Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
|
Loading... Henderson the Rain King (original 1958; edition 1959)by Saul Bellow
Work InformationHenderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow (1958)
   » 7 more No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) Gypsy_Boy | Aug 25, 2023 |  When he arrives in Africa as the third wheel on his friend's honeymoon, the narrative connection to reality becomes tenuous. Bellow seems to acknowledge this shift in passages wherein Henderson struggles with his own ideas of reality and unreality. There are scenes both psychologically acute and physically ridiculous. Henderson is aware of his own brutishness, his unstoppable urges, his deep-down affection for his fellow man. Henderson is looking for and finds personal redemption: unfortunately, Bellow seems to say that this redemption is only available to those wealthy folks who have the time to go off the grid. (  ) jonbrammer | Jul 1, 2023 | Amúgy e regény egy botegyszerű allegóriaként is értelmezhető: fehér ember menni Afrika, és jól elbarmolni mindent. Persze nem feltétlenül rossz szándékból: egyszerűen azt hiszi, az általa ismert nyugati civilizációs szabályok egyetemesek, és el sem tudja képzelni, hogy a világ bármelyik szegletében nem fogadják el ezeket evidenciaként. Ám számomra ennél is érdekesebb, hogy ez a könyv tulajdonképpen egy fejlődésregény ígérete: miközben Bellow csűri-csavarja, én mint olvasó végig azon drukkoltam, hogy ennek a sok megaláztatás és kínlódásnak legyen valami értelme, mondjuk nevelődjön hatásukra Hendersonból valamiféle magasabb létforma, vagy ahogy ő megfogalmazza: készülőből létező. Hogy ez az ígéret végső soron beváltódik-e, értelmezés kérdése. Minden olvasó döntse el magának. * Aki mintha szándékosan ellentéte lenne az amerikai irodalmi hagyomány nagy entellektüel-szereplőinek, mint amilyen például Philip Roth Zuckermanja. (  ) Kuszma | Jul 2, 2022 | "maybe time was invented so that misery would have an end" This novel sums up my 2019 ontological reading: who am I? what's it all about? where do I go from here? "oh what fools these mortals be" carpe diem... (  ) mortalfool | Jul 10, 2021 | Henderson's quest for what turns out to be his purpose in life takes him to one of the most isolated parts of central Africa, where he befriends two chieftains and tries to help solve their tribes' water problems. In the first village he only makes matters worse and has to leave in disgrace. In the second, his presumed success in bringing rain turns him into the honored rain king and a close confident of the tribe's king, who slowly teaches Henderson how to roar like a lion, both literally and figuratively. This is a big, brawling novel, like Henderson himself, yet its message is simple: to find yourself, lose yourself. By the time he leaves Africa, Henderson has decided to give up pigs and go to medical school. He may be in his mid-50s, but for him life has just begun. ( )1  hardlyhardy | Jun 13, 2021 |
 L. EUGENE HENDERSON, a multimillionaire by trade and a pathetic, swaggering clown by nature, reached an imaginary point of no return when he was 55 years old and felt that he had to go to Africa. His incessant follies, his alcoholism (he was often drunk before lunch) and his mordant discontent were more than he could bear. Henderson was “moody, rough, tyrannical and probably mad.” But he was bored. He was unhappy. Raising pigs, learning to play the violin, doing hard physical labor on his estate near Danbury--nothing could soothe his tedium vitae and general agony of spirit. Henderson was a champion sufferer, a fabulously strong giant of a man with a sentimental heart and no common sense whatever. He is the hero and narrator of “Henderson the Rain King,” a peculiar, prolix and exasperating novel by Saul Bellow. Saul Bellow is a talented and ambitious writer best known for his “The Adventures of Augie March,” which was published six years ago. The comic extravaganza about the absurdities and trials of modern life was also written in the first person by a narrator a trifle touched in the head. But rhapsodic, tedious and stupefying as “Augie” often was, it was also intermittently funny and spangled with examples of Mr. Bellow’s richly inventive imagination. As much cannot be said for “Henderson the Rain King,” which is an unsuccessful experiment, noble in purpose but dismal in result. Threefold Wellspring of Prose "Henderson the Rain King" contains three major elements: grotesque comedy, which hardly ever seems comic; fantasy and adventure in Central Africa, an Africa deliberately distorted so far from reality that one half expects to meet Tarzan and his faithful Waziri on any page, and a solemn quest for “the great principles of life”--for spiritual peace, happiness and communion with truth and deity. All three elements are mixed thoroughly together, with Henderson writing a supercharged prose unlike anything ever recorded in print before, with conversations between. . . . Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inHas as a studyAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Bellow evokes all the rich colour and exotic customs of a highly imaginary Africa in this comic novel about a middle-aged American millionaire who, seeking a new, more rewarding life, descends upon an African tribe. Henderson's awesome feats of strength and his unbridled passion for life earns him the admiration of the tribe - but it is his gift for making rain that turns him from mere hero into messiah. A hilarious, often ribald story, HENDERSON THE RAIN KING is also a profound look at the forces that drive a man through life. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.52Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1900-1944LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.72)
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia in English (1)
1