Published by Jonathan Cape, London; 1973. 8vo. 78pp. First edition, first impression. Condition: Near Fine/Near Fine
Bound in original black cloth boards with title in gilt to the spine, the binding is square and tight and in clean, smart condition. Inside, the pages are clean and bright, free from blemishes and with just a little toning and some spotting to the edges.
The book is housed in its original, first issue dust jacket. It is vibrant and bright and in excellent condition, with just some minor shelf wear to the edges and fading to the spine.
In all, this is a very smart first edition of possibly the most unique work to be written in the 20th century. Following on from his previous novels, it is further evidence of Philip Roth's dynamic ingenuity. This bizarre tale, so believable in its rage and anguish yet so blackly comic, bears the hallmark of the finest works of fantasy: it extends reality (blurb). It is Roth's 8th book and 1st novella, and tells the surreal narrative of a literature professor who wakes up from a coma to discover that he has transformed into a giant female breast. It forms the first instalment of Roth's David Kepesh trilogy, followed by The Professor of Desire and The Dying Animal. It pays homage to Kafka's Metamorphosis, in which his protagonist, Gregor Samsa, becomes a giant beetle. It is a deliriously entertaining yet touching exploration of the full implications of Kepesh's metamorphosis, a daring and heretical book that brings us face to face with the intrinsic strangeness of sex and subjectivity. Philip Roth was a prolific protean, and often blackly comic novelist and a pre-eminent figure in 20th century literature. He was a champion of Eastern European novelists such as Ivan Klima and Bruno Schulz, as well as a passionate student of American history and the American vernacular. In addition, more than just about any other writer of his time, he was tireless in his exploration of male sexuality.