Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International)

Author - Philip Roth ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Vintage was reviewed on 21-Oct-2008.

Search ISBN:0679750290 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International) Reference Book. Classifications : Roth, Philip ( R ) Authors, A-Z Literature & Fiction Subjects Books General AAS United States World Literature Literature & Fiction Subjects Books Contemporary Literature & Fiction Subjects Books Lite . Click the following link to view the cover of Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International).

Related topics: Roth, Philip. ( R ). Authors, A-Z. Subjects. Books. General AAS. United States. World Literature. Subjects. Books.

1) Paperback Book Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International) by Vintage. This is my second read through most of Roth and this one remains one of my favorites. I suppose it would make better sense for new readers of Roth to read some of the books mentioned in this one first ... but I´m not sure its necessary. Order the bagels, chubs and lox and don´t forget the cream cheese. This baby is a Roth-fest!¤

2) Paperback Book Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International) by Vintage. In Operation Shylock, Philip Roth once again plays himself. This time he stumbles into a bad mental episode triggered by lousy sleeping pills when he discovers that someone in Israel is imitating him. He heads to Israel to meet is enigmatic doppleganger, and all the while a heavily publicized trial is taking place involving a possible Nazi war criminal. Roth discovers that his doppelganger is a man using his fame to espouse the theory of diasporism, the idea that all of the non-Arabic Jews of the Levant should return to their roots in Europe. This novel is filled with bizarre bits of Jewish ironic comedy. There is an organization called Anti-Semites Anonymous, which is devoted to curing the threat of anti-antisemitism in Eastern Europe. This is a multi-faceted and highly original work of literature, though I found Roth to tread into severe solipsism as the novel´s literary devices become more and more introspective and prolegoamatic. Not a great book, but still very interesting.¤

3) Paperback Book Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International) by Vintage. Operation Shylock is a book that needs to be read over and over again. On a very basic level, it is the story of Philip Roth going to Israel to interview a writer. When he gets there, he is caught up in a series of bizarre events initiated by a man claiming to be his double--an alternate Philip Roth with his own agenda. As the story unfolds, Mr. Roth confronts Mr. Roth with the intent of debunking his claims and warning him away. However, the "real" Mr. Roth experiences a gauntlet of emotions as he witnesses the trial of Demjanjuk, a man accused of being "Ivan the Terrible" at Treblinka, sits in on the trial of an Arab boy accused of attacking a Jew, receives a check for a million dollars to aid in the Jewish Diaspora, and is kidnapped by a member of an Israeli spy agency. Mr. Roth and Mr. Roth intersect and intertwine as if they are truly one and the same man.

Operation Shylock has very long monologues about the Holocaust, the creation of the state of Israel, the Jewish/Palestinan conflict, the Diaspora, Roth´s writing, and the overall attitude of the Jewish people since 1945. They are both enlightening and controversial.

This book is amazingly multi-layered and should be analyzed from a dozen angles. If you are interested in a deep look into one of the most explosive issues in modern history, this book is for you. I gave it four stars because of the unnecessary foul language and sex scenes. The rest is witty and mind-bending.¤

4) Paperback Book Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International) by Vintage. Roth is a narcissist with much to be narcissistic about. This book is an amazing combination of Roth´s extraordinary writing ability and his obsessive naval gazing. Indeed, without obviously intending irony, he calls his "double" in the story--the "other" Phillip Roth-- Moishe Pippic, which translates as Moses Bellybutton. No phrase could better capture Roth´s grandiose self-image and obsessive self-examination; one Phillip Roth wasn´t enough to sate him, so he has two of them in the book. And yet you (or at least I) are reading it. The reader can just feel Roth saying, "Grandiose? You don´t seem to have anything better to do with your time than read my self-exploration, so who are you to judge?"

This novel has a plot, which you´ve detected from other reviews, but that plot--while immensely clever--serves mostly as a very thin wafer on which Roth serves thick essays on Israel and jewishness from a variety of perspectives. We hear from arab intelligentsia, jewish "diasporists," Nazi war criminals, children of Nazi war criminals, holocaust survivors, Israeli secret agents and, most of all, two Phillip Roths looking in the mirror. Roth´s conception of the thoughts and diatribes of all but the latter are beautifully written--angry and thought-provoking-- and make the book worthwhile if you are interested in that sort of thing, but not so interested that you will be upset by some of the frankly offensive views portrayed in some of their rants.

If you have not read Phillip Roth and want to "try" a Phillip Roth book, this is not the one to start with. The plot is too thin, the self-obsession too great, and the interesting bits too specialized. Instead, I would try American Pastoral (5 stars beyond doubt) or the classic Portnoy´s Complaint.¤

5) Paperback Book Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International) by Vintage. After reading American Pastoral (a work of art) I was excited to get my teeth into another Roth book. But where to start? I picked up a copy of Operation Shylock after carefully researching different discussions of Roth´s greatest works. Maybe I just prefer Nathan Zuckerman´s voice, but I found OS to be overwritten, completely unbelievable (and my satisfaction of finding out that the book is indeed a work of fiction on the last page was worth getting to it, but I never believed for a second that Roth was a credible character in his own novel, and just coming off of The Year of Magical Thinking which had a very authentic voice and I highly recommend it) and, just downright boring, because it is so overwrought. My fascination was held from the opening page of American Pastoral to the final, amazing word. But this book was frustrating. Maybe I just didn´t like the setting (I´m weary of the craziness of the Middle East)but I didn´t like most of the book, although there were a few funny scenes I just can´t recommend it. My next foray into Roth will be a Zuckerman book. I simply prefer his voice. OS is claustrophobic and it´s simply a relief to be done with it. I realize this isn´t the world´s greatest review, but OS wore me out. If you are new to Roth, read American Pastoral.¤

6) Paperback Book Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International) by Vintage. Time Magazine Best American Novel (1993)

In this fiendishly imaginative book (which may or may not be fiction), Philip Roth meets a man who may or may not be Philip Roth. Because someone with that name has been touring Israel, promoting a bizarre reverse exodus of the Jews. Roth is intent on stopping him, even if that means impersonating his own impersonator.

With excruciating suspense, unfettered philosophical speculation, and a cast of characters that includes Israeli intelligence agents, Palestinian exiles, an accused war criminal, and an enticing charter member of an organization called Anti-Semites Anonymous, Operation Shylock barrels across the frontier between fact and fiction, seriousness and high comedy, history and nightmare.¤

7) Paperback Book Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International) by Vintage. Philip Roth´s very literary novels, most famously Portnoy´s Complaint, have always had the feel of confessional autobiography. Operation Shylock boasts not only a character named Philip Roth, a Jewish-American novelist, but an impostor who is claiming to be him. Roth´s impostor causes a furor in Israel by advocating "Diasporism," the polar opposite of Zionism, encouraging Israelis to return home to eastern Europe. In Israel the real Roth attends the trial of a former Nazi, and also observes at a West Bank military court dealing harshly with young Palestinians. Through stark counterpoint between distorted doubles, along with his trademark bawdy humor, Roth comically explores the tensions of his identity as a writer, as a Jew, and as a human being. Operation Shylock won the PEN/Faulkner Award for 1994.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 18-Nov-2008, 06797502909780679750291, 270-120-490-470-900-960-8

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