Turning Up the Flame

Philip Roth is that literary rarity_an American novelist who gets better with age. In recent years he has astounded critics with both the quality and the quantity of his literary output. Roth has been publishing fiction for over four decades. He has never been satisfied merely to repeat himself, to keep mining the same themes and material. Some critics did feel that he was doing just that in his Zuckerman novels. Apparently stung by such criticism, Roth set out to explore new territory, to make each new novel an experimental, challenging, even outrageous effort. He has succeeded beyond all critical expectations. The time would appear ripe then to take a closer look at Roth's more recent or 'later' fiction. That is the intent of this timely gathering of fourteen critical essays by some of the leading Roth specialists in this country and abroad.