The Room (novel)
| Author | Hubert Selby Jr |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction Modern tragedy |
Publication date | 1971 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | Last Exit to Brooklyn |
| Followed by | The Demon |
The Room is the second novel by Hubert Selby, Jr., first published in 1971.[1]
Plot
The novel centers on a nameless petty criminal locked in a remand cell, and explores his feelings of impotence, hatred and rage, and fantasies of revenge.[1]
Reception
Selby described the critical reception of the book as "the greatest reviews I've ever read in my life", although in reality it was not well-received.[1][2] The novel was regarded by Selby as the most disturbing book ever written, and Selby stated that he himself was unable to read it again for 20 years.[2] At least one reviewer has expressed similar feelings, with claims that reading the novel made them physically sick.[3] It has been described as "a terrifying journey into the darkest corners of the psyche."[4] In his Bloomsbury Review essay on The Demon and The Room, Rob Couteau writes, ""While the trajectory of Harry White’s plight is a broader one – rising to higher success, plummeting to more miserable depths – the nameless petty criminal in The Room is more pitiful, his pain and terror more human. Rather than succumbing to the numbness of a demonic possession, he’s simply left to ponder the futility of life: [...} Reading The Room is a compelling yet painful experience, requiring in the reader an ability to confront stark portrayals of the human condition."[5]
In popular culture
A section of The Room is used in Richard Linklater's Waking Life, where a red-faced man in a jail cell describes in vivid detail the abuse he intends to inflict once he is released. [6]
References
- ^ a b c "World on the fringes of writer Selby", BBC
- ^ a b Guttridge, Peter (2004) "Obituaries: Hubert Selby Jnr", The Independent
- ^ Mitchell, Chris "Hubert Selby: The Movie and The Room", Splinter Magazine
- ^ O'Neill, Tony (2007) "A genuinely frightening American Psycho", The Guardian
- ^ Couteau, Rob (1990) "The Demon and The Room, by Hubert Selby Jr," Bloomsbury Review.
- ^ Selby, Hubert (1971) The Room
External links
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