Saul Bellow loved Spain and Spanish culture and mined his experience there in three pieces: "Spanish Letter," a nonfiction account; "The Gonzaga Manuscripts," a short story; and a section in Humboldt’s Gift in which Charlie Citrine goes to Madrid. In his fiction Bellow uses Spain as a place where his idealistic and somewhat foolish heroes go on a typical Bellovian journey, a personal and spiritual quest in which they undergo humiliation and self-mortification—a comedic quest that in this context can only be called quixotic.
The influence on American culture of thinkers such as Roth, Bellow, Malamud, Piercy, Wiesel, Potok, and Chabon cannot be overstated. Their impact can be seen in literature, philosophy, theater, and film. Studies in American Jewish Literature explores a field that has advanced in large part due to the efforts of Daniel Walden, who founded the journal in 1975. Articles on the ongoing influence, relevance, and significance of American Jewish writers contribute to our understanding of their unique place in literature and their role in portraying the complexity and richness of American Jewish life and experience.
Part of the Pennsylvania State University and a division of the Penn State University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, Penn State University Press serves the University community, the citizens of Pennsylvania, and scholars worldwide by advancing scholarly communication in the core liberal arts disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. The Press unites with alumni, friends, faculty, and staff to chronicle the University's life and history. And as part of a land-grant and state-supported institution, the Press develops both scholarly and popular publications about Pennsylvania, all designed to foster a better understanding of the state's history, culture, and environment.
This item is part of a JSTOR Collection.
For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions
Copyright © 2017 by The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved. No copies may be made without the written permission of the publisher.
Request Permissions
