The Actual is a 1997 novella by the American author Saul Bellow.
Plot synopsis Like most of Bellow's fiction, the story centers on the lives of a group of passionate and anxious people living in Chicago. Harry Trellman has formed a friendship with the fabulously wealthy Sigmund Adletsky. Sigmund aims to bring Harry together with Harry's childhood sweetheart, Amy Wustrin.
Reception Publishers Weekly called it "(a) kind of an affectionate, latter-day 'Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock", in which "plot (is) secondary".The Actual, reviewed at Publishers Weekly; published April 28, 1997; retrieved December 9, 2018 Kirkus Reviews considered it to be "witty" and "sharp", with "vividly sketched characters" but "perfunctory" plotting.The Actual, reviewed at Kirkus Reviews; published March 1, 1997; archived online May 20, 1997; retrieved December 9, 2018 In the Guardian, Martin Amis called it "scrupulously written".
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