Literary Fiction · ThoughtfulArtur Sammler, a Holocaust survivor in 1960s New York, watches a society excited by the Moon landings
Mr. Sammler's Planet
by Saul Bellow
A Holocaust survivor and intellectual watches a New York excited about the future
Artur Sammler is a Holocaust survivor and an intellectual who occasionally lectures at Columbia University. The story takes place in New York City in the 1960s. He observes a society swept up in futuristic optimism, such as the excitement over the Moon landings, and sees its growing comforts and leisure as failing to ease human suffering. Viking Press published it in 1970.
More about this book
Who
Artur Sammler, an intellectual and Holocaust survivor.
World
New York City in the 1960s, in the era of the Moon landings.
What makes it different
Its main character stands apart from the society's optimism.
Feel
Reflective and critical of its time. It won the 1971 National Book Award for Fiction.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Mr. Sammler's PlanetWikipedia