The world of literature, as it spans from the beginning of the written word to today, tomorrow and the next day, is teeming with talented writers. Most of us know the big names, such as Margaret Atwood, T. S. Eliot, Emily Dickinson, and J. R. R. Tolkien. Yet there are hundreds of others who have had a profound influence on those we revere as the 'best' authors. Saul Bellow is one of those writers.
Born in Montreal, Quebec in 1915, Bellow was the youngest son of affluent nobles in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Their new life as relatively poor Jewish immigrants in Canada, and later the US, would have a profound impact on his work. Bellow often commented on his mother's near obsession with her previous life, and her strong desire for him to become a rabbi or concert violinist. He wrote "The retrospective was strong in me because of my parents." Largely because of their regret for leaving such a high life in Russia. Yet if they had stayed, it is likely the family would have been killed in the lead up to the Russian Revolution that finally sparked in 1917.
Bellow was clearly a lover of the literature from an early age, as he often spoke of his long hours reading the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare when he was just four years old. Those influences combined with ruminations on his ethnic roots, as well as his studies in anthropology and sociology made for a great literary mind. After spending some time at the University of Chicago, Bellow transferred to Northwestern University to pursue literature. Unfortunately he felt the department was anti-Semitic, instead choosing anthropology and sociology as his majors. After graduating with honors, Bellows completed some graduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
It was during these years Bellow found himself associated with a writer's groups that was at the least 'sympathetic' with Communist parties in the US. Other writers he had come to know through school were allied with Bellow, writers such as Richard Wright and Nelson Algren. He idolized Leon Trotsky, perhaps for their shared ethnicity, but he paid dearly for it in a lack of work. By 1941 Bellow had become a fully naturalized American citizen and shortly after the US entered World War II, he became a merchant marine. It was during these crucial years that Bellow finally penned his first novel: Dangling Man.
After the war, in 1946, Bellow taught literature at the University of Minnesota. Although it was only a two year stint, his writing and work during that time earned him a Guggenheim Fellowship. The honor meant Bellow had earned international acclaim for his exceptional creative ability in literature. It also meant he could travel to Paris, work on his craft and not have to worry so much about a job for the time being. After five years, arguably Bellow's best work was published: The Adventures of Augie March. This is the novel that sets Bellow apart from the aspiring authors from his school days. In fact, it would be likened to classics such as Don Quixote for its satirical style.
Bellow went on to produce several more important novels, including Humboldt's Gift for which he was awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize for Literature. Yet beyond being a talented author, Bellow was a cultural activist. He shed a light on modern civilization and what it was becoming. Bellow believed in the human ability to overcome the darkness of modern society and reach greatness. His characters were very often those who stood on the fringes of society, yet had the potential for greatness. They were perhaps Bellow's representative of what he might have been, or what he was striving for in beckoning society to step away from materialism and the brainwashing effects of commercialism.
In taking a full study of Saul Bellow's life, students can find the existence of a man attempting to bridge the gap between two very different generations. His ancestral heritage was deeply rooted in an old world of antiquated nobility, something he recognized as suffocating and redundant. Bellow saw the modern lifestyles of the western civilization blossoming in front of him as he grew, but unlike many young men his age at that time, was not wooed by its charm. Instead he created characters so imperfect, so mirroring of his own faults, the reader had no choice but to identify with them. In this way, Bellow was able to assist in quenching the very common thirst for wanting to know who we are and what the purpose of life really is.
Born in Montreal, Quebec in 1915, Bellow was the youngest son of affluent nobles in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Their new life as relatively poor Jewish immigrants in Canada, and later the US, would have a profound impact on his work. Bellow often commented on his mother's near obsession with her previous life, and her strong desire for him to become a rabbi or concert violinist. He wrote "The retrospective was strong in me because of my parents." Largely because of their regret for leaving such a high life in Russia. Yet if they had stayed, it is likely the family would have been killed in the lead up to the Russian Revolution that finally sparked in 1917.
Bellow was clearly a lover of the literature from an early age, as he often spoke of his long hours reading the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare when he was just four years old. Those influences combined with ruminations on his ethnic roots, as well as his studies in anthropology and sociology made for a great literary mind. After spending some time at the University of Chicago, Bellow transferred to Northwestern University to pursue literature. Unfortunately he felt the department was anti-Semitic, instead choosing anthropology and sociology as his majors. After graduating with honors, Bellows completed some graduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
It was during these years Bellow found himself associated with a writer's groups that was at the least 'sympathetic' with Communist parties in the US. Other writers he had come to know through school were allied with Bellow, writers such as Richard Wright and Nelson Algren. He idolized Leon Trotsky, perhaps for their shared ethnicity, but he paid dearly for it in a lack of work. By 1941 Bellow had become a fully naturalized American citizen and shortly after the US entered World War II, he became a merchant marine. It was during these crucial years that Bellow finally penned his first novel: Dangling Man.
After the war, in 1946, Bellow taught literature at the University of Minnesota. Although it was only a two year stint, his writing and work during that time earned him a Guggenheim Fellowship. The honor meant Bellow had earned international acclaim for his exceptional creative ability in literature. It also meant he could travel to Paris, work on his craft and not have to worry so much about a job for the time being. After five years, arguably Bellow's best work was published: The Adventures of Augie March. This is the novel that sets Bellow apart from the aspiring authors from his school days. In fact, it would be likened to classics such as Don Quixote for its satirical style.
Bellow went on to produce several more important novels, including Humboldt's Gift for which he was awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize for Literature. Yet beyond being a talented author, Bellow was a cultural activist. He shed a light on modern civilization and what it was becoming. Bellow believed in the human ability to overcome the darkness of modern society and reach greatness. His characters were very often those who stood on the fringes of society, yet had the potential for greatness. They were perhaps Bellow's representative of what he might have been, or what he was striving for in beckoning society to step away from materialism and the brainwashing effects of commercialism.
In taking a full study of Saul Bellow's life, students can find the existence of a man attempting to bridge the gap between two very different generations. His ancestral heritage was deeply rooted in an old world of antiquated nobility, something he recognized as suffocating and redundant. Bellow saw the modern lifestyles of the western civilization blossoming in front of him as he grew, but unlike many young men his age at that time, was not wooed by its charm. Instead he created characters so imperfect, so mirroring of his own faults, the reader had no choice but to identify with them. In this way, Bellow was able to assist in quenching the very common thirst for wanting to know who we are and what the purpose of life really is.
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