EDNOTE. We are straying from VN, I fear. As for Mr.
Bellow, my indifference is purely personal. My own reaction to literature
is grounded in elegance of language and perception. Bellow's virtues lie
elsewhere.
<<I've never met any of those here who have challenged Mr. Amis's claims
for Mr. Bellow. And I have corresponded with, I think, one of them, on the
basis of, say, once every four or five months.
I take it you are the one who is embarrassed. Why?>>
I read in the responses a kneejerk dismissal of
Bellow by those who posted as if, here on the VN list, no further explanation
necessary. My embarrassment--although I was speaking rhetorically--would
be for those who posted.
<<I can't speak for the erudite, but Bellow's grasp of
"the street" can be had in the reading of a half dozen Sunday
magazines.>>
Bellow writes no better than a Sunday magazine
journalist? You're making me embarrased for real.