Tenement Of Clay
Slums of the American city of New Babylon provide an all-too-real setting for this prescient novel of homelessness, noble intentions, moral corruption, and social castoffs. Tenement of Clay tells of Papa Nick, a dwarf wrestler named Lazarus, and a derelict called Lacland. Originally published in the UK in 1965, this is the first U.S. publication of what is essentially West's first novel (though technically his second). In its language and moral complexity it heralds all of the dark but major themes of his later, award-winning novels.
"Parts of it recall Beckett, and parts The Tin Drum; the prose is densely American. It's an exciting book that promises in its opening pages to treat and hold on to the subject of the modern human condition. . . . The size of the attempt is remarkable and impressive. Its characters are essentially grotesques — Pee Wee Lazarus, the dwarf wrestler; Lacland, the bum found at the entrance to the subway station, emerged from some primeval darkness, without speech or aim; and Papa Nick, who attempts to organize their lives. . . ." — Malcolm Bradbury, Punch
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Slums of the American city of New Babylon provide an all-too-real setting for this prescient novel of homelessness, noble intentions, moral corruption, and social castoffs. Tenement of Clay tells of Papa Nick, a dwarf wrestler named Lazarus, and a derelict called Lacland. Originally published in the UK in 1965, this is the first U.S. publication of what is essentially West's first novel (though technically his second). In its language and moral complexity it heralds all of the dark but major themes of his later, award-winning novels.
"Through it all, West is admirably evenhanded and non-judgmental. There are no heroes and villains; he delights in each character's existence. This is one of West's great gifts, to appreciate life for the vast, complex spectacle that it is, and to convey his impressions in language so memorable, so accurate, that the reader sees the circus almost as clearly as the author." — Harvey Pekar, The Bay Guardian
"Parts of it recall Beckett, and parts The Tin Drum; the prose is densely American. It's an exciting book that promises in its opening pages to treat and hold on to the subject of the modern human condition. . . . The size of the attempt is remarkable and impressive. Its characters are essentially grotesques — Pee Wee Lazarus, the dwarf wrestler; Lacland, the bum found at the entrance to the subway station, emerged from some primeval darkness, without speech or aim; and Papa Nick, who attempts to organize their lives. . . ." — Malcolm Bradbury, Punch