West, Nathanael 1903-1940
Overview
| Works: | 446 works in 1,544 publications in 24 languages and 40,931 library holdings |
|---|---|
| Genres: | Fiction Criticism, interpretation, etc Novels Biographies History Drama Film adaptations Periodicals Domestic fiction Experimental fiction |
| Roles: | Author, Editor, Bibliographic antecedent, Actor, Scenarist, Author of screenplay, Creator |
| Classifications: | PS3545.E8334, 813.52 |
Publication Timeline
.
Most widely held works about
Nathanael West
- American superrealism : Nathanael West and the politics of representation in the 1930s by Jonathan Veitch( )
- Politics, desire, and the Hollywood novel by Chip Rhodes( )
- Seven modern American novelists; an introduction by William Van O'Connor( Book )
- Nathanael West; the art of his life by Jay Martin( Book )
- Nathanael West, a collection of critical essays by Jay Martin( Book )
- Nathanael West by Stanley Edgar Hyman( Book )
- Nathanael West : [an interpretative study] by James F Light( Book )
- The fiction of Nathanael West : no redeemer, no promised land by Randall Reid( Book )
- Nathanael West, the ironic prophet by Victor Comerchero( Book )
- The thirties: fiction, poetry, drama by Warren G French( Book )
- Seven contemporary authors, essays on Cozzens, Miller, West, Golding, Heller, Albee, and Powers by Thomas B Whitbread( Book )
- Nathanael West's novels by Irving Malin( Book )
- Nathanael West by Kingsley Widmer( Book )
- Some time in the sun by Tom Dardis( Book )
- Radical sophistication; studies in contemporary Jewish-American novelists by Max F Schulz( Book )
- Nathanael West: the cheaters and the cheated; a collection of critical essays by Nathanael West( Book )
- Ten versions of America by Gerald B Nelson( Book )
- The Great Depression and the culture of abundance : Kenneth Fearing, Nathanael West, and mass culture in the 1930s by Rita Barnard( Book )
- Nathanael West by Harold Bloom( Book )
- Nathanael West by Robert Emmet Long( Book )
more
fewer
Most widely held works by
Nathanael West
The day of the locust by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
207 editions published between 1939 and 2020 in 19 languages and held by 2,317 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
West fictionalizes the working class of Tinseltown, in this novel that studies several men working at the peripheral edge of the movie industry and their mutual obsession with a daydreaming girl
207 editions published between 1939 and 2020 in 19 languages and held by 2,317 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
West fictionalizes the working class of Tinseltown, in this novel that studies several men working at the peripheral edge of the movie industry and their mutual obsession with a daydreaming girl
Miss Lonelyhearts ; &, the day of the locust by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
79 editions published between 1933 and 2009 in English and held by 2,146 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
In the first story, Miss Lonelyhearts is a newspaper reporter assigned to write the advice column, and becomes caught up in the suffering. In the second story, Ted Hackett goes to Hollywood in search of a career, but finds the way hard
79 editions published between 1933 and 2009 in English and held by 2,146 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
In the first story, Miss Lonelyhearts is a newspaper reporter assigned to write the advice column, and becomes caught up in the suffering. In the second story, Ted Hackett goes to Hollywood in search of a career, but finds the way hard
Novels and other writings by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
8 editions published between 1997 and 2009 in English and held by 1,853 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A collection of six works by Nathanael West
8 editions published between 1997 and 2009 in English and held by 1,853 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A collection of six works by Nathanael West
The complete works by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
40 editions published between 1957 and 1988 in English and Undetermined and held by 1,794 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"'The Dream Life of Balso Snell' (1931), originally published in Paris, is in words of Robert Coates 'a fantasy, about some rather scatological adventures of the hero in the innards of the Trojan Horse.' 'Miss Lonelyhearts' (1933) is considered his [the author's] masterpiece. 'It is one of the books, ' writes Malcolm Cowley, 'that had very few readers for the first edition, but simply refuse to be forgotten.' 'A Cool Million' (1936), with the subtitle, 'The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin, ' is a satiric success story in the midst of the depression, written in mock Horatio Alger Style. 'The Day of the Locust' (1939), which is considered the best novel ever written about Hollywood, is a savage indictment.'"
40 editions published between 1957 and 1988 in English and Undetermined and held by 1,794 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"'The Dream Life of Balso Snell' (1931), originally published in Paris, is in words of Robert Coates 'a fantasy, about some rather scatological adventures of the hero in the innards of the Trojan Horse.' 'Miss Lonelyhearts' (1933) is considered his [the author's] masterpiece. 'It is one of the books, ' writes Malcolm Cowley, 'that had very few readers for the first edition, but simply refuse to be forgotten.' 'A Cool Million' (1936), with the subtitle, 'The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin, ' is a satiric success story in the midst of the depression, written in mock Horatio Alger Style. 'The Day of the Locust' (1939), which is considered the best novel ever written about Hollywood, is a savage indictment.'"
Miss Lonelyhearts, a novel by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
167 editions published between 1933 and 2019 in 22 languages and held by 1,051 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A scornful feature editor of a newspaper picks an ambitious young reporter to conduct the advice of the lovelorn column. Ambitious, opportunistic, 'Miss Lonelyhearts, ' as the conductor of the column is inevitably dubbed, begins with contempt of the correspondents and confidence in his own cleverness. As time goes on, the genuineness of the agony in the letters that come in gets under the skin of the columnist. He is distressed to find himself presiding over a monstrous swindle. For he is an idealist in collision with humanity, as his diabolical managing editor expresses it
167 editions published between 1933 and 2019 in 22 languages and held by 1,051 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A scornful feature editor of a newspaper picks an ambitious young reporter to conduct the advice of the lovelorn column. Ambitious, opportunistic, 'Miss Lonelyhearts, ' as the conductor of the column is inevitably dubbed, begins with contempt of the correspondents and confidence in his own cleverness. As time goes on, the genuineness of the agony in the letters that come in gets under the skin of the columnist. He is distressed to find himself presiding over a monstrous swindle. For he is an idealist in collision with humanity, as his diabolical managing editor expresses it
The complete works of Nathanael West by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
71 editions published between 1957 and 1988 in 3 languages and held by 511 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"'The Dream Life of Balso Snell' (1931), originally published in Paris, is in words of Robert Coates 'a fantasy, about some rather scatological adventures of the hero in the innards of the Trojan Horse.' 'Miss Lonelyhearts' (1933) is considered his [the author's] masterpiece. 'It is one of the books, ' writes Malcolm Cowley, 'that had very few readers for the first edition, but simply refuse to be forgotten.' 'A Cool Million' (1936), with the subtitle, 'The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin, ' is a satiric success story in the midst of the depression, written in mock Horatio Alger Style. 'The Day of the Locust' (1939), which is considered the best novel ever written about Hollywood, is a savage indictment.'"
71 editions published between 1957 and 1988 in 3 languages and held by 511 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"'The Dream Life of Balso Snell' (1931), originally published in Paris, is in words of Robert Coates 'a fantasy, about some rather scatological adventures of the hero in the innards of the Trojan Horse.' 'Miss Lonelyhearts' (1933) is considered his [the author's] masterpiece. 'It is one of the books, ' writes Malcolm Cowley, 'that had very few readers for the first edition, but simply refuse to be forgotten.' 'A Cool Million' (1936), with the subtitle, 'The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin, ' is a satiric success story in the midst of the depression, written in mock Horatio Alger Style. 'The Day of the Locust' (1939), which is considered the best novel ever written about Hollywood, is a savage indictment.'"
The day of the locust by
John Schlesinger(
Visual
)
15 editions published between 1974 and 2013 in English and German and held by 443 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A naive young set designer seeks work in Tinseltown and falls in love with a wannabe actress who lives with her alcholic father, a former vaudevillian entertainer
15 editions published between 1974 and 2013 in English and German and held by 443 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A naive young set designer seeks work in Tinseltown and falls in love with a wannabe actress who lives with her alcholic father, a former vaudevillian entertainer
Contact(
)
in English and held by 238 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"Scenario and Entered as second-class matter, two stories by S.J. Perelman, are not included in this reprint edition...."
in English and held by 238 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"Scenario and Entered as second-class matter, two stories by S.J. Perelman, are not included in this reprint edition...."
The day of the locust ; and, the dream life of Balso Snell by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
31 editions published between 1962 and 2013 in English and held by 204 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"The Day of the Locust" is an exposure of the sordid reality beneath the surface of Hollywood, where West worked and "The Dream Life of Balso Snell" is a surrealist fantasy
31 editions published between 1962 and 2013 in English and held by 204 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"The Day of the Locust" is an exposure of the sordid reality beneath the surface of Hollywood, where West worked and "The Dream Life of Balso Snell" is a surrealist fantasy
Miss Lonelyhearts ; & the day of the locust : two novels by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
8 editions published between 1962 and 1998 in English and held by 171 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"Somehow or other I seem to have slipped in between all the 'schools, '" observed Nathanael West the year before his untimely death in 1940. "My books meet no needs except my own, their circulation is practically private and I'm lucky to be published." Yet today, West is widely recognized as a prophetic writer whose dark and comic vision of a society obsessed with mass-produced fantasies foretold much of what was to come in American life. Miss Lonelyhearts (1933), which West envisioned as "a novel in the form of a comic strip," tells of an advice-to-the-lovelorn columnist who becomes tragically embroiled in the desperate lives of his readers. The Day of the Locust (1939) is West's great dystopian Hollywood novel based on his experiences at the seedy fringes of the movie industry
8 editions published between 1962 and 1998 in English and held by 171 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"Somehow or other I seem to have slipped in between all the 'schools, '" observed Nathanael West the year before his untimely death in 1940. "My books meet no needs except my own, their circulation is practically private and I'm lucky to be published." Yet today, West is widely recognized as a prophetic writer whose dark and comic vision of a society obsessed with mass-produced fantasies foretold much of what was to come in American life. Miss Lonelyhearts (1933), which West envisioned as "a novel in the form of a comic strip," tells of an advice-to-the-lovelorn columnist who becomes tragically embroiled in the desperate lives of his readers. The Day of the Locust (1939) is West's great dystopian Hollywood novel based on his experiences at the seedy fringes of the movie industry
Two novels by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
13 editions published between 1934 and 1983 in English and Undetermined and held by 169 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
13 editions published between 1934 and 1983 in English and Undetermined and held by 169 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Two novels: The dream life of Balso Snell [and] A cool million by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
9 editions published between 1934 and 1988 in English and held by 151 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
9 editions published between 1934 and 1988 in English and held by 151 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A cool million : the dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
8 editions published between 1934 and 1995 in English and Italian and held by 144 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
8 editions published between 1934 and 1995 in English and Italian and held by 144 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
The dream life of Balso Snell by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
19 editions published between 1931 and 2018 in 5 languages and held by 134 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
West's first novel, it presents a young man's immature and cynical search for meaning in a series of dreamlike encounters inside the entrails of the Trojan Horse
19 editions published between 1931 and 2018 in 5 languages and held by 134 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
West's first novel, it presents a young man's immature and cynical search for meaning in a series of dreamlike encounters inside the entrails of the Trojan Horse
A cool million ; The dream life of Balso Snell : two novels by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
2 editions published in 2006 in English and held by 127 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"Nathanael West was only thirty-seven when he died in 1940, but his depictions of the sometimes comic, sometimes horrifying aspects of the American scene rival those of William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor. A Cool Million, written in 1934, is a satiric Horatio Alger story set in the midst of the Depression. The Dream Life of Balso Snell (1931) was described by one critic as "a fantasy about some rather scatological adventures of the hero in the innards of the Trojan horse."--Publisher's website
2 editions published in 2006 in English and held by 127 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"Nathanael West was only thirty-seven when he died in 1940, but his depictions of the sometimes comic, sometimes horrifying aspects of the American scene rival those of William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor. A Cool Million, written in 1934, is a satiric Horatio Alger story set in the midst of the Depression. The Dream Life of Balso Snell (1931) was described by one critic as "a fantasy about some rather scatological adventures of the hero in the innards of the Trojan horse."--Publisher's website
The day of the locust by
Nathanael West(
)
14 editions published between 1974 and 2018 in English and Undetermined and held by 126 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
The Hollywood that Tod Hackett discovered when he moved there to learn set and costume designing was monstrous. And the people too were bizarre, desperate souls searching through the Hollywood dream factory for excitement as an answer to their dreary lives. Whether would-be actresses or retired plumbers from the midwest, all came to the California sunshine with expectations of health and good fortune
14 editions published between 1974 and 2018 in English and Undetermined and held by 126 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
The Hollywood that Tod Hackett discovered when he moved there to learn set and costume designing was monstrous. And the people too were bizarre, desperate souls searching through the Hollywood dream factory for excitement as an answer to their dreary lives. Whether would-be actresses or retired plumbers from the midwest, all came to the California sunshine with expectations of health and good fortune
Miss Lonelyhearts by
Nathanael West(
Recording
)
16 editions published between 1933 and 2016 in English and held by 124 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Set in New York during the Great Depression, Miss Lonelyhearts concerns a nameless man assigned to produce a newspaper advice column -- but as time passes he begins to break under the endless misery of those who write in, begging him for advice. Unable to find answers, and with his shaky Christianity ridiculed to razor-edged shards by his poisonous editor, he tumbles into alcoholism and a madness fueled by his own spiritual emptiness
16 editions published between 1933 and 2016 in English and held by 124 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Set in New York during the Great Depression, Miss Lonelyhearts concerns a nameless man assigned to produce a newspaper advice column -- but as time passes he begins to break under the endless misery of those who write in, begging him for advice. Unable to find answers, and with his shaky Christianity ridiculed to razor-edged shards by his poisonous editor, he tumbles into alcoholism and a madness fueled by his own spiritual emptiness
The dream life of Balso Snell; A cool million by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
22 editions published between 1931 and 1999 in English and held by 112 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Two tales of fiction
22 editions published between 1931 and 1999 in English and held by 112 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Two tales of fiction
A cool million : [and] The dream life of Balso Snell by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
12 editions published between 1961 and 2006 in English and held by 106 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A Cool Million, as its subtitle suggests, presents "the dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin," piece by piece. As a satire of the Horatio Alger myth of success, the novel is evocative of Voltaire’s Candide, which satirized the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Alexander Pope. Pitkin is a typical ‘Schlemiel’, stumbling from one situation to the next; he gets robbed, cheated, unjustly arrested, frequently beaten and exploited. In a parallel plot Betty Prail, Pitkin's love interest, is raped, abused, and sold into prostitution. Over the course of the novel Pitkin manages to lose an eye, his teeth, his thumb, his scalp and his leg, but nevertheless retains his optimism and gullibility to the inevitably bitter end
12 editions published between 1961 and 2006 in English and held by 106 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A Cool Million, as its subtitle suggests, presents "the dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin," piece by piece. As a satire of the Horatio Alger myth of success, the novel is evocative of Voltaire’s Candide, which satirized the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Alexander Pope. Pitkin is a typical ‘Schlemiel’, stumbling from one situation to the next; he gets robbed, cheated, unjustly arrested, frequently beaten and exploited. In a parallel plot Betty Prail, Pitkin's love interest, is raped, abused, and sold into prostitution. Over the course of the novel Pitkin manages to lose an eye, his teeth, his thumb, his scalp and his leg, but nevertheless retains his optimism and gullibility to the inevitably bitter end
A cool million by
Nathanael West(
Book
)
30 editions published between 1934 and 2018 in 11 languages and held by 96 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"A Cool Million... presents 'the dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin,' piece by piece. As a satire of the Horatio Alger myth of success, the novel is evocative of Voltaire's Candide, which satirized the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Alexander Pope. Pitkin is a typical 'Schlemiel', stumbling from one situation to the next; he gets robbed, cheated, unjustly arrested, frequently beaten and exploited. In a parallel plot Betty Prail, Pitkin's love interest, is raped, abused, and sold into prostitution. Over the course of the novel Pitkin manages to lose an eye, his teeth, his thumb, his scalp and his leg, but nevertheless retains his optimism and gullibility to the inevitably bitter end. Pitkin's troubles, however, don't end with his death. Even after his death he is exploited as a martyr by the 'National Revolutionary Party', a political organization led by Shagpoke Whipple, a manipulative former American president. Pitkin's birthday becomes a national holiday and American youths march down the streets singing songs in his honor. Whipple speaks out against aliens and calling for a rejection of 'sophistication, Marxism and International Capitalism.' The novel ends with a series of roaring 'hails' from the crowd." --From Wikipedia
30 editions published between 1934 and 2018 in 11 languages and held by 96 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"A Cool Million... presents 'the dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin,' piece by piece. As a satire of the Horatio Alger myth of success, the novel is evocative of Voltaire's Candide, which satirized the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Alexander Pope. Pitkin is a typical 'Schlemiel', stumbling from one situation to the next; he gets robbed, cheated, unjustly arrested, frequently beaten and exploited. In a parallel plot Betty Prail, Pitkin's love interest, is raped, abused, and sold into prostitution. Over the course of the novel Pitkin manages to lose an eye, his teeth, his thumb, his scalp and his leg, but nevertheless retains his optimism and gullibility to the inevitably bitter end. Pitkin's troubles, however, don't end with his death. Even after his death he is exploited as a martyr by the 'National Revolutionary Party', a political organization led by Shagpoke Whipple, a manipulative former American president. Pitkin's birthday becomes a national holiday and American youths march down the streets singing songs in his honor. Whipple speaks out against aliens and calling for a rejection of 'sophistication, Marxism and International Capitalism.' The novel ends with a series of roaring 'hails' from the crowd." --From Wikipedia
more
fewer
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Related Identities
Useful Links
Associated Subjects
Advice columnists Albee, Edward, American fiction American fiction--Jewish authors American literature Anderson, Maxwell, Authors, American Authors, English Cain, James M.--(James Mallahan), California--Los Angeles California--Los Angeles--Hollywood Catch-22 (Heller, Joseph) Cozzens, James Gould, Depressions in literature Dos Passos, John, Economics in literature Faulkner, William, Fearing, Kenneth, Fiction--Technique Fitzgerald, F. Scott--(Francis Scott), Golding, William, Heller, Joseph Hemingway, Ernest, Jewish fiction Jews in literature Jews--Intellectual life Judaism in literature Lewis, Sinclair, Literature and society MacLeish, Archibald, Miller, Henry, Miss Lonelyhearts (West, Nathanael) Motion picture industry New York (State)--New York Nineteen thirties Novelists, American Odets, Clifford, Pound, Ezra, Powers, J. F.--(James Farl), Roth, Henry Saroyan, William, Screenwriters Steinbeck, John, Stevens, Wallace, United States West, Nathanael, Wharton, Edith, Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Albee, Edward) Wolfe, Thomas, Wright, Richard,
Covers
Alternative Names
Nathanael West American writer
Nathanael West americký spisovatel a scenárista
Nathanael West Amerikaans schrijver
Nathanael West Amerikalı yazar
Nathanael West amerikanischer Schriftsteller
Nathanael West amerikansk författare
Nathanael West amerikansk skribent
Nathanael West écrivain américain
Nathanael West escriptor estatunidenc
Nathanael West escritor estadounidense
Nathanael West scríbhneoir Meiriceánach
Nathanael West scrittore statunitense
Nathanael West shkrimtar amerikan
Nathanael West usona verkisto
Nathanael West yhdysvaltalainen kirjailija
Uést, Natanaél 1903-1940
Vestas N.
Vestas Natanielis
Wallenstein Weinstein Nathan
Wallenstein Weinstein, Nathan 1903-1940
Wallenstein Weinstein, Nathan 1904-1940
Weinstein Nathan
Weinstein, Nathan 1903-1940
Weinstein Nathan Wallenstein
Weinstein Nathan Wallenstein 1903-1940
Weinstein, Nathan Wallenstein 1904-1940
West, Nathanael
West, Nathanaël, 1903-1940
West, Nathanael (Pseud. de Nathan Wallenstein Weinstein)
Вайнстайн, Натан
Уэст Натанаэл
Նաթանայել Ուեսթ
וסט, נתנאל 1903־1940
וסט, נתניאל
נתנאל וסט
נתנאל וסט סופר אמריקאי
ناتانیل وست نویسنده آمریکایی
نثنائيل وست كاتب أمريكي
ნათანიელ უესტი
웨스트, 너새네이얼 1903-1940
웨스트, 너새니얼 1903-1940
ウェスト, ナサニエル
ウェスト, ナセニェル
ナサニエル・ウェスト
纳撒尼尔·韦斯特
Languages