At a certain point, this idea for a book based on the collyers rose in my mind. For decades, the two lived in seclusion in their harlem brownstone at 2078 fifth avenue at the corner of 128th street where they obsessively. Homer and langley collyer are brothersthe one blind and deeply intuitive, the other damaged. I didnt lose my sight all at once, it was like the movies, a slow fadeout. Homer simpson is a mans man, an average joe, a loving father and husband, and a devoted beer drinker.
How did homers disability affect his telling of the story. The underground railroad pulitzer prize winner national book award. Book and jacket both in near fine or better condition. Its the collyer brothers, homer and langley wealthy, reclusive manhattan pack rats who lived for decades in squalor in a fifth avenue. March 9, 1947, known as the collyer brothers, were two american brothers who became infamous for their bizarre natures and compulsive hoarding. Doctorow took some creative liberties in his retelling of their storynamely, extending the brothers lives by several decades. Homer and langley collyer are brothersthe one blind and deeply intuitive, the other damaged into madness. Homer lusk collyer november 6, 1881 march 21, 1947 and langley wakeman collyer october 3, 1885 c.
Louis postdispatch, the kansas city star, and booklist homer and langley collyer are brothersthe one blind and deeply intuitive, the other damaged into madness, or perhaps greatness, by mustard gas in the great war. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books. Doctorow has once again created an unforgettable work. Langley went fight in world war i and was zapped with gas. Why do you think the author chose homer to tell the story of the brothers. It imagines a version of the lives of the collyer brothers of new york city, notorious for their eccentricities as well as their habit of compulsively hoarding a plethora of various bricabrac, newspapers, books and other items. The narration is a bit monotone but completely fits the character of homer and only adds to the feeling of the book. Sep 01, 2009 the last name of the title characters of e. The reader of a novel like this has the right to expect its author to provide a cogent explanation of the psyches and behavior of its two central characters. But the brothers lives touch on history, or its surface accoutrements, with a vengeance.
Homer and langley generates a variety of topics for discussion and exploration including major events of 20thcentury america, from prohibition to flower children, the modern media phenomenon of reality, the significance of community, the psychology of hoarding and the claims of family, as well as sustainability, news, rebellion and. Could homer and langley have been saved from themselves. First edition, first printing published in 2009 by random house. Langley was very paranoid and this paranoia grew as he aged. Doctorow was the winner of the national book critics circle award three times over and received a gold medal for fiction from the american academy for arts and letters. It would have been easy for doctorow to portray them as a pair of cranks, as the real collyers appeared when they. We ship usps media mailto ensure timely and accurate delivery to you. Im homer, the blind brother, i didnt lose my sight all at once, it was like the movies, a slow fadeout. The homer book is now being released in hardback, as part of the ongoing series. From ragtime and billy bathgate to the book of daniel, worlds fair, and the march, the novels of e. Part of his disability was the effects of that experience.
Among his honors are the national book award, three national book critics circle awards, two pen faulkner awards, the edith wharton citation for fiction, and the. A world war i vet suffering from severe ptsd, langley is the hoarder, a complete misanthrope, and dedicated to the crazy task of created one generic newspaper. Doctorows novels include the march, city of god, the waterworks, welcome to hard times, the book of daniel, ragtime, loon lake, lives of the poets, worlds fair, and billy bathgate. Homers last thoughts were, i wish i could go crazy so i might not know how badly off i am. Homer and langley are both damaged men homer, who gradually lost his eyesight as a teenager, and langley in a mustard gas attack in world war i. Langley, this master novelist has once again created an unforgettable work. Doctorow uses the reallife collyers hermit brothers with a social pedigree and a fifth avenue address who died in squalor as a. They live as recluses in their once grand fifth avenue mansion, scavenging the city streets for things they think they can use, hoarding the daily newspapers as research for langley. The collyers were rich, reclusive bachelors who lived together in new york, compulsively hoarding junk on a gargantuan scale. Homer and langley lost their parents in a tragic accident. It imagines a version of the lives of the collyer brothers of new york city, notorious for their eccentricities as well as their habit of compulsively hoarding a plethora of various bricabrac, newspapers, books. More than authors will be appearing at the 2009 fall for the book festival including e. Homer and langley collyer are brothers the one blind and deeply intuitive, the other damaged into madness, or perhaps greatness, by mustard gas in the great war. Book is in stock, and you can be assured that this book will be packaged well and shipped promptly.
They live as recluses in their once grand fifth avenue mansion, scavenging the city streets for things they think they can use, hoarding the daily newspapers as research for langleys proposed dateless newspaper whose reportage will be as prophecy. A free imaginative rendering of the lives of new yorks fabled collyer brothers depicts homer and langley as recluses in their once grand fifth avenue mansion, facing odyssean perils as they struggle to survive the wars, political movements, and technological advances of the last century. Search hello select your address select your address. Sep 01, 2009 homers musical ambitions never come to much. Homer, blind, infirm and unable to fend for himself, died from starvation a few days later. Among his honors are the national book award, three national book critics circle awards, two penfaulkner awards, and the presidentially conferred national humanities medal. In a city known for its tolerance of eccentric behavior, brothers homer lusk collyer 18811947 and langley collyer 18851947 surely rank among the manhattans strangest inhabitants.
From ragtime and billy bathgate to the book of daniel, worlds f. The book is narrated by blind homer i would have faulted doctorow for naming his blind character homer, except that part is absolutely true but langley is the more compelling character. Doctorows novels include the march, city of god, the waterworks, welcome to hard times, the book of. Anyone reading it knows that the story is a fictional telling of the lives of two brothers who were found dead in their new york city apartment. Langley was eventually killed after blundering beneath an avalanche of his own domestic clutter. He also won a library of congress prize and multiple pen awards. It would have been easy for doctorow to portray them as a pair of cranks, as the real collyers appeared when they first attracted the notice of their contemporaries. Homer and langley collyer are brothersthe one blind and deeply intuitive, the other damaged into madness, or perhaps greatness, by mustard gas in the great war.
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