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Chicago Review mourns the passing of Philip Roth, one of the most eminent American novelists of the twentieth century. Highly acclaimed and often controversial, Roth boldly explored American society, politics, sex, and Jewish identity in his work, and received such honors as the Pulitzer Prize (for his 1997 novel American Pastoral), the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle award in his lifetime.
Some of his earliest writings first appeared in Chicago Review, which published his short story “The Day it Snowed” in issue 8:01 in 1954, a year before he would graduate from the University of Chicago with an M.A. in English literature. The publication marked the first time Roth’s work had appeared in a journal aside from Et Cetera, the magazine he started as an undergrad at Bucknell University. In 1957, the journal featured Roth twice more, publishing his story, “Positive Thinking on Pennsylvania Avenue,” in issue 11:01 and his essay, “Mrs. Lindbergh, Mr. Ciardi, and the Teeth and Claws of the Civilized World,” in issue 11:02. Since then, Chicago Review has continued to publish reviews and criticism on Roth’s work.
Philip Roth passed away on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. He was 85.
