Mr. Sammler’s Planet
Mr. Sammler’s Planet by Saul Bellow, published by Viking Press in October 1984, is a thought-provoking exploration of life in 1960s New York City through the eyes of Mr. Artur Sammler, a Holocaust survivor and intellectual. This edition spans 313 pages and is presented in English. The narrative delves into Sammler’s reflections on the chaos of urban existence and the complexities of human suffering, as he navigates a world filled with both promise and despair.
Readers will find a rich examination of societal issues as Mr. Sammler, described as a “registrar of madness,” contemplates the impact of modernity on human experience. The novel addresses themes of morality and compassion, illustrating how luxury and leisure can coexist with deeper emotional struggles. Through Sammler’s journey, the text invites contemplation on the nature of a good life and the responsibilities that come with it, making it a significant work within the realms of American fiction and urban storytelling.
Official synopsis Publisher
Mr. Artur Sammler, Holocaust survivor, intellectual, and occasional lecturer at Columbia University in 1960s New York City, is a “registrar of madness,” a refined and civilized being caught among people crazy with the promises of the future (moon landings, endless possibilities). His Cyclopean gaze reflects on the degradations of city life while looking deep into the sufferings of the human soul. “Sorry for all and sore at heart,” he observes how greater luxury and leisure have only led to more human suffering. To Mr. Sammler—who by the end of this ferociously unsentimental novel has found the compassionate consciousness necessary to bridge the gap between himself and his fellow beings—a good life is one in which a person does what is “required of him.” To know and to meet the “terms of the contract” was as true a life as one could live. At its heart, this novel is quintessential moral, urbane, sublimely humane.
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