bring Harry together with Harry's childhood sweetheart, Amy Wustrin.

Reception

Publishers Weekly called it "(a) kind of an affectionate, latter-day 'Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock", in which "plot (is) secondary".[1] Kirkus Reviews considered it to be "witty" and "sharp", with "vividly sketched characters" but "perfunctory" plotting.[2] In the Guardian, Martin Amis called it "scrupulously written".[3]

References

  1. ^ The Actual, reviewed at Publishers Weekly; published April 28 1997; retrieved December 9, 2018
  2. ^ The Actual, reviewed at Kirkus Reviews; published March 1, 1997; archived online May 20, 1997; retrieved December 9, 2018
  3. ^ "Don't call him mellow Bellow". the Guardian. 1997-08-17. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
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