Comments on: Bernard Malamud: The Fixer

By: Winifred Engerman

Winifred Engerman — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:18:06 +0000

I read this book forty years ago. I never forgot Yakov’s decision to participate in
History. he understood that freedom is only availatbtle if we understand the parameters
Of our existence. Malamud influenced my life as no other author has. only a great writer
Can Mark his readers.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:09:25 +0000

I have yet to read Bellow, but I have a few of them on the shelf calling to me. I’ll be interested to see if I agree with you, Pip.

By: Pip's Squeak

Pip's Squeak — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:28:37 +0000

About Malamud, a reason why his books have largely disappeared from the shelves is that, although a very good writer, his themes are mostly Chicken-soup novel specific and in consequence provincial. This is a shame since he could have become an outstanding author instead of merely a very good one. As for Roth, I admit to not being able to stand the stuff, while Bellow is a real mediocrity disguised by elegant prose. Turning what could have been marvellous novellas into bloated novels, the latter reminds me of Patrick White.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:41:54 +0000

Hi Dorothy, glad you came to add your insight! I think you're right about Malamud's characters. While Nathan Zuckerman is one of my favorite characters ever, I think on the whole Malamud's characters in The Fixer were just as rich. I also think you're probably right about it being a matter of fashion. Roth's predicaments feel much more relevant to me. It helps, I'm sure, that I live in the New Jersey suburbs of New York and frequent Newark often. The context of The Fixer was to me very new. I am anxious to read The Assistant, especially after your review!

By: Dorothy W.

Dorothy W. — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:13:50 +0000

I’m very curious to see what you will think of The Assistant when you get there. Your description of Malamud’s characterization holds true for that book as well — the people are very conflicted and very real. He doesn’t seem as complex a writer as Roth, maybe (it’s been too long since I’ve read Bellow to say), although it matters what kind of complexity we’re talking about. He doesn’t have Roth’s formal experimentation, but are his characters as rich as Roth’s? Possibly. I wonder if it’s a matter of fashion and Malamud will get some recognition at some point in the future. Or maybe Roth’s subject matter feels more relevant to us now.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:31:37 +0000

Surprise, surprise! Turns out where I’m staying in D.C. has free wireless internet access. While I can’t say I’m going to have much time to blog, I can at least be on here at times!

Kevin and Myrthe seem to be proof that Malamud is a writer one enjoys but does not remember well. It’s been a few weeks since I finished The Fixer, and I can still remember most of it, but the power behind it all is waning. I wish it were not the case because I truly enjoyed the book. And I’m not sure why it’s happening that way. Though the book was heavy on plot-based narrative, it was heavy on character development too. While it was at times heavy-handed, it was also subtle. For some reason the subtleties of character and style are slipping behind the larger, heavier elements for me, and those heavier elements were not the best part of the book.

zhiv, thanks for the link! Not only do I appreciate the comments on Malamud, but this is a new book blog for me to start reading!

By: Myrthe

Myrthe — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:53:34 +0000

You have me all confused now, Trevor! I was convinced I had read The Fixer years ago, but when I read your review there was absolutely nothing I recognized. I know I did read some Malamud back then, but now I suppose it wasn’t The Fixer. It seems I have to go digging around my bookshelves a bit to see what I do come up with (because I also remember that I own one or two of his books, unless that’s a mistaken memory as well ;-) ). I can see a reread coming up at some point.

By: zhiv

zhiv — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:24:57 +0000

Interesting. Didn’t realize that The Fixer was such a prize-winner. Funny to hear about and take an interest in Malumud through the filter of Roth. You might want to take a look at The Assistant, which Dorothy did a nice job on:

http://ofbooksandbikes.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/the-assistant/

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:25:58 +0000

Your comments about Malamud do spark a response — I have read a number of his novels and, honestly, do not remember any of them. I’ll be interested in your exploration of his work — it does seem that not many other people have read him.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:48:32 +0000

Interesting question, Isabel. I’m not sure I was paying close enough attention since I already knew Yakov was going to be arrested and imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. In fact, the first few pages are of him arrested and then we go back to see the development. During the development I definitely could see how Malamud put the pieces together that the prosecution would later use to create a false case, so in that sense I could feel the approaching doom.

As far as Yakov’s demeanor is concerned, while he was definitely a negative person, he was basically disillusioned with life, his in particular but also with life in general. He and his wife couldn’t conceive a child, he didn’t believe in God yet was part of the rituals, and then his wife left him for another man. He’s subject to a history that has not been kind to his people, and he knows that any day another pogrom could begin that arbitrarily takes his life just as it did his father’s. But basically, he wants to wipe his past out and begin again, and he has no scruples about not claiming his Jewish heritage except that it could get him in trouble. All of this changes while he’s in prison. He’s still bitter, but he has a more definite enemy and a more definite cause.

Let me know if this answers your question. If not, I’ll give it another shot :).