Mr. Artur Sammler Holocaust survivor intellectual and occasional lecturer atColumbia University in 1960s New York City is a registrar of madness arefined and ci... » 

Mr. Artur Sammler Holocaust survivor intellectual and occasional lecturer atColumbia University in 1960s New York City is a registrar of madness arefined and civilized being caught among people crazy with the promises of thefuture moon landings endless possibilities. His Cyclopean gaze reflects onthe degradations of city life while looking deep into the sufferings of thehuman soul. Sorry for all and sore at heart he observes how greater luxury andleisure have only led to more human suffering. To Mr. Sammler who by the end ofthis ferociously unsentimental novel has found the compassionate consciousnessnecessary to bridge the gap between himself and his fellow beings a good lifeis one in which a person does what is required of him. To know and to meet theterms of the contract was as true a life as one could live. At its heart thisnovel is quintessential Bellow moral urbane sublimely humane. «