A Cool Million presents the dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin, piece by piece. As a satire of the Horatio Alger myth of success, the novel is evocative of Voltaire's Candide, which satirized the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Alexander Pope. Pitkin is a typical 'Schlemiel', stumbling from one situation to the next; he gets robbed, cheated, unjustly arrested, frequently beaten and exploited.
A Cool Million presents the dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin, piece by piece. As a satire of the Horatio Alger myth of success, the novel is evocative of ...
West's first novel, it presents a young man's immature and cynical search for meaning in a series of dreamlike encounters inside the entrails of the Trojan Horse. Balso, the protagonist, comes across the Trojan Horse in the tall grass around Troy and promptly seeks a way to get in: "the mouth was beyond his reach, the navel provided a cul-de-sac, and so, forgetting his dignity, he approached the last. O Anus Mirabilis!"
West's first novel, it presents a young man's immature and cynical search for meaning in a series of dreamlike encounters inside the entrails of the T...
An Expressionist black comedy set in New York City during the Great Depression. Miss Lonelyhearts is an unnamed male newspaper columnist writing an advice column for the lovelorn and lonesome, a duty that the other newspaper staff considers a joke. As Miss Lonelyhearts reads letters from desperate New Yorkers, he feels terribly burdened and falls into a cycle of deep depression, accompanied by heavy drinking and occasional bar fights. He is also the victim of the pranks and cynical advice of Shrike, his feature editor at the newspaper.
An Expressionist black comedy set in New York City during the Great Depression. Miss Lonelyhearts is an unnamed male newspaper columnist writing an ad...
The Day of the Locust is a novel by American author Nathanael West set in Hollywood, California. The novel follows a young artist from the Yale School of Fine Arts named Tod Hackett, who has been hired by a Hollywood studio to do scene design and painting. While he works he plans an important painting to be called "The Burning of Los Angeles," a portrayal of the chaotic and fiery holocaust which will destroy the city.
The Day of the Locust is a novel by American author Nathanael West set in Hollywood, California. The novel follows a young artist from the Yale School...
"A Cool Million" is a satirical novel that follows the misfortunes of Lemuel Pitkin, an unlucky protagonist who is repeatedly robbed, cheated, beaten, and exploited. Alongside Pitkin's troubles, his love interest Betty Prail faces similarly horrific abuse. Despite losing several body parts, Pitkin remains optimistic until the bitter end. This darkly comic tale critiques the American Dream and its false promises of success and prosperity.
"A Cool Million" is a satirical novel that follows the misfortunes of Lemuel Pitkin, an unlucky protagonist who is repeatedly robbed, cheated, beaten,...
Step into the 1930s and follow Tod Hackett, an artist searching for inspiration in Hollywood during the Great Depression. Along the way, he falls for the beautiful but talentless Faye Greener and interacts with a cast of colorful characters, all struggling to find their place in the world of acting and fakery. As Tod sketches scenes on set and dreams of a painting titled "The Burning of Los Angeles," the city erupts into a violent riot during a Hollywood premiere. Is this Tod's moment of enlightenment or a complete mental breakdown? Discover the answer in this riveting tale of love, art, and...
Step into the 1930s and follow Tod Hackett, an artist searching for inspiration in Hollywood during the Great Depression. Along the way, he falls for ...
