Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Being There (1971)by Jerzy Kosiński
Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. A nice quick, and refreshingly interesting read. The main character provides interesting insight into the people you see on TV. There is no way to know what that person is really like and indeed if they even have any real experiences at all. This also feels again relevant in the age of AI. Chauncey is a bit like a large-laguage model just repeating the things he has seen on TV, having no personal experience to draw on. ( ) In Chance, or Chauncey Gardiner as he becomes known to the world, Jerzy Kosinski, has provided the other characters of this story as well as the reader a way to project what they want to see and hear in a person. Chance, who appears to suffer from some form of mental impairment (some version of autism?), cannot read nor write, he can converse without a problem, although his conversations are mostly limited to television and his gardening, as he knows nothing outside these two elements. Fate throws Chance into the political consiciousness of the world, and everyone who encounters him takes his simple answers as deep thought analogies or admissions. Chance is not lying, simply speaking of what he knows, which is pretty limited. People project their hopes, desires and plans on him and his words, not realizing that he is unable to understand even their most basic needs. A great (but short) read. Will provide plenty to discuss and ponder. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesBezige Bij pocket (90) Literaire reuzenpocket (360) Medusa [Mondadori] (11) Is contained inHas the adaptationAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Literature.
Humor (Fiction.)
HTML: A quirky, brilliant novel starring Chauncey Gardiner, an enigmatic man who rises from nowhere to become a media phenomenonâ??"a fabulous creature of our age" (Newsweek). No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |