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Philip Roth’s latest biographer wants Jews to read him again — without the guilt 

JL;DR SUMMARY Historian Steven J. Zipperstein's new biography, 'Philip Roth: Stung by Life,' seeks to revisit Philip Roth's complex legacy and encourage a fresh look at his work free from guilt or scandal. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityBiographyPhilip RothPortnoy's ComplaintAmerican LiteratureMisogynyJewish Lives SeriesCultural ImpactSteven J. ZippersteinLiterary Scandal

Places mentioned

Stanford, California, United States
"Zipperstein is the Daniel E. Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History at Stanford University."
New York, United States
"Philip Roth receives an honorary doctorate at the Jewish Theological Seminarys commencement in New York on May 22, 2014."
Newark, New Jersey, United States
"I love his lyrical descriptions of his old Weequahic neighborhood in Newark and heading down to the park to watch the men play softball."
Chicago, Illinois, United States
"a chapter from Portnoys Complaint called Whacking Off just before I went off to the Chicago yeshiva."

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Retrieved 2025-10-26 18:00:36 UTC
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