The Tenants: A Novel (FSG Classics)

Two writers. One Jew-Harry- one black-Willie- live in an abandoned tenamantblock and have an antagonistic relationship. Malamud wrote this at the height of the black-jew tensions of the late 60's early 70's and it explores the link between identity and racism-Willie is seeking a definition of blackness that excludes and dominates, whilst Harry seeks love but doesn't know either how to find it or give it,and neither can escape from their never to be finished books. This is typical Malamud fayre;at times bleak, at times humourous and with characters that only destroy themselves or their ambitions. A definate for Malamud addicts.

The Tenants does a masterful job not only portraying the emotional life of a writer, but also the incredibly complex dynamic between blacks and Jews in America. It’s a book that challenges you intellectually, emotionally, and historically. It’s a must read if you’re interested in black and Jewish relations, and it’s a must read if you are passionate about the complexities of literature.

If you're a writer and you're having trouble being motivated, focused or being interrupted by selfish people who don't take your writing time seriously, this is the book for you. If you want examples of two writers who take their writing seriously and puts it first, then read this book. It's a page turner, I've read it several times, and the movie, very ironically starring Snoop Dog, is just as good. Katie

It wasn't "The Assistant" for me, but it was a pretty good read (the dialogue alone was worth the price of admission). Malamud handled the diversity of characters very well and although I wasn't over joyed at the ending, I didn't expect to be. A sometimes angry, sometimes funny read.

read the assistant instead.

Basically, a book that makes you hate and distrust black people even more than you already do. It's hard to find a book written in the past (Hell, it's difficult to find now) where a black character is admirable unless he's a slave and telling Huck Honey to get back on the boat. Most black characters are seen as vicious, untrustworthy individuals (who don't talk in complete sentences), and Malamud continued with that tradition. The only book I can really think of that had a redeemable, respectable black character was The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and that character was a doctor juxtaposed with other black characters who loathed him for being so different. It was an interesting character study to say the least, and it was refreshing to read.But I digress.Why the four stars for this book that I clearly found offensive? Well, because it's good. The characters, though unlikable, are clear and three-dimensional, and the story is told in a meta fashion, which impresses the writer in me. The story concerns two tenants, a Jewish man and a black man (Though one only pays the rent. Guess which one), who are both writers. The black man feels he has to write about the black experience, sort of like Richard Wright. But the problem is, he isn't disciplined like the Jewish writer. The moment he receives even the slightest bit of criticism, he gets upset and does something stupid. It's infuriating to see such a bum of a character, even though he works hard at his craft. The situation is exacerbated when he does a heinous act after the Jewish character kind of oversteps his bounds with the black man's girlfriend (Though, an argument could be made that the black man was in the fault for not treating his girlfriend right in the first place).Overall, it's a quick read and an interesting book told in a fascinating fashion. Do I like how blacks were portrayed in this book, which was published back in the 70s? No. There is not one redeemable thing about them. But as a black writer, I guess it's my job to write minority characters who are actually worthy of praise. I just won't go overboard with it. That's how you DON'T write three-dimensional characters.

The Tenants (1971) is about being a writer. The rather minimalist story is about novelist Henry Lesser trying to finish his third book in his longtime apartment, which just happens to be in a building slated for demolition. Luckily for Lesser, city ordinances prevent the landlord from simply evicting him (which is hardly fair but never mind…) so he remains in his home, punching away at his typewriter, the only resident left in the structure until, one day a black militant squatter, Willie Spearmint, shows up in one of the abandoned apartments and proceeds to do his own writing.Soon the two writers are at turns at odds and in sympathy with each other (especially against the landlord) until Lesser falls for Spearmint’s white girlfriend. Frankly, I thought that relationship was the weakest part of the book even if its was necessary to goose along the conflict down the stretch, while the dynamic between the two writers and their often conflicting approaches was the book’s main strength.

L'histoire est confinée dans un immeuble voué à la destruction, les personnages ne sont pas sympathiques et on n'a pas très envie de s'identifier à l'un deux. Le style d'écriture n'est pas du tout recherché, parfois même avec des abréviations (??), le style est souvent cru. J'ai peiné à arriver à la fin du livre, qui est sans queue ni tête ! Non définitivement, je ne recommanderai pas cette histoire.