Philip Roth

 

It's probably the case at this point that I've read more novels by Philip Roth than by any other author. And having just finished The Human Stain, I was reminded why: Roth was a writer of tremendous talent -- both stylistically as well as in his ability -- his seemingly innate ability -- to develop complex, breathing, vivacious characters. The Human Stain is full of these: war veterans, drinkers, university administrators, the list goes on. This is a novel that packs a serious punch, but not only because of the interactions between its characters. There's a racial consciousness to The Human Stain and Roth goes further here, I think, to probe race relations than he does in others of his books. Coleman Silk is everything: Black, Jewish, white, intellectual; and yet, he is these things because he's made them his own; he's cast them, bent them to his will. Perhaps my favorite line from the novel is: "Every day you woke up to be what you had made yourself." Let this be a motivation, and reminder, to all of us.