The Modern Novel

Biography

Saul Bellow was born in 1915 in Lachine, Quebec, now a suburb of Montreal, two years after his parents had emigrated from St Petersburg. He grew up speaking English, French, Hebrew and Yiddish. When he was nine, the family emigrated to Chicago. His father had financial difficulties and his mother died when he was fifteen. He went to the University of Chicago to study English but then transferred to Northwestern where he studied anthropology. He determined early on to be a writer and started by writing reviews before turning to novels. He had success early with the Dangling Man and continued to produce a string of critically and commercially successful novels. Though he is, of course, Jewish, he rejected the tag Jewish novelist. Some of his heroes are Jewish and some are not. However, in his account of his visit to Israel, he was severely criticised by Noam Chomsky for his uncritical support of Israel and his support of the really awful Joan Peters book. He won the Nobel Prize in 1976 and died in 2005.

Books about Saul Bellow

James Atlas: Bellow: A Biography

Other links

Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow (1915-2005)
Featured Author: Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow In Retrospect
Biography of Saul Bellow
Novelists and critics remember an American master
Obituary
Obituary
Obituary
Paris Review Interview