Saul Bellow's American masterpiece The Adventures of Augie March
Includes:: an introduction by Christopher Hitchens in Penguin Modern Classics A penniless & parentless Chicago boy growing up in the Great Depression Augie March drifts through life latching on to a wild succession of occupations including butler thief dog-washer sailor & salesman He is a 'born recruit' easily influenced by others who try to mould his destiny Not until he tangles with the glamorous Thea a huntress with a trained eagle can he attempt to break free A modern day everyman on an odyssey in search of reality & identity Augie March is the star of star performer in a richly observed human variety show a modern-day Columbus in search of reality & fulfilment Saul Bellow (1915-2005) was a Canadian-born American writer who enjoyed a dazzling career as a novelist marked with numerous literary prizes including the Pulitzer Prize & the Nobel Prize for Literature His books include The Adventures of Augie March Herzog More Die of Heartbreak Mosby's Memoirs & Other Stories Mr Sammler's Planet Seize The Day & The Victim If you enjoyed The Adventures of Augie March you might like John Updike's Rabbit Run also available in Penguin Classics' The Adventures of Augie March is the Great American Novel Search no further' Martin Amis Guardian' Funny poignant crowded with carnivalesque types & yet narrated by a voice that is lonely & simple it is Bellow's fat comic masterpiece' Observer