Goodbye, Columbus
Overview
Goodbye, Columbus is a 1959 book by American
novelist Philip Roth
. It was the writer's first book: a collection of five short stories and one novella
, also titled "Goodbye, Columbus".
In addition to the title novella, set in New Jersey
, Goodbye, Columbus contains the five short stories "The Conversion of the Jews," "Defender of the Faith," "Epstein," "You Can't Tell a Man by the Song He Sings," and "Eli, the Fanatic." Each story deals with the problems and concerns of second and third-generation assimilated American Jews
as they leave the ethnic ghetto
s of their parents and grandparents and go on to college, the white-collar professions, and life in the suburbs.
The book was a critical success for Roth, winning the 1960 National Book Award
and earning a name for him as a talented up-and-coming young writer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist Philip Roth
Philip Roth
Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
. It was the writer's first book: a collection of five short stories and one novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
, also titled "Goodbye, Columbus".
In addition to the title novella, set in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Goodbye, Columbus contains the five short stories "The Conversion of the Jews," "Defender of the Faith," "Epstein," "You Can't Tell a Man by the Song He Sings," and "Eli, the Fanatic." Each story deals with the problems and concerns of second and third-generation assimilated American Jews
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
as they leave the ethnic ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
s of their parents and grandparents and go on to college, the white-collar professions, and life in the suburbs.
The book was a critical success for Roth, winning the 1960 National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
and earning a name for him as a talented up-and-coming young writer.
Unanswered Questions
