Specify Regarding Books The Autograph Man
| Title | : | The Autograph Man |
| Author | : | Zadie Smith |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 347 pages |
| Published | : | June 17th 2003 by Vintage (first published September 12th 2002) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Contemporary. Novels. Literary Fiction. Literature |
Zadie Smith
Paperback | Pages: 347 pages Rating: 3.16 | 11125 Users | 766 Reviews
Commentary During Books The Autograph Man
Alex-Li Tandem sells autographs. His business is to hunt for names on paper, collect them, sell them, and occasionally fake them—all to give the people what they want: a little piece of Fame. But what does Alex want? Only the return of his father, the end of religion, something for his headache, three different girls, infinite grace, and the rare autograph of forties movie actress Kitty Alexander. With fries.The Autograph Man is a deeply funny existential tour around the hollow trappings of modernity: celebrity, cinema, and the ugly triumph of symbol over experience. It offers further proof that Zadie Smith is one of the most staggeringly talented writers of her generation.
Itemize Books Supposing The Autograph Man
| Original Title: | The Autograph Man |
| ISBN: | 037570387X (ISBN13: 9780375703874) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Booker Prize Nominee for Longlist (2002), Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction Shortlist (2003), Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize Nominee for Comic Fiction (2003), Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize for Fiction (2003) |
Rating Regarding Books The Autograph Man
Ratings: 3.16 From 11125 Users | 766 ReviewsWrite Up Regarding Books The Autograph Man
I have struggled with Zadie Smith in the past but found that it was well worth persevering. Not in this case. The Autograph Man has been described as "wonderfully funny" and "witty". While there are certainly many attempts at humour, I did not find the usually drunken or doped meanderings of Alex Li Tandem appealing to my sense of humour. The most moving part of the book was the description of Alex's father's death, which appears to be the instigation of Alex's career as an autograph man. HisI am so glad that this is the second zadie smith book that I have read, for rest assured, if it had been the first it would have been the only.This is appalling and I am not sure what kept me going through its 410 pages.Its starts Ok with a prelogue that reads as though it has been tagged on. Three kids and a father go to a wrestling match between Big Daddy and Haystacks and the one child gets an autograph. Only by reading reviews of the book did I realise that the father died during the
I really enjoyed White Teeth, so expectations were high for this one. But the Autograph Man is nothing like White Teeth. Sure Zadie Smith's impressive writing style is still there, thank god, but though the plot sounded interesting, I think the book still needed a bit more time to really pull it off. I much preferred the second part to the first but not enough to say that I would read it again or recommend it. It's ok, but there's better out there.
She hopes for nothing except fine weather and a resolution. She wants to end properly, like a good sentence.Zadie Smith has been on my list of authors to read for several years, but I'd only heard of her more well-known novels, White Teeth and On Beauty. I found The Autograph Man on a bookshelf in the teacher's lounge at my school and immediately picked it up. The story was difficult to get into at first, as the main character, Alex Li-Tandem, didn't start off being too sympathetic or relatable.
Every Zadie Smith novel I've read (all of them) have been good, mostly great actually, but I think this one is the hardest to crack. The way her brain works is incredible: how she settled on a story about a Chinese-Jewish autograph connoisseur is mind boggling, but it made for a story that was at times funny, tender, and introspective. I feel like this novel starts to scratch the surface of the techniques that were on brilliant display in NW, which is my favorite of hers. It's not a
This book gives the international gesture of 1 finger down your throat.Appalling, I deserve a medal or an insanity check for finishing this.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:James Wood in his thesis review covers all the thoughts I had on this one (and more and more) and is the most worthwhile review of this book around. For those who arent that interested, let me sum up the basics: lapsed Anglo-Chinese Jew Alex-Li is an autograph hunter fixated on Kitty Alexander, fictional Hollywood starlet of the 1950s. He spends his time writing a book on Jews v. Christians, spurning his faith, squabbling with rabbis, upsetting his bald girlfriend and cavorting
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