Volume 1, Number 4 · October 17, 1963
Oy!
By John Gross
Idiots First
by Bernard Malamud
Farrar Straus, 212 pp., $4.50
The War of Camp Omongo
by Burt Blechman
Random, 315 pp., 3.95
Seven Days of Mourning
by L.S. Simckes
Random, 113 pp., $3.95
Ome older Jewish writers clung to the panoramic chronicle because, in a rapidly dissolving scene, they were dominated by the urge to get it all down on paper. This is never to be despised, and personally I would rather have written The Rise of David Levinsky than most recent fiction. But as extra-literary social pressures have slackened, the gain in artistic range and depth has been unquestionable. The American-Jewish novelist has been emancipated; Bernard Malamud's generation finally struck off the fetters of uncompromising naturalism, and younger men like Mr. Blechman and Mr. Simckes take their freedom for granted.
Review, 1820 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |