Each person imagines his living space according to the possibilities of personal imagination. One specifically and in the smallest detail examines the entire planet. The other is able to cover only the courtyard, which he sees from the window. Philip Roth wrote his stories and novels about ordinary people.
Starting conditions
Writing without preparation is useless. Before you introduce yourself as a writer, you need to spend some time in the shoes of the reader. The American prose writer Philip Roth already at a conscious age kept on his bookshelf the works of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Hemingway, Faulkner, Flaubert, Kafka. At the same time, he accurately singled out the most famous works from each writer. Not to say that he liked War and Peace. However, Philip periodically looked into the book and made notes that only he could understand.
The author of more than twenty-five novels was born on March 19, 1933 in a family of Jewish settlers. The older brother was already growing up in the house. Parents, immigrants from Austria-Hungary, at that time lived in the town of Newark. My father tried to work as insurance agents. Mother was engaged in housekeeping. Philip grew up and gained life experience among children like him. When he got old, he was sent to a local school where instruction was in English. Roth studied well and even published a school wall newspaper.
In the literary field
After completing his secondary education, Philip entered the university in the English language department. In 1954 he graduated and began working as a teacher at a school. On his own initiative, he served two years in the US Army. After service, he entered graduate school at the University of Chicago and received a master's degree in English literature. He taught literature at various universities for several years. Then he continued his scientific career at the University of Pensilvan. By this time, he already had small stories, short stories and essays published in various newspapers and magazines.
The first collection of short stories "Goodbye Columbus" was published in 1959. Three years later, on the shelves of bookstores appeared Roth's novel "Spit". Then the author presented the utopian novel "Conspiracy Against America" to the attention of the readers. To Philip's surprise, this book became a bestseller. The writer sat down at his desk every day at the same time. Meticulous journalists calculated that Roth "gave out" one full-fledged novel in two years.
Recognition and privacy
Philip Roth's books did not lie on the shelves. In his writings, he often responded to current political events and constantly reflected on eternal themes. The work of the famous American is highly appreciated. During his lifetime, he won the Pulitzer Prize and the Booker Prize.
The personal life of the writer has developed dramatically. In his first marriage, Philip lived with the poet Margaret Martinson. Three years after the wedding, she died in a car accident. It happened in 1968. For a long time he lived alone. In the early 90s, he married British actress Claire Bloom. The husband and wife lived under the same roof for five years and parted. The writer passed away in May 2018.
