I meant to say at the time that Right Between the Eyes is my favorite of these, and in some moods my favorite of your fictional output. It’s got almost all your themes-Marxism and orthodox religion as comparable demand systems, the protagonist who can’t quite believe in them, a simultaneous partial rejection and yet in the end re-commitment to bourgeois normativity “we plan on marrying in the spring” etc. But for the uncharacteristic nastiness, it could almost be an introduction to your fiction generally.
I just finished reading "They Are in the Truth." Indeed, realizing that one is not a genius does play a role here. But I think the main focus is on the clash between sheltered intellectuals and "men of action," and genius is not necessarily a part of that. The story it most reminds me of is "The South" by JL Borges - it even strikes me as an extended, black-comedic riff on the themes of that story.
I meant to say at the time that Right Between the Eyes is my favorite of these, and in some moods my favorite of your fictional output. It’s got almost all your themes-Marxism and orthodox religion as comparable demand systems, the protagonist who can’t quite believe in them, a simultaneous partial rejection and yet in the end re-commitment to bourgeois normativity “we plan on marrying in the spring” etc. But for the uncharacteristic nastiness, it could almost be an introduction to your fiction generally.
Thank you! I have a sentimental affection for it myself. Maybe it's the one to give to readers who find the novels too nice.
I just finished reading "They Are in the Truth." Indeed, realizing that one is not a genius does play a role here. But I think the main focus is on the clash between sheltered intellectuals and "men of action," and genius is not necessarily a part of that. The story it most reminds me of is "The South" by JL Borges - it even strikes me as an extended, black-comedic riff on the themes of that story.
Thanks! I read "The South" years before I wrote the story, so it wasn't a conscious influence but may have been an unconscious one.