Literary Fiction · LightA low-paid Newark library worker spends a summer with Brenda Patimkin, a college student from a wealthy family
Goodbye, Columbus
by Philip Roth
A library worker from Newark falls for a college student whose family lives in wealthy Short Hills
Neil Klugman is a low-paid worker at the Newark Public Library who lives with his aunt and uncle. The title novella opens with his summer romance with Brenda Patimkin, a college student from a wealthy family in Short Hills, New Jersey. Houghton Mifflin published the book on May 7, 1959, with five short stories alongside the novella, and the novella was filmed in 1969.
More about this book
Who
Neil Klugman and Brenda Patimkin.
World
Working-class Newark and the wealthy suburb of Short Hills, New Jersey.
What makes it different
The book holds the novella and five short stories. A 1969 film version starred Ali MacGraw and Richard Benjamin.
Feel
Quick and summery. It won the 1960 National Book Award for Fiction.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Goodbye, ColumbusWikipedia