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U.S.A. (Twentieth Century Classics)

By: John Dos Passos
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 0140180516
ISBN-13: 9780140180510
Released: 28 Mar 1991
RRP: £14.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

A Summation of Early 20th Century American Life. - By: , 30 Aug 2003
This is a huge book (made up of three smalller books), & a huge achievement. Unfairly overlooked nowadays, John Dos Passos's novel is well worth your time.

The three novels here make up one large whole. The book is made up of stories following the lives of various characters from alll walks of life. Their lives sometimes intersect, sometimes get better, sometimes get worse & even sometimes end.

In between these stories are shorter experimental pieces: 'The Camera Eye', which is Whitman-esque description of scenes; 'Newsreel' which is a collage of headlines & journalism, to give an idea of the events that are going by as the novel progresses; & Biographies of famous people of the times, millionaires (eg Hearst, Carnegie), creative people (eg Edison, Lloyd Wright), activists (Eugene Debs, Joe Hill), & many others. The biographical sections are very impressive. Done in a style that is half poem, half telegram, they concisely & accurately sum up famous personages, some you will have heard of, some you won't.

As the novels goes by, you are completely transported into the early 20th Century. Dos Passos is very critical of modern life here; he seems to feel that the modern system that is being put in place will not make anyone particularly happy. This is not to say that the book is depressing, but it is convincingly realistic, which is not always pretty.

The book ends with the Sacco & Vanzetti trial, which the author depicts as the event that should spark a revolution. This is incendiary stuff - but Dos Passos makes a good case. His politics are not thrust down your throat. It's more a case of showing than telling.

Sacco & Vanzetti are probably as forgotten today as the novel U.S.A. is. A read of this novel could make you think both deserve wider recognition. If you want to immerse yourself in another time, & learn a little along the way - or if you simply want an entertaining read - this is the book for you.

This is THE American novel. - By: Jason Parkes, 21 Apr 2002
'USA' is, in my opinion, the greatest book that America produced during the 20th Century. It is in fact three novels- 'The Big Money', '1919' & 'The 42nd Paralllel'. All are linked by the 'camera eye' & 'newsreel' sections- which should go down well with those who liked texts like 'The Wasteland', 'The Wild Boys' & 'Ulysses'. Though I think this book is a lot more approachable than much of Joyce & Woolf's major works. It would also be popular with those who like the sweeping panorama of America- the obvious Keroauc texts, Saul Bellow's 'The Adventures of Augie March' & Don DeLillo's 'Underworld'.

The language is brilliantly written- the characters who we pass through, as they pass through America tell us as much-if not more than- as history books. The baggy concept of the 'American Dream'- which one assumes is the ability to rise through the classes & to gain power & wealth through capitalist individualism or a fruitful marriage- is found in this book...Don't be put off by its size- it is a book you can read at whatever pace you like- read each novel seperately or take in the complete work.

I think 'USA' is a masterpiece & one that I would present as THE American novel...I would even present it as a contender for the best novel of the 20th Century. Yes, it's that good...

The greatest novel of the 20th Century? - By: Jason Parkes, 04 Apr 2002
'USA' is one of the greatest works of fiction of the 20th Century- a sprawling piece of American Modernism. William Burroughs felt that along with 'The Sheltering Sky' (Paul Bowles) & 'The Wasteland' it developed the 'cut-up' technique before he coined it with Brion Gysin...Joycean-academic & late,great novelist Anthony Burgess saw it as doing similarly great things with language & speech as 'Ulysees'- drawing a comparison between it, Joyce's masterpiece & Hubert Selby Jr's 'Last Exit to Brooklyn'...The three novels collected here...are 'The Big Money', 'The 42nd Paralllel' & '1919'- & are puntuated with 'newsreel' & 'camera eye' sections- which serve as an interlude & provide a removed perspective from the shifting collection of protaganists we meet on the way...Anyone who has enjoyed Don DeLillo's 'Underworld' should love this book- in many ways DeLillo's vast work is a successor to Dos Passos' tome.Other books it is not dissimilar to include 'Earthly Powers', 'The Adventures of Augie March' & aspects of Jack Keroauc..I am told that 'Manhattan Transfer' is very good- & it is the place where Dos Passos developed his style, so you might want to read that first...However, I'd just dive in to this vast,riveting work- it is one that you could read fast (& want to re-read ASAP) or one that you can savour over time- like 'The Alexandria Quartet' or 'Remembrance of Things Past'...'USA' is a brilliant book- don't be put off by its size. I believe it is a contender for the greatest novel of the 20th Century.