The celebrated Canadian-American novelist Saul Bellow (1915-2005) wrote about the experiences of Jewish immigrants in America, and the ideals and challenges of the modern age. Published in 1964, Herzog immediately topped the bestseller lists. The novel recounts five days in the life of protagonist Moses E. Herzog, a cultural history professor in the grip of an existential crisis.
LETTERS At forty-seven, Herzog believes he has failed as a writer, as an academic and as a father. In a manic state, he travels from New York to the beachside tourist destination Martha’s Vineyard to visit friends, on to Chicago and finally out to a country house in the Berkshires, Massachusetts. Here, he tries to come to terms with his feelings in a series of letters.
“He had fallen under a spell and was writing letters to everyone under the sun. […] Hidden in the country, he wrote endlessly, fanatically, to the newspapers, to people in public life, to friends and relatives and at last to the dead, his own obscure dead, and finally the famous dead.”
“Había caído bajo una especie de hechizo y escribía cartas a todo bicho viviente. […] Escondido en el campo, escribió incesante y fanáticamente a los periódicos, a la gente que desempeñaba cargos públicos, a los amigos y parientes, después, a los muertos, sus propios muertos sin importancia y, por último, a los muertos famosos”.
FRIGHTENED MAN Funny, angry, tragic and filled with disappointments, the letters are never sent, but contribute instead to Herzog’s intellectual turmoil . Back in New York, his girlfriend, Ramona, tries to help Herzog face the realities of life. But she realises that his escape to the country may be an attempt to escape from her:
“‘Well, were you running away?’ she said.
‘Why should I? You’re a marvelous woman, Ramona.’
‘In that case you’re being very odd, Moses.’
‘Well, I suppose I am one of the odder beasts.’
‘But I know better than to be proud and demanding. Life has taught me to be humble.’
Moses shut his eyes and raised his brows. Here we go…”
“–Bueno, hombre, por lo visto te escapabas, ¿no? – dijo.
–¿De qué iba a escaparme? Eres una mujer maravillosa, Ramona.
–Pues, hijo, no te entiendo. Creo que estás muy raro, Moses.
–Sí, creo que soy uno de los tipos más raros.
–Por mi parte, ya he renunciado a ser orgullosa y a exigir. La vida me ha enseñado a ser humilde.
Moses cerró los ojos y levantó las cejas. Conque así estamos”.
THE FUTURE While Herzog ponders the past, Ramona suggests that he concentrate on the future. Can he make a return to his studies? Can he be a good father to his children, Marco and June? Can he avoid conflict with his ex-wife, who has recently left him for his close friend?
“‘You should be thinking about your future,’ said Ramona. ‘What are you planning to do next year?’
‘I can pick up a job of some sort.’
‘Where?’
‘I can’t decide whether to be near my son Marco, in the east, or go back to Chicago to keep an eye on June.’
‘Listen, Moses, it’s no disgrace to be practical. Is it a point of honor or something, not to think clearly? You want to win by sacrificing yourself? It doesn’t work, as you ought to know by now. Chicago would be a mistake. You’d only suffer.’
‘Perhaps, and suffering is another bad habit.’’
“–Debías pensar en tu futuro —dijo Ramona—. ¿Qué plan tienes para el año próximo?
–He de trabajar en algo.
–¿En qué?
–No he decidido aún si me quedaré cerca de mi hijo Marco, en el Este, o volveré a Chicago para estar cerca de June.
–Escucha, Moses, hay que ser prácticos. ¿Acaso consideras como cuestión de honor, o algo así, no pensar con claridad? ¿Qué sales ganando con sacrificarte? Ya deberías saber que no tiene cuenta sacrificarse. Ir a Chicago sería un error. Lo único que sacarías en limpio sería sufrir más.
–Quizás y el sufrimiento es otra mala costumbre”.
SURVIVOR Indeed, Herzog feels he was born to suffer — but he is a survivor. After a disastrous visit to Chicago, he returns to the house in the Berkshires. Here, talking to his brother Will, Herzog seems calmer, more purposeful . He rejects the idea of a ‘rest’ in a psychiatric hospital. The future, though uncertain , no longer seems frightening.
“‘Odd situation I’ve gotten into, Will – isn’t it?’ said Moses. ‘For me. For us – the Herzogs, I mean. It seems a strange point to arrive at after all the other points. In this lovely green hole … You’re worried about me, I see.’
Will, troubled but controlled, one of the most deeply familiar and longest-loved of human faces, looked at him in a way that could not be mistaken. ‘Of course I’m worried […]’
‘Well you mustn’t be distressed about me. I’m in a peculiar state, but not in a bad one.’”
“–Vaya una situación en la que me he metido, ¿verdad, Will? Resulta raro en mí que yo esté con este problema. Quiero decir que resulta raro en un Herzog… Bueno, ya veo que te preocupo…
Will, inquieto pero dominándose siempre —aquella cara tan profundamente familiar y tan querida, el rostro que Moses amaba desde hacía más tiempo— le estaba mirando de una manera que no podía inducir a error.
–Claro que me preocupas —dijo por fin […]
–Bueno, pues no debéis fastidiaros por mí. Desde luego, estoy ahora un poco raro, pero no mal”.
STORY OF IDEAS Herzog is a story of ideas, the meeting of intellectual power with emotional courage and life force. The novel sealed Bellow’s reputation as a writer for the age. The only author to win the National Book Award for Fiction three times, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976.
