All the King's Men (Penguin Modern Classics)

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Politics merely provided the framework story in which the deeper concerns, whatever their final significance, might work themselves out. I haven’t read that Steinbeck and since I’ve deleted him from my authors-to-read-more-of list after East of Eden, I probably won’t! I’m abandoning the awards this year because I just haven’t read enough new releases, but I’ll probably do a top 5 or 10, and this will definitely be up there! Governor Willie Stark is the king mentioned in the book’s title and his men are composed of Sadie Burke, his secretary and long-time lover, Jack Burden, his right hand and sounding board, Tiny Duffy an obsequious man Stark would rather have with him than against him and Sugar Boy, his faithful driver. Caught between the post-Christmas blues and the happy warmth of Trinity, the term can sometimes feel like an endless period of waiting and misery.

The doctor, enraged by Willie's affair with Anne and his manipulation of medical contracts, assassinates the governor. In Primary Colors, by “Anonymous” (1996), homage is paid to its influence in the character of Governor Stanton. Joyce Carol Oates, "The New York Review of Books" PRAISE FOR"ALL THE KING'S MEN" "Over the course of more than two centuries of vivid political history, there is perhaps only one full-blooded American novel of politics that plunges deep into the hearts of its characters and therefore into the hearts of its readers, thus rising to the top ranks of American fiction. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. The novel is narrated by Jack Burden, a political reporter who comes to work as Governor Stark's right-hand man.In narrating the story, Jack commingles his own personal story with the political story of Governor Stark.

Nevertheless, Warren’s novel also provided me with hope that while demagogues may seem invincible, they and all they stand for can be defeated.When Willie reawakens he has transformed in to ‘The Boss’ and depends on alcohol to function, drinking before all his public speeches to vitalise himself. Even beyond that, the novel’s frequent biting humour and Warren’s beautiful writing style is captivating. Parallel to Willie's story, Warren introduces us to Jack Burden, a jaded newspaper reporter who becomes Willie’s right-hand man. The information is compiled from the experience of reputable collectors and dealers in the industry.

Willie Stark was possibly inspired by the life of senator Huey Long, the aggressively populist governor of Louisiana and the state’s senator in the mid-1930s. The single quality that encompasses these varied books", he wrote, "is the use of the full resources of the American language to record with imagination and intelligence a significant aspect of our life. Joyce Carol Oates, "The New York Review of Books" PRAISE FOR "ALL THE KING'S MEN" "Over the course of more than two centuries of vivid political history, there is perhaps only one full-blooded American novel of politics that plunges deep into the hearts of its characters and therefore into the hearts of its readers, thus rising to the top ranks of American fiction. But of course the themes resonate for those of us who live in other democracies, since all share the same fundamental weakness – that those who stand for office are as fallible and flawed as everyone else.

Nothing in life is ever neat and simple, and Warren's structural complexity of the novel helps to demonstrate that idea, and, at the same time, it adds depth to the characters and to the themes. Thanks, Alyson, and sorry for disappearing without a word, especially since I hate when other people do that so I have no excuse. All the King’s Men is not merely the story of Willie Stark, as Warren’s world is brimming with fascinating side characters. Like the corrupt governor Willie Stark,” begin dozens of thumb-sucking op-eds, “President Clinton has …”) All the King’s Men, in other words, is the favorite novel of those for whom novel-reading is the 26th or 27th most important thing in the world. All the King's Men would be a good novel if it were only about the rise and fall of Willie Stark (who is a political boss, not a dictator), but it is also a novel about Jack Burden, a man who has lost his past and must find it.

A failed historian, a renegade from his genteel family, prevented by guilt and propriety from consummating his passion for the woman he loves even as she lies naked on his bed, Jack Burden seeks his “telos” in Willie Stark.That Noel Polk should make a project of ‘restoring’ a text in this way, and that this text should be published to compete with the author-approved text, is unconscionable, unethical, and indefensible. I know we’re supposed to be giving gifts to others this time of year, but 2020 requires extra self-care! Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism.