Books: “Seize the Day” by Saul Bellow

Novelist Saul Bellow (1915-2005) had a genius for capturing a particular time and place. In “Seize the Day” (1956), the time was the dreary 1950s, and the place was New York’s Upper West Side, a far cry from the yuppified neighborhood it’s become today.

Our protagonist Tommy Willhelm is kind of a sad sack: a mid-40s schlub who tried to become a Hollywood star back in his 20s (and failed); and who got married (unhappily as it turns out and is now separated). His father, a distinguished retired doctor who lives in his building (a residential hotel), has cut him off financially. In short, Tommy has tsuris.

The novel, which takes place over the course of a single day, centers on Timmy’s last hope: playing the commodities market, in partnership with a neighbor who talks a good game and who may be a swindler. The question is: will this be a chance to start his life over?

“Seize the Day” is bundled with four short stories which are not dissimilar in tone and plot: a middle-aged man is in crisis, searching for a way out. Of these, the most interesting is “The Gonzaga Manuscripts,” the protagonist’s search to find the last work of his favorite deceased author. This takes us to Spain, which removes us from Bellow’s dreary urban environments.  For an on-point look at the latter, places that exist only in our memory, take a read. If not, take a pass.

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