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Portnoy's Complaint
1969 book by Philip Roth / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Portnoy's Complaint is a 1969 American novel by Philip Roth.[2] Its success turned Roth into a major celebrity, sparking a storm of controversy over its explicit and candid treatment of sexuality, including detailed depictions of masturbation using various props including a piece of liver.[3] The novel tells the humorous monologue of "a lust-ridden, mother-addicted young Jewish bachelor," who confesses to his psychoanalyst in "intimate, shameful detail, and coarse, abusive language."[4][5]
![]() First edition cover | |
Author | Philip Roth |
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Cover artist | Paul Bacon[1] |
Language | English |
Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | January 12, 1969 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | 274 |
ISBN | 978-0394441986 |
OCLC | 218657 |
Preceded by | When She Was Good |
Followed by | Our Gang |
In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Portnoy's Complaint 52nd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Time included this novel in its "TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005."[6]