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The History Man

Picador Classic
Series: Picador Classic
3.61 goodreads logo

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( 1,948 ratings, 155 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The History Man is a satirical novel set in the 1970s, spotlighting a progressive university lecturer whose radical beliefs and personal life are as tumultuous as the era he represents. The protagonist navigates academic life and social change, embodying the complexities and contradictions of the period. Malcolm Bradbury crafts a sharp critique of intellectual trends and moral relativism, offering an insightful portrayal of the tumultuous social dynamics of the time.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're intrigued by satirical portrayals of academic life and the tumultuous cultural shifts of the 1970s. It provides a sharp, witty exploration of the complexities of human relationships and intellectual pretensions, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in character-driven narratives.

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'The funniest and best-written novel I have seen for a very long time' Auberon Waugh

'The funniest and best-written novel I have seen for a very long time' Auberon Waugh

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

With an introduction by James Naughtie

Take a Valium. Have a party. Go on a demo. Shoot a soldier. Make a bang. Bed a friend. That's your problem-solving system... But haven't we tried all that?

Howard Kirk, product of the Swinging Sixties, radical university lecturer, and one half of a very modern marriage, is throwing a party. The night will have all sorts of repercussions: for Henry Beamish, Howard's desperate and easily neglected friend, and for Howard's wife Barbara, promiscuous '70s liberal and exhausted victim of motherhood.

The History Man is Malcolm Bradbury's masterpiece, the definitive campus novel and one of the most influential novels of the 1970s. Funny, disconcerting and provocative, Bradbury brilliantly satirises a world of academic power struggles as his anti-hero seduces his way around campus. But beneath the surface is an altogether more affecting portrait: it reveals a marriage in crisis and demonstrates the fragility of the human heart.

Series: Picador Classic

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  • The History Man
    With an introduction by James Naughtie Take a Valium. Have a party. Go on a demo. Shoot a soldier. Make a bang. Bed a friend. That's your problem-solving system... But haven't we tried all that? Howard Kirk, product of the Swinging Sixties, radical university lecturer, and one half of a very modern marriage, is throwing a party. The night will...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury is lauded for its sharp wit and insightful commentary, combining grim humour with an energetic narrative. Critics praise its brilliant writing and ruthless satire, capturing the essence of an era with both hilarity and depth. It's a compelling read that balances shock with imagination, reflecting the spirit of its time.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509823390

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 June 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Picador

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 190g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Malcolm Bradbury was a well-known novelist, critic and academic, and founder of the creative writing department at the University of East Anglia. He was the author of seven novels, including The History Man and Rates of Exchange, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He was awarded a knighthood in 2000 and died later the same year.

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    A ruthless satire of academic life, The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury is a witty campus novel and one of the most influential books of the 1970s. Take a Valium. Have a party. Go on a demo. Shoot a soldier. Make a bang. Bed a friend. That's your problem-solving system... But haven't we tried all that? Howard Kirk, product of...
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