Manhattan Transfer, considered to be one of Dos Passos' most important works, describes the development of urban life in New York City from the Gilded Age to the Jazz Age as told through a series of overlapping individual stories, primarily, of four people living in Manhattan from the 1890s to the late 1920s. The book attacks the consumerism and social indifference of contemporary urban life, portraying a Manhattan that is merciless yet teeming with energy and restlessness. The book shows ...

This gorgeous new paperback edition collects the three volumes of John Dos Passos’s acclaimed U.S.A. trilogy, a foundational work of 20th-century American literature named one of the best books of the twentieth century by the Modern Library, and a "linguistically adventurous national portrait for a precarious age—his, and ours" (The New Yorker).The U.S.A. trilogy, comprised of the novels The 42nd Parallel, 1919, and The Big M...

The scene is the end of the Gilded Age in New York City. Ellen Thatcher is a young girl who aspires to be an actress. Young Jimmy Herf returns after years abroad, and rejects business school, becoming a reporter. George Baldwin is a lawyer who wins a big case, but continues to struggle to grow his business, eventually entering politics. The novel weaves the lives of these characters together throughout the narrative.*Manhattan Transfer* also has a good number minor characters, some...

With 1919, the second volume of his U.S.A. trilogy, John Dos Passos continues his "vigorous and sweeping panorama of twentieth-century America" (Forum), lauded on publication of the first volume not only for its scope, but also for its groundbreaking style. Again, employing a host of experimental devices that would inspire a whole new generation of writers to follow, Dos Passos captures the many textures, flavors, and background noises of modern life with a cinematic touch and unparalleled...

The company stood at attention, each man looking straight before him at the empty parade ground, where the cinder piles showed purple with evening. On the wind that smelt of barracks and disinfectant there was a faint greasiness of food cooking. At the other side of the wide field long lines of men shuffled slowly into the narrow wooden shanty that was the mess hall. Chins down, chests out, legs twitching and tired from the afternoon's drilling, the company stood at attention. Each man sta...

John Roderigo Dos Passos (January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was a radical American novelist and artist active in the first half of the twentieth century. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and he went on to Harvard College, graduating in 1916. He was well-traveled, visiting Europe and the Middle East, where he learned about literature, art, and architecture. During World War I he was a member of the American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps in Paris and Italy, later joining the U.S. Army...

"It is not simply that [Dos Passos] has a keen eye for people, but that he has a keen eye for so many different kinds of people."— The New York TimesMarking the end of "one of the most ambitious projects that an American novelist has ever undertaken" ( Time), The Big Money brings us back to America after the Great War, a nation on the upswing. Industrialism booms. The stock market surges. Lindbergh takes his solo flight. Henry Ford makes automobil...

‘Manhattan Transfer,’ considered by many to be John Dos Passos's greatest work, was first published in 1925. There are several separate stories that overlap one another. With these stories, the novel describes the development of urban life that took place in New York City from the Gilded Age to the Jazz Age. It is believed to be one of the most influential books of Dos Passos. The novel presents Manhattan as a place that is quite merciless, but it teems with activity and energy. The author...

The story in "Three Soldiers" is set during World War I and follows the experiences of the three main characters, John Andrews, Dan Fuselli, and Chris Chrisfield. The narrative explores their journeys, their reactions to the horrors of war, and their struggles to reconcile their personal beliefs with the harsh realities of combat.John Dos Passos was part of the Lost Generation of writers and is known for his innovative narrative techniques. "Three Soldiers" is an example of his early work ...

Before John Dos Passos enjoys fame as a chronicler and critic of American society, he wins recognition for command of aesthetics. Orient Express, a memoir of the author's travels through Eastern Europe, the Near East, and the Middle East, focuses on sights, sounds, and smells rather than plot or character. Dos Passos applies his instincts as a painter to mountain ranges and grimy alleyways, finding beauty everywhere.His tour extends from Tiflis, Georgia, to Erivan, Armenia,...

John Dos Passos's literary response to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, The Grand Design critiques the gargantuan growth of bureaucracy in Washington during the Great Depression and World War II. The satiric novel conveys the author's frustration with federal overreach and the hollow rhetoric that sells it to the people."War is a time of Caesars," writes Dos Passos as he laments the death of idealistic, intelligent enterprises at the desks of elitist administrators. A...

Step into the bustling streets of New York City with "Manhattan Transfer" by John Dos Passos, a sweeping epic that captures the pulse and passion of urban life in the early 20th century.Follow a cast of diverse characters as they navigate the vibrant tapestry of Manhattan, from the glittering heights of the skyscrapers to the shadowy alleyways of the Lower East Side. Through Dos Passos' kaleidoscopic prose, readers are immersed in the sights, sounds, and sensations of the city th...