The adventures of Augie March:

(The Adventures of Augie March) is a novel written by Saul Bellow published in 1953, winner of the National Book Award.

It is the story of Augie March’s growth from childhood to a fairly stable though uncertain maturity. Augie has two brothers, Simon and George (with mental problems) and they have no father. They grow up with the mother who is losing her sight and a rented tenant, who calls herself „grandmother“ and who tries to impose her education in tyrannical ways, in the suburbs of Chicago. Augie always changes jobs, women, homes, education and lifestyles, sometimes choosing and sometimes relying on luck alone. He is adopted by a wealthy couple who spoils him, but then also survives by stealing books and getting involved by friends in the most desperate situations. At one point he escapes to Mexico, with a woman named Thea, who has made up her mind to catch lizards and snakes with the help of an eagle. For the rest he goes from one job to another, from handyman to Einhorn, a corrupt and difficult man, to dog educator, from miner to trade unionist, until joining the navy and leaving on a merchant ship during the war. He does the same with women: now he becomes engaged to the rich cousin of his brother’s wife, then forced to leave her for his behavior judged unfairly scandalous, now she goes without transport with Sophie, the Greek maid of a hotel, now she gets involved from Thea, although I rather love her sister. In Mexico, where he plays cards, he has an accident with a horse. But she also separates from Thea, when she agrees to give a pass to another woman, Stella, who wants to flee to another city to never see her tormented boyfriend again. After breaking up with Thea, Augie returns to Chicago and meets up with Sophie again, until she leaves for New York by ship. Here he meets Stella again and the two get married. Although culturally very curious and reading a lot, Augie would like to study but does not enroll in any university. During the war he wrecks with the ship and in the lifeboat he finds himself in the company of a man who turns out to be a madman. So he returns with Stella and the two leave for France, where she would like to be an actress and he still gets involved with strange business and shady guys.

-linate