Saul Bellow: biography and photos

Nobel laureate, an outstanding prose writer of the 20th century, American writer Sol Bellow lived a very long and rich creative life. On his books several generations of lovers of quality literature have grown up. His statements and books remain relevant today, and the biography is of interest.

Family and childhood

Born Saul Bellow on June 10, 1915, in the small Canadian town of Lashin near Montreal. His family two years before emigrated from St. Petersburg in search of a better life. Initially the boy's name was Solomon Belous. The family had Jewish-Lithuanian roots, the father was in the Jewish community and therefore gave the boy a familiar Jewish name. But later, for better integration of the son in the American society, Abraham Belous reduced the name and the child's name. So appeared Saul Bellow. In St. Petersburg, the family was quite prosperous, but emigration greatly complicated her life. The father of the future writer earned a sale of coal, and his mother worked as a cook and dishwasher. The family had four children, the youngest of whom was Saul. All my life my parents tried to earn money and give them education. To improve the life of the family Abraham carries her to Chicago. Saul grew up in this city and considered himself a true Chicago. He showed humanitarian tendencies from an early age, already in his childhood he owned several languages and was very fond of reading. In four years he mastered Hebrew and fell in love with the Bible forever. When Sol was 9 years old, he was very sick and was chained to the bed, at which time he read many good books. When the boy was 17 years old, his mother died, he was very worried about this for many years.

Education

Despite the fact that Sol from the very childhood loved reading and wanted to study literature, he still chose to start his journey quite a different direction. He was brought up in a climate of strong religiosity, his mother dreamed that he would become a violinist or a rabbi, but Sol chooses another way. At the end of the school, he enters the university, but not at the department of English literature, because there were strong anti-Jewish sentiments, but at the faculty of anthropology and sociology. But two years later, he said, "it became stifling in Chicago" and he transferred to Northwestern University in Illinois. In 1937 he received a bachelor's degree. Later he continued his studies at the University of Wisconsin. Several years after university, he works as a professor in various educational institutions, but he was always left with an old childhood dream.

Vocation

As a young boy, Sol Bellow read the book of G. Beecher Stowe "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and decided to become a writer. However, the path to the dream was long. Only after graduation, he begins to publish his reviews of novelties of literature and translations of Jewish texts. Working as a teacher, Bellow writes his first novel "Between Heaven and Earth", which will ensure him quite a lot of success. The novel is written in the form of a diary of a person who can not be imbued with the patriotic general mood that engulfed the entire population during the war. This story is about the attempt of an ordinary person to preserve the integrity of his personality when integrating into society. He tries to become a part of the people, but he does not succeed. The theme of preserving one's self under the pressure of social, cultural and moral presses will become the most important in the work of Saul Bellow. Success did not bring economic freedom, several more years the writer works at the University of Minnesota.

Way of the writer

In 1947, Bellow released his second novel, The Sacrifice, which continues the theme of preserving one's personality under the pressure of society. Also here appears the second important line, which the writer will later develop - this is the problem of anti-Semitism. Saul himself repeatedly came across the fact that his nationality was becoming an obstacle on his professional and life path. In 1948, the writer receives the Guggenheim Prize, which allowed him to leave work, move to Paris and begin work on the novel "The Adventures of Ogi Marcha." Saul Bellow in it again raises the topic of Jewish immigrants and the moral problems of finding their way. The novel is considered a classic picaresque novel of the United States, and some researchers call it the best creation of the writer. After this work, Bellow becomes known and well-off person to give more time to literature. But he continues to teach. For some time he worked in New York, in Puerto Rico, but in 1964 he returned to the city of his childhood - Chicago. Here he starts working at the University, teaching the creative skills of the writer and working in the inter-departmental commission on social thought. For 30 years he will be a professor at this university, helping talented authors find their way in literature and in life. Bellow loved Chicago, he said that he feels at home here. Here he was surrounded by familiar places and people: school friends, neighbors, colleagues. He often talked for a long time with his friend - the philosopher Alan Bloom.

In 1964, Bellae's new novel, The Duke, was released, which received a very warm welcome from readers and critics. The story of a university professor looking for the meaning of life put the writer on a par with such great authors as Joyce, Updike, Tolstoy. In total for his creative biography Bellow wrote 14 major novels and novels, several plays and collections of short stories, as well as four documentary works.

It is possible to recollect a little writers who continue to create to a deep old age at a former level. Such lucky people include Saul Bellow. "Ravelstein" - the author's last novel - was released in 2000 when he was 85 years old. In the book he told the story of his longtime friend A. Bloom, but also other prototypes are guessed in the main character. In the book, Bellow reflects on many problems of modern times and on global philosophical themes.

In 1993, the writer and his family moved to Boston, where he entered the university. Here he ended his journey.

Author's style

The writer is often called one of the best stylists in the US literature. He has a subtle sense of the word and the ability to find such an embodiment of thought that does not leave the reader indifferent. Bellow's books are an example of a unique combination of highly intellectual literature, bordering on philosophical works, and fascinating story prose that holds the reader's attention throughout the narrative. Among the classics of American literature, Sol Bellow firmly secured the second place after Faulkner. "The Duke", "Ravelstein", "Ogi March" became an indispensable element of their cultural baggage for Americans.

Best Books

The writer became famous after his first book, his novel work is not so great, but almost every work is a real masterpiece. The story "Catch the moment" Sol Bellow released in 1956, and it becomes indicative in terms of the author's favorite themes and techniques. The book tells of a typical representative of the generation of the 50's, who painfully seeks his way in life. He is going through difficult times and comes to the understanding that one must live today. The author does not give recipes, but involves the reader in joint reflection and the search for truth. American schoolchildren can see in the first lines of the list of books that are mandatory for reading, the following: Saul Bellow "Henderson, the King of the Rain." This book has become one of the best works of the writer, this tragicomic story has received the highest ratings of both readers and critics, which happens infrequently. The novel "The Gift of Humboldt" in 1975 brought to the author the Pulitzer Prize and international recognition. The book put the writer in a row of classics of the twentieth century.

Awards and Prizes

Saul Bellow, whose books are read in all parts of the world, received many awards for his life. He was the only one in the history of American literature who was awarded the national literary prize three times, and in 1976 received the Pulitzer Prize. And in the same year he receives one of the highest awards in the world - the Nobel Prize for Literature. Members of the Nobel Committee noted that the writer was awarded a prize for a delicate analysis of modern culture, penetration and humanism. He was also awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor (France), a national medal in the field of arts (USA) and several literary prizes.

Known quotations

Saul Bellow, whose quotations from books are striking in depth and wisdom, is known as an intellectual writer. He owns a lot of famous statements, in particular the words: "People are characterized by their passions and the way they hurt others" and "Boredom is a great power. The bored person has more to himself than the unknowing boredom. Boredom is respected "from Orga Marcha; "Be able to take care of yourself, and it will be more profitable for all mankind" from "Between Heaven and Earth"; "Man is born to be orphaned and orphaned by others" from "The Duke" and many others.

Personal life

Saul Bellow was an unusual person. He played the violin, was interested in sports, was friends with outstanding philosophers and was a big fan of women. Bellow was married 5 times, from different marriages he had four children. The first wife, Anita Goshkin, gave birth to his son Greg, who became a psychotherapist, but he could not forgive his father for all his life for throwing his mother, and even wrote memoirs about the terrible character of the writer. With his second wife, Anna Chakbasova, Bellow lived only a year, and this marriage also had a son - Adam. He followed in the footsteps of his father, became editor of the magazine and not the most successful writer. The third wife is Susan Glassman, whom he also did not live long. With Alexandra - the fourth wife - the marriage lasted almost 10 years. The last, the fifth wife - Janis Friedman - gave birth to Bellow daughter when he was 84 years old. She became in 2005 his widow. Saul Bellow died on April 6, 2005, before reaching the age of ninety.