A great American novelist dies
Philip Roth: A Life Recalled
The Latest
-
Culture How Philip Roth Won the Battle for the Jews
In October 2016, author and essayist Anne Roiphe sung the praises of “The Conversion of the Jews,” a story from Philip Roth’s 1959 book “Goodbye, Columbus.” Upon hearing of Roth’s death, she writes: “Ah Phillip… the counter feminist gremlin of our time… Yes, you were a king of comedy. Yes, you saw right through the…
-
Food What Philip Roth Taught Us About The Jewish Appetite, Liver And Beyond
“So. Now you know the worst thing I have ever done. I fucked my own family’s dinner,” Philip Roth famously wrote in Portnoy’s Complaint, a line that remains, decades later, as compelling as the first time I read it. It was the idea of food as sex as solo activity as sustenance. There was an…
-
Culture Philip Roth’s Newark Still Exists — If You Know Where To Look
On Philip Roth’s 80th birthday, a group of the author’s most fervent fans boarded a tour bus in Newark, New Jersey, Roth’s hometown and the site of many of his novels. Stops included Weequahic High, where Roth graduated from High School, and one of Roth’s childhood homes. The tour gathered a far-flung set of Roth…
-
Culture Writers Remember Philip Roth: ‘The Planet Weighs So Much Less Without His Words’
Yesterday, at the age of 85, Philip Roth passed away. Roth was a titan of American letters, but his influence spread past his native shores. His death made headlines across the world, and his obituary appeared on the front page of Le Monde, France’s pre-eminent newspaper. But the most touching tributes to the decorated novelist,…
-
Culture Philip Roth Dies, And Part Of Our America Dies With Him
I’m moving again and my books are packed up and sealed in boxes. Just two days ago I took all the Roth books down from my highest shelf: The first edition of “Portnoy’s Complaint,” the first book I gave to my boyfriend, now my husband, twenty years ago at the Shark Bar in Soho; “American…
-
Culture Philip Roth’s Legacy, In Their Words
Philip Roth passed away on May 22, 2018, aged 85. For his 85th birthday, on March 19, Talya Zax had collected the thoughts of writers and politicians about Roth’s astonishing achievements. They stand as testament to his work, even on this, sadder, milestone. -Editors In 1981, Philip Roth gave a now-famous description of his experience…
-
Breaking News Philip Roth, Great American Novelist, Is Dead At 85
(JTA) — Philip Roth, whose notorious novels about the sex drives of American men gave way to some of the most probing examinations of the American Jewish condition in the 20th and 21st centuries, has died. He was 85. His death was confirmed to The New York Times by his friend, Judith Thurman. Early in…
-
Culture Associate Of The Swedish Academy Acts Like Philip Roth Character, Denies Philip Roth Nobel — Again
Somewhere, a giddy Wes Anderson is developing a film about an elderly novelist, one of the most lauded and prolific in the world, who spends his late years waiting eagerly for each October, feeling sure that this — this! — is the year he will be given his due, and awarded the world’s most prestigious…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Why neo-Nazis marched in Ohio this weekend, and almost every weekend in the US
- 2
Opinion The group behind Project 2025 has a plan to protect Jews. It will do the opposite.
- 3
Opinion Just about every interpretation of Trump’s narrow election victory is wrong
- 4
News Your complete guide to Trump’s Jewish advisers and pro-Israel cabinet
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Rep. Ritchie Torres, outspoken pro-Israel advocate, is dropping hints that he could run for NY governor
-
Fast Forward Ursula Haverbeck, infamous German Holocaust denier known as ‘Nazi grandma,’ dies at 96
-
Fast Forward A Jewish museum in Tulsa held a funeral for remains of Holocaust victims it kept for years
-
Sports Texas A&M’s Sam Salz cherishes his first taste of DI college football — and the opportunity to inspire fellow Orthodox Jews
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
