Paul West (1) (1930–2015)

Though beautifully written, the subject matter is largely squalid and depressing. West has an incredible ability to seamlessly shift the narrative from the point of view of one character to another and to wholly and convincingly inhabit each character's head; whether male or female, high or low. I found it fascinating but some may find it confusing.

This book will disappoint readers expecting a Ripper thriller. It will not disappoint readers in search of literary fiction that deals in subject show more matter other than coming of age stories, tales of professors and students at colleges or accounts of couples or families under stress. show less

Beautiful, elegiac, brutal. Reading the second half of the book, which reveals the consequences of the failure of the plot to assassinate Hitler, is like being pounded to death with a velvet hammer.

This is a very rich book with such lush, dense writing that this reader often sat bemused. The narrative moves from Claus von Stauffenberg's service in Africa where he was horribly wounded through his rising determination to kill Hitler, taking its time over the assassination attempt, and finally relentlessly documenting the aftermath for the conspirators and their families. West moves seamlessly from interior monologue to action and back. Readers would do well to have the events of July, show more 1944 well in mind. For those of us who are not well-versed, an appendix of names and places is very helpful. Whether West accurately records the feelings of Stauffenberg I couldn't say, but I will say that it feels right to me, and I found the book well worth the effort. show less

Recently, while poring over a Fernando Pessoa book on amazon, I remembered this delightful book, and alas...I see nobody has yet put in a kind word for it. Paul West is a good European writer of the Dalkey Archives ilk. I'm generally a fan, though sometimes it's hard to get into his deeply cerebral type of writing. This, however, remains one of his brightest and most accessible works. And really, what a clever idea (and what good packaging!). If I remember correctly, each profile was one or show more two pages long, and the numerous illustrations made the book a delight to behold.

This sort of form uses West's poetic and lyrical strengths while imposing limits on his language before it gets tiresome. Listen, if you landed on this page, chances are, you already are going to like this book (and currently the used price is under $2, a truly remarkable deal). Not only will you be able to enjoy this book, it's a cool Christmas gift to give to friends who wouldn't normally read a Calvino or Baudelaire but would find the celebrities being written about to be fascinating for their own sake.

I haven't read much of Paul West, but I remember liking Rat Man of Paris very much. In summary: this is a slight book (and probably not considered one of his major works), but an original idea and definitely one of his most readable pieces. It wouldn't surprise me if this book turns out to have more staying power than his "major pieces." show less