Exit Ghost

For a glaring example of one of the main themes of "Exit Ghost" one need only read the recent Vanity Fair article about Arthur Miller's institutionalization of his Down Syndrome son. It was an article guaranteed to create a scandal; it was "cultural journalism" - tabloid gossip masquerading as literary investigation. It called into question the character of a great writer (as opposed, sadly, to the great writer's characters, who are forgotten like yesterday's garbage in the wake of a titillating gossip-fest). And, sadly, I, too, played right along. I'm addicted to Vanity Fair. It's fun to peek into the lives of the so-called "beautiful (i.e. monied) people." It's satisfying to see them picked apart for their foibles and follies, while I, an unsuccessful (meaning unpublished) writer gets a little revenge from their ill luck. "Exit Ghost" has made me feel somewhat ashamed for this character defect, which seems to be infecting multitudes in our current world. Mea culpa, Phil. Now, I'm not going to take it back - I still feel the sting of "Exit Ghost's" tongue-lashing. However - one might say that AT LEAST these kinds of stories keep the writers in the forefront of the vast, untutored American public enough that, say, someone might want to go back and read their stuff. I know it sounds like I'm hedging my bets here, but I'd be willing to say that, for instance, Arthur Miller probably picked up some fans along the way. And another thing: at first, I condemned Miller for his cowardice. I was very angry that a literary idol of mine had fallen of his pedestal. And then - I realized that the finger of judgment was actually pointing right back to myself. I won't go into it, but suffice it to say that the article about Arthur Miller made me realize that I, too, did something once that was comparably unforgiveable and yet human. Now I love him more than ever, because we have a bond. So - there's always a lesson in everything, n'est-ce pas? May Goddess (and Mr. Roth) forgive us all, and that includes the editors of Vanity Fair.

Let me make a confession: I am a Philip Roth junkie. Each year, I look forward to reading a new book by Mr. Roth, who tackles some of the difficult questions that plague us, yet those with which most of us fail to discuss. In his newest book, Exit Ghost, Mr. Roth gives us an aging, reclusive, incontenent and impotent character in the form of Nathan Zuckerman. As Zuckerman faces his own physical limitations, he must also tackle those salacious thoughts that occupy his mind, so he develops a fantasy world as a way to handle himself. I do not want to repeat what other readers have said in their reviews. Frankly, I think Philip Roth's voice has become better with age. His words, and his last three books, have changed my own live, which is what a good author is supposed to do. Since Roth gives no interviews nor lectures, I can only hope that he reads some of these reviews. Philip Roth is the greatest living American voice in literature today. I hope he is given the praise and recognition that he deserves, and it would be a great gift if he is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature this year.

"Exit Ghost" is the second Philip Roth book that I've read. I read the first, "Everyman," a few months ago, and it convinced me that I'd been foolishly wrongheaded about not reading Roth earlier in my life. I had falsely believed that his male-centered themes and characters might hold no interest for me, a woman who came of age during the 1970s feminist movement. But my experience with these two books has taught me otherwise. Roth is every bit the national literary treasure that others proclaim, and he can be read with pleasure by even dyed-in-the-wool aging feminists, like me. Personally, I might not like the main male characters in his books, but Roth takes me deep into their souls and I emerge with a better understanding of the human condition. "Exit Ghost" is complete in itself. I enjoyed it thoroughly and did not feel confused as if I needed to know some prior information about the character to understand what was happening from another book in the series. But now, that I've read the plot summary of the first book in the series, I am intellectually curious to find out all the hidden parallels that escaped me. The novel entertained me with its story, but I can't imagine anyone reading Roth purely for the story line. It seems obvious that Roth is read foremost to experience his skill as a writer, and second to hear what this man has to say about major issues of our time. Roth uses his works as a pulpit to preach about important issues that concern him. In this novel, Roth analyzes the declining state of literature in the modern world and proclaims it dead. At one point, the main character, Nathan Zuckerman, rants: "the predominant uses to which literature is now put in the culture pages of the enlightened newspapers and in university English departments are so destructively at odds with the aims of imaginative writing, as well as with the rewards that literature affords to an open-minded reader, that it would be better if literature were no longer put to any public use." In an interview with Roth about "Exit Ghost" published in "The Independent" (London, 10/3/07), he says: "Writers have always been extremely marginal to the cultural concerns of American citizens, but there was a moment when there were books that interested the general public that were written by some fine writers... Then the attention of readers has shifted away. They've been overcome by so many other distractions; and the habit of concentration I think has been badly damaged, by the nature of the cultural stimuli. So it feels to me very much like a dying moment, for literary culture in my own country--but you can't have computers and iPods and BlackBerries and blueberries and raspberries, and have time left to sit for two or three hours with a book." There is another important theme repeated throughout this work: don't judge authors by the conduct of their lives, but rather on the content of their works. Envisioning his own life story in the hands of a future biograph

In his latest creation, Roth shows that even a 71 year old incontinent and impotent Zuckerman (Roth in disguise) can still produce amazingly poignant and truly important literature. The book centers around the attempt to regain continence through a new procedure, while at the same time showing that regardless of the state of inoperative reproductive equipment, thoughts of sexuality still meander frequently and aggressively through the male mind. At the same time, Roth indicates his feeling that we have reached the "End of the age of literature." During his stay in New York City to undergo his procedure, he becomes involved with a reporter who is planning to write a biography about a great, but all but forgotten master American short story author. It seems that the author may or may not have had a deep dark secret that he wanted buried forever. The biographer finds out what he believes is that secret, and plans to reveal it to the world. Through the book, Roth becomes involved in great sexual fantasy with a beautiful lady half his age. Since he is unable to actually act on those thoughts, due to his physical malady, he fantasizes and creates imaginary dialogue around that particular lady and the wonders of her sensuality and sexuality. Once again, Roth writes a wondrously autobiographical book which the reader can virtually insert himself, and feel as though he has become Roth in the text. This ability is Roth's special gift. He is able to capture his experiences and feelings and then turn them into words in a manner that is virtually universal. This ability has always characterized his writing throughout his entire career. This book is recommended for all readers, especially those over the age of 50.

There are lots of ghosts in this exquisite novel, and most of them take the reader back to _The Ghost Writer_, where the young Nathan Zuckerman met E.I Lonoff and Amy Bellette, two characters who haunt the old Nathan. In this tale, Lonoff, long dead, is being exhumed by a Young Turk who wants to make a name for himself by writing a scandalous biography of the writer. Amy, one of the walking dead, her brain riddled with cancer and her memories uncertain, enlists Nathan in a battle to stop the Young Turk. Nathan, who finds himself embroiled not only in this but also in a swansong infatuation with an aspiring writer half his age, is also something of a ghost. For the past ten years, he's retreated into the same Berkshires seclusion that protected his hero Lonoff. He's also impotent and incontinent from prostate surgery, and his memory is failing. Nathan is on his way out, and this novel tells the story of his last spurge of resistance against the long night. Like his _Everyman_, which I reviewed here when it appeared and which I still consider Roth's masterpiece, _Exit Ghost_ is a melancholy autumn reflection on aging, the narrowing of life and possibilities, and death. Roth's prose is fluid and at times, especially when wrestling with the fragility of life, heart-breakingly beautiful. He also skewers contemporary culture (his meditation on the age of cell phones and the deep loneliness it betokens is brilliant) as well as the current administration. Ultimately, reading this novel was like visiting an old, fading acquaintance. It reminds one of one's own fragility, it encourages nostalgia, and it prompts taking another look at photo albums--in this case, rereading the Zuckerman novels. How fortunate that melancholy can also be sweet. How else could we possibly get by? Roth once again reminds us of this.