The Golden Gate (Seth novel)
LC Class | PR9499.3.S38 G65 1986 |
The Golden Gate (1986) is the
Plot summary
Set in the 1980s, The Golden Gate follows a group of yuppies in San Francisco. The inciting action occurs when protagonist John Brown has his former love Janet Hayakawa place an amorous advertisement of himself in the newspaper; the latter answered, at length, by trial-lawyer Elisabeth ('Liz') Dorati. A short heyday follows, in which Seth introduces and develops a variety of characters united in part by their interest in self-actualization (often in the form of agriculture) and in part by closeness to Liz or John. Thereafter is depicted the progress of their marriage de facto until its dissolution, which results in the legal marriage of Liz to John's friend Phillip ('Phil') Weiss, and the birth of their son. Following his rejection of Liz, John finds a second paramour in Janet, until the latter and two other friends die in an automobile collision; and is himself invited to stand godfather to Liz's son.
The novel brought its author the 1988 Sahitya Akademi Award for English, by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.[1]
Background
At the time of the novel's composition, Seth was a graduate student in
In addition, portions of the novel make reference to (the now defunct)
Themes
At intervals, various characters discuss arguments either against or in favor of homosexuality, Christianity, civil disobedience, feminism, and tolerance; whereas the narrative, by example of danger or anti-intellectualism, implies warning against alcoholism or carelessness, and elsewhere criticizes news-media and art-criticism for unjust treatment of their subjects.
References
- ^ "Sahitya Akademi Awards listings". Sahitya Akademi, Official website.
- ^ Vikram Seth returns to the Golden Gate
- ^ "Artists in Conversation:Vikram Seth". Archived from the original on May 2, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ Seth, Vikram. The Golden Gate, (New York, Vintage, 1991): 179-180
- ^ Bobb, Dilip (June 15, 1986). "Vikram Seth: Literary sensation". India Today. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ Haven, Cynthia (November 23, 2010). "Happy birthday, Bell's Books!". Stanford University. Retrieved October 29, 2015.