Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
The novel is a first-person narrative, a monologue by a young Jewish man, Alexander Portnoy, who is speaking to his psychoanalyst. He shares his struggles with his identity as a Jewish man in America, his sexual fantasies and frustrations, his complex relationship with his overbearing mother, and his experiences of guilt and shame. The book uses humor and frank language to explore themes of identity, sexuality, and the Jewish experience in America.
The 171st greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1969
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Short
- Pages
- 200-300
- Words
- 78,500
- Original Language
- English
- Alternate Titles
- None
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 26 lists:
- 51st on The Greatest Books of All Time (Reader's Digest)
- 52nd on The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels (Modern Library)
- 63rd on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 76th on The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Folha de São Paulo)
- 80th on Books Of The Century (Library Journal)
- 96th on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- 611th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Best 20th-Century American Books (Hungry Mind Review)
- 100 Best Novels Written in English (The Guardian)
- 100 Books to Love (Sunday Times)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (USA))
- 125 Books We Love for Adults (NY Public Library)
- 22 of the Funniest Novels Since ‘Catch-22’ (New York Times)
- A Century of Reading (Lithub)
- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- Best Books Ever (Book Depository)
- Best Foreign Work of Fiction Chosen by Francophone Writers (French literary magazine Transfuge)
- Everything You Should Read without Being a Library Rat (Book by Luiz Carlos Lisboa)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English since 1939 (Anthony Burges (Book))
- One Hundred Best American Novels, 1770 to 1985 (The American Scholar)
- The Great American Novels (The Atlantic)
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)