John Dos Passos’s Manhattan Transfer follows the overlapping lives of four principal characters in a sweeping multi-faceted tale set to the soundtrack of the booming, rhythmic pulse of New York City in the 1920s. Peopled with wealthy professionals, struggling immigrants, actors, cab drivers, chefs, and shopkeepers, a portrait of New York City bursts into view with all the force of the city itself. Through a narrative collage of descriptions, snatches of conversations, music, flashbacks, streams of consciousness, and shifting perspectives, Dos Passos vividly portrays the profits and perils of the American dream. Considered by many to be his greatest novel, Manhattan Transfer is a landmark work of modernist fiction and a masterpiece of American literature.
Tabella dei contenuti
Contents
First Section
Ferryslip3
Metropolis11
Dollars41
Tracks65
Steamroller93
Second Section
Great Lady on a White Horse107
Long-Legged Jack of the Isthmus119
Nine Days’ Wonder139
Fire Engine166
Went to the Animals’ Fair179
Five Statutory Questions196
Rollercoaster206
One More River to Jordan211
Third Section
Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly225
Nickelodeon241
Revolving Doors253
Skyscraper289
The Burthen of Nineveh306
Biographical Timeline333