Synopsis
The Silent Prophet is a vivid attempt to explain the Russian Revolution and its betrayal by exposing the personal motivations of its leaders. It focuses on the power struggle between the illegitimate and rootless Friedrich Kargan (based on Trotsky) and the coldly amoral Savelli (Stalin) to form a brilliant portrayal of revolutionary idealism-turned-cynicism.
Library Journal
Released in his native Italian in 1950 and in English in 1952, Pavese's novel is an Italian "you can't go home again." Our narrator returns to the small village where he was reared after 20 years in America to find that while its physical beauty remains intact, the people and the personality of the village have changed forever. Roth's The Silent Prophet (1966 in German, 1979 in English) also offers characters who have lost their past and are exiles in their own lands. In this case it is Friederich Kargan, who is searching for a home in post-World War I Europe. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.