Philip Roth, 1933-2018

[badinage]

Philip Roth? Here?

Yes.

Because it’s too important a moment not to.

Also because I figure there are some ferociously well-read people here, and it would be fun to compare notes, talk favorites, commiserate.

[Ruzious]

I have no Complaint... so to speak. I wish I was one of the well-read - I've read a lot of Joseph Heller but very little that I remember of Phillip Roth.

[payitforward]

Many people who knew him thought he was a complete a$$h0le. His first book, Goodbye Columbus, was quite original. I liked his 2d book in some ways (was it called "Being There" --??). Portnoy's Complaint sealed the casket for me.

The fact that I was alive when those books came out will date me.

Later I met & became friends with the person who was the young woman in Goodbye Columbus. She hated him to be sure.

But my favorite story about Philip Roth doesn't involve him in any direct way. I was sitting talking with (edited out...) in his office at the U of (edited out...) one afternoon about the time PC came out when he looked up and straight-faced said to me: "What hath Roth got?" I cracked up. (Think about it...)

Later they became good friends as it turned out.

[montestewart]

He was the greatest Wizard ever

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

He was the greatest Wizard ever

Well. His scoring average was just a touch below that of Charles Jones and Michael Ruffin.

[AFM]

I only read that one book about the puppeteer who couldn’t stop masturbating (monte’s biography???)

[montestewart]

I only read that one book about the puppeteer who couldn’t stop masturbating (monte’s biography???)

I can stop whenever I want. I call it libertarionanism.