The Concept of Man in the Select Novels of Saul Bellow

In the ancient days the story of man and his civilization were chronicled by scribes and singers who passed on this tale of the race to the future generations. Today authors, artists, and journalists who have taken over the mantle of the scribes and singers are chronicling the story of the Modern Man as viewed through the locus of their creative ability. One of the most perspicacious novelists to record the predicament of the twentieth century-man was the Jewish-American writer Saul Bellow. A Nobel Laureate and the winner of innumerable awards, he wrote not to conform to the fickle public taste but followed the dictates of his own convictions and artistic standard. A prolific writer, he hypnotized a wide variety of readers, critics, and reviewers. Bellow's works are greatly acclaimed and his stature in American Literature equals Faulkner, Hemingway, and Steinbeck. His novels project the plight of modern man, the crumbling down of the traditional values, and the corrosion of meaning in life. Nonetheless, the primary concern of this ingenious writer is to uphold the view that the self is not lost in the gloomy atmosphere of nihilism that pervaded the twentieth century.