A Theft

Considers AT to be a reinvestation of some old themes, yet significantly different from his previous thirteen books. Claims it renews his earlier discussions of "potato-love," "unreality instructors," and the American jungle. Reviews a variety of critical responses to AT, and suggests that Clara is convincing, endowed with powerful qualities, and a fine exemplar—albeit a revised one—of potato love, romanticizing reality instructors, and a move toward self-sufficiency. Concludes that AT provides a bracing and affirmative argument in favor of the proposition that it is possible to survive and flourish in the urban jungle of a contemporary American metropolis. AT may be called major Bellow in the important sense that it finally demonstrates unmistakably what Bellow's chief "old theme" has been all along.

Coughlin, Ruth Pollack. "Mellow Bellow." Detroit News 18 Apr. 1989: E1, 6.

Describes Bellow and his setting during an interview about the publication history of rejection and acceptance and final paperback publication of AT. Reports Bellow's complaint that the piece included too much political stuff, too much sex, vice, terrorism, drugs, and other exciting, all-consuming topics. Provides a smattering of reported answers, anecdotes, and jokes provided by Bellow in the course of the interview.

Friedrich, Marianne M. "A Theft: Bellow's Clara between Anarchy and Utopia." Saul Bellow at Seventy-five: A Collection of Critical Essays. Studies & Texts in English 9. Tübingen: Narr, 1991. 177–88.

Notes the tendency toward romance, myth, and fairy tale in the character conception of Clara Velde. Sees at the base of the story the twin mythic traditions of the medieval love story of Tristan and Isolde, and that of the classical Hera myth. Sees the first as drawing on Plato's concept of Eros as divine power which resists institutionalization through marriage, and the second as that which initiated a mythic tradition in Western civilization in which love was institutionalized through marriage. Draws on Jungian individuation psychology in developing this framework. Concludes that in the present world Clara's utopian dream, the sentimental education of "The Human Pair," remains suspended between anarchy and utopia which, nevertheless, points to the hope that the anarchic chasm in her life between marriage and love may be bridged in the future.

Mcdowell, Edwin. "Saul Bellow Tries a New Approach." New York Times Sept. 22, 1988: C24

Mostly discusses the unusual publishing history of this novella and Bellow's disgust with the state of fiction in the magazines.

Park, Sue. "Chinese Boxes, Rings and Words: Repetition in Saul Bellow's A Theft." Conference of College Teachers of English Studies 57 (1992): 5–13.

Describes the incident in AT in which Clara throws Wilder's book out the window into the street and draws attention to the cover design showing a woman's arm throwing from a window of a Park Avenue apartment a book on whose cover is a picture of a woman's arm throwing from a window a gold book with a cover. Ties in the Chinese box cover illustration of AT (Bellow's suggestion to the publisher) and notes that the idea of repetition it suggests ties both the external physical appearance of the book and its contents. Quotes Stanley Fish's idea that this focuses attention on literature as kinetic art with each punctuation mark and element being no longer an object, but an event which happens to you. Traces Bellow's motif of repetition at several of these levels of texuality with particular emphasis on sentence structures, sequences in the plot, descriptions and conversations. Concludes that all these repetitions are designed to capture, Chinese Box style, the stillness in the midst of chaos that they illustrate.

Raskin, Jonah. "Ring Around a Soap Opera." San Francisco Chronicle 5 Mar. 1989: sec. Reviews: 3.

Calls AT a conventional, melodramatic soap opera. Accuses Bellow of turning out a product that incorporates all of the cliches and formulas of mass American culture. Details plot and characters. Notes Bellow's comments on glasnost, his cranky tone, and its superficial solutions to the problems of love, human relationships, and social order. Concludes that Bellow's experiment with soap opera formulas backfires.

Siegel, Ben. "Love's Labors Lost: Saul Bellow's 'A Theft.'" Saul Bellow Journal 11.2–12. 1 (1993–94): 3–21. Rpt.in Small Planets: Saul Bellow and the Art of Short Fiction. Eds. Gerhard Bach and Gloria Cronin. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State UP, 2000. 281–96.

Argues that at seventy-eight Bellow appears determined not to leave unused, in the time left to him, any leftover or salvageable plot line or story fragment. In fact, he seems to be reworking many of his familiar characters and ideas for additional possibilities. In AT, Bellow once again presents worldly intellectuals more successful in their public than in their private lives. And in this respect the book seems essentially a reworking of certain aspects of earlier stories like "The Old System," "A Silver Dish," and "What Kind of Day Did You Have," with its typical high-strung women and high-powered men of previous stories that Clara and Ithiel obviously resemble. Also discusses Clara as the typical Bellow woman executive, with special problems in the business world and the masculine roles she must adopt. Present also are innocents, victims, and analysts of earlier fiction, as well as the thieves and deceivers. Suggests that, like his earlier fiction, this story avoids pat solutions and instead offers the reader the opportunity to imagine for themselves how Clara, Teddy Regler, and others will deal with ongoing confusion and unfulfilled lives. Concludes that like everyone else, each character will have to cope with that most insidious "thief" of all—his or her own human frailties.

Travisano, Thomas J. "A Theft." Magill's Literary Annual: 1990. 2 vols. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena: Salem, 1990. 792–95. 2 vols.

A descriptive account of the contents of AT, which extols Clara Veldt as a character who emerges untarnished from the cauldron of gogmagogsville because of her contemporary openness and surface hardness which rest on a foundation of a loyalty to a chosen few, a characteristic which finds its source in her American farm-girl origins. Sees the tale as lacking the tragicomic texture of other Bellow works, engaging in comedy of ideas, and functioning as comic opera or fable. Considers its own humane appeal and sheer verbal drive considerable. Calls the ending the typical Bellowvian quasi-triumphant ending which attempts to pull together the inchoate energy, the sheer stream of witty insight and anxious detail that is his trademark.

Appelo, Tim. "Smart Talk Reviews: Saul Bellow Turns Paperback Writer." Savvy Woman Apr. 1989: 24.

Banville, John. "Altogether Different; and Her Tears Seem a Celebration.." London Review of Books 30 Mar. 1989: 21.

Argues that AT has the coherence and tension of a furled flower. Describes it as packed with color and gaiety, minus tendentiousness and the hectoring tones of the earlier novels. Describes Clara Velde and the other characters in considerable detail. Concludes that this is a late book with a touch of Autumn in it.

Benedictus, David. "109-Page Culture." Punch 10 March 1989: 66.

"Bookshelf." Wall Street Journa114 Mar. 1989: A22.

Claims that this narrative lumbers along intelligently to a happy ending. Calls the book a richly dressed little failure that should interest readers of the New Yorker, Esquire, and Atlantic. Sees the plot as a series of one-way conversations Clara holds with her confidante, Laura Wong. Suggests, however, that these monologues, do not sparkle like those of Bellow's brilliant male talkers. Concludes that "oomphless narcissism" is as good as AT gets.

Boyers, Robert. "Losing Grip on Specifics." Times Literary Supplement 24–30 Mar. 1989: 299.

Finds the tension in AT as that between creatureliness and ideas, the uncertainty about what really happens in life. But claims that AT lacks the specifics to "convey the material density of a world or the texture of experience," and complains that what specifics there are seem made up. Also complains that the story is hard to take seriously because of two factors—Clara's hysteria over losing a ring, and her textually unverified motherly absorption with children—are unbelievable. Yet claims that the story is compelling in other ways because of the level of wit, language, and free play of intelligence. Although lacking the "heightened dialectical fervor" of his great novels, the reviewer argues, AT has his unmistakable "rosy and idiomatic prose." Sees the book as a work of self-limitation in which Bellow wants to see how far he can go with the bare bones of an almost trivial story-line and thoughts that are at best suggestive.

Brookner, Anita. "Ring of Falsehood." Spectator 15 Apr. 1989: 29–30.

Provides an extensive plot summary. Asserts that Clara Velde becomes the occasion of a story about a passionate woman who failed to marry the man of her choice, and reveals little more about herself than the contents of her undistinguished mind. Claims that AT could have been a story in higher confusion but in fact is not.

Chavkin, Allen. "Bellow's A Theft." Saul Bellow Journal 8. 1 (1989): 68–70.

First synopsizes many of the reviewers of AT and then sets out to argue that too much has been made of Clara as a female protagonist. Considers that, as in so many of Bellow's works, the plot of this novella is subordinate to the author's interest in character. Considers AT an intimate and detailed exploration of Clara Velde's soul. Considers it a marvelous work that reveals Bellow's genius and fine wit.

Cheuse, Alan. "Saul Bellow's Ring of Truth." Chicago Tribune Books 5 Mar. 1989: 1, 4.

Briefly describes the plot with its central focus, the theft, and its effect on the protagonist, Clara Velde. Describes her in some detail along with Ithiel Regler, her lover, and other characters. Finds vintage Bellow here with "effervescent mental conversation, the urbane, sophisticated, supple and idiosyncratic banter of ideas.., about child abuse, psychiatry, international politics, culture, life, love, youth, and age." Concludes that this is "a special sort of humane entertainment" created by Bellow's rigor of heart and mind.

Conarroe, Joel. "The Laureate's Latest, on Love." Washington Post 24 Feb. 1989: C3.

Describes the uniqueness of Bellow's quality paperback publishing venture for this novel, the major characters, his mix of "cerebral tonalities and vernacular jazz," and his usual practice of casting" a cool and amused eye on the quips and cranks of American life." Concludes that readers will read this engaging tale to the end and not just display it on the shelf, which he suspects they do with most of his idea-filled novels.

Eder, Richard. "Love in Gogmagogsville." Los Angeles Times Book Review 19 Mar. 1989: 3.

Discusses the theme, characters, and conflicts of the story, finding its center the dual between Clara Velde and Ithiel Regler through whom Bellow says more than he tells. Finds the book slapdash and many characters only sketched. Argues that this also applies even to Clara, for whom the book contains only notes for what could become a memorable character. Concludes that the book is "scrappy—in both senses—amiable, an amiable mess, and sometimes just a mess."

Feeney, Mark. "What Made Frederic Seize the Ring?" Boston Globe 5 Feb. 1989: 86, 88.

Calls AT a book with ugly moral undercurrents of racism because its picture of the city as a dark, threatening ethnic jungle is presented neither with subtlety nor differentiation. Complains that the book chugs along in ungainly fashion toward no particular destination. Concludes that this is that rarest of volumes in the Bellow canon: an unmemorable book.

Fender, Stephen. "Hero into Heroine." Manchester Guardian Weekly 23 Apr. 1989: 30.

Provides an interpretive character study of Clara Velde and concludes that the book seems to exist mainly on the discursive level of the suburban dinner party. Complains that it is difficult to remember for long because it is too short to engage the reader strenuously. Furthermore it is insufficiently crystalline to stand as a parable.

"Fiction." Jim Kobak's Kirkus Review 1 Aug. 1989: 1087.

Argues that AT is steadily intriguing and crisply told, yet oddly lacking in resonance and conviction. Claims that Bellow works hard to invest this anecdotal material with Jamesian layers of morality and psychology, but that Clara and Teddy remain an assemblage of striking attitudes

Gordon, Andrew. "It Doesn't Ring True." Saul Bellow Journal 9.1 (1990): 79–83.

States that AT left him cold, because Clara Velde is uncompelling and because the book lacks both humor and wisdom. Appreciates Ithiel Regler's rogue value in the cannon, but insists that the story falls flat for lack of tension and significat content. Details the plot, and describes the various relationship that Clara is engaged in, most of which are not presented in their full dramatic potential. Suggests there is a dramatic vacuum at the center of the story which derives from Bellow's failure to proper present the relationship between Gina and Clara. Criticizes the stilted dialogue, idiosyncratic slang, and the good-girl, bad-girl characters. Wonders if the novella is a misstep of Bellow's age and dismisses the idea by considering that this late efflorescence from a great storyteller one can only compare to Melville's Billy Budd.

Gray, Paul. "An Old Master in Soft-Covers." Time 6 Mar. 1989: 70.

Describes the publishing history of AT and calls its characters astoundingly vibrant and intelligent. Comments that, for a modest outlay, readers can buy an original work of art: a world-class author producing a tale that is thoroughly typical and engagingly new rather than fully drawn, believable characters.

Johnson, Greg. "Bellow's 'Theft' Is a Deft, Contained Work." Atlanta Journal/Constitution 2 Apr. 1989: N 10.

Calls this novella "vintage Saul Bellow, funny, deft, absorbing, simultaneously a novel of ideas and a penetrating character study." Calls Clara Velde, his first woman protagonist, one of his most memorable characters, and then discusses the theft of the emerald as the central event of the plot. Notes that we are spared Bellow's drawn-out intellectual discussions that padded MDH and the meanderings of DD. Finds the fast pacing and wry humor of AT more akin to SD. Concludes that this is one of Bellow's finest works of fiction.

Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher. "Saul Bellow's Small Book of Outsized Characters." New York Times 2 Mar. 1989: C23.

Sees Clara Velde, the protagonist, as outsized and contradictory. Describes her character, her relationship with Ithiel Regler, and the impact on her of the theft of the emerald ring. Concludes that Bellow has tried to reconcile three views of Clara—her own, her lover's, and the narrator's. Notes that he has created large, complicated people with generous hearts and considered views on everything. Concludes that the fable of the stolen ring is "strong enough to sweep them up in its currents."

Marin, Rick. Rev. of A Theft American Spectator July 1989: 47–48.

Complains that this long story, or short novel, never gets great, but is nevertheless worth reading. Describes the characters, and comments that Bellow's description of Clara Velde suggests she looks much like Bellow himself and is literally a woman after his own heart, "powerful and rich in her middle age." Finds Bellow still railing about the fall of civilization—indiscriminate sex, the criminal breed, and communism. Concludes that this is the skeleton of a novel because the short form is unable to carry the weight of the strong, powerful characters or Bellow's reactionary polemics. Designates Bellow as a writer of big books, not little ones.

MDdowell, Edwin. "Saul Bellow Tries a New Approach." New York Times Sept. 22, 1988: C24

Mostly discusses the unusual publishing history of this novella and Bellow's disgust with the state of fiction in the magazines.

Novak, Ralph. "Picks & Pans-Pages." People Weekly 24 Apr. 1989: 28, 30.

Oates, Joyce Carol. "Bellow's Portraits." Where I've Been and Where I'm Going: Essays, Reviews and Prose. New York: Plume, 157–60.

Oates, Joyce Carol. "Clara's Gift." New York Times Book Review 5 Mar. 1989: 3. Rpt. in Where I've Been and Where I'm Going: Essays, Reviews, Prose. New York: Plume, 1999. 157–60.

Considers Bellow a genius at portraiture. Describes his use of language and energy in the service of his art, as well as his attempt to display, admire, and analyze "the haunting contours and textures of the physical world and the mystery of human personality in its extraordinary variety." Compares the similarities and differences between AT and previous works. Finds this work missing the usual ground base in reality typical of Bellow, and sees Clara as lacking sufficient intelligence for her position in life. Concludes that Bellow, while noted as a realist, is really a surrealist with an eye for the illuminatingly absurd.

Packer, George. "Less Brains, Better Legs." Nation 15 May 1989: 674–75.

Details the plot and describes Clara Velde as less a high-fashion executive or Bible-fed hick than the questing, self-analyzing, mouth-flapping character that stands at the center of nearly all Bellow's work. Comments that the talk seems sketchy at best, the story in a peculiar hurry to end, and the lack of a material medium responsible for depriving Bellow of his brilliant way with figurative language, thus lessening the tension in each scene and disembodying his characters. Concludes however, that even a lesser work like AT is worth a slow, careful read.

Pinsker, Sanford. "Mr. Bellow's Planet Through Female Eyes." Midstream June/July 1989: 62–63.

Sees AT as another Bellovian tale about a worldly intellectual suffering a disorderly life, this time told from a female perspective. Details the plot and concludes that this novel is not as tightly constructed as SD, but that Clara Velde is an important and welcome addition to his canon because she holds her own with the best of Bellow's memorable men.

Prescott, Peter. "Ringaround Park Avenue." Newsweek 20 Mar 1989: 80.

Describes Bellow's history with the novella form and suggests that while AT may have its problems, it is hard to dislike. Provides extensive plot summary and notes that AT is Bellow's light-handed "Ring of the Nibelung." Argues that the major flaw consists of his not making Clara sufficiently convincing as the Clausewitz of couture, even though she seems curiously uncorrupted by her disordered life and has a most engaging presence.

Pritchard, William H. "Realism without Magic." Hudson Review 42.3 (1989): 490.

Considers AT to have something verbally interesting on every page. Notes that, whereas story and style are inseparable and function to produce maximum pity and terror in SD, this novella doesn't get close to pity or terror. Concludes that even its comedy seems oddly restrained and muted.

Quinn, Anthony. "Clara's Conversion." New Statesman & Society 31 Mar. 1989: 35.

Calls AT a slight story about a large woman—a restrained, but not a subdued book. Comments that it reads like a gentle sojourn after the wintry chill of Bellow's recent excursions.

Raban, Jonathan. "Lost Emerald City." Observer 2 Apr. 1989: 45.

Calls the prose of AT quick, dean, and minus lyrical description. Connects Clara Velde with Demmie Vonghel of HG. Notes that, while Clara has no theories, she does have mettle, wit, and a gift for the dashing phrase. Sees AT as an engrossing exercise in which New York has never seemed so lonely, or its people so confined to such private bubbles. Calls this his least gloomy book because it is full of freshness and audacity and comes from the most vital novelist in English now at work.

Raskin, Jonah. "Ring Around a Soap Opera." San Francisco Chronicle 5 Mar. 1989: sec Reviews: 3–4.

Timson, Judith. "It Takes a Thief." Maclean's 24 Apr. 1989:66.

Towers, Robert. "Mystery Women." New York Review of Books 27 Apr. 1989: 50–52.

Comments on the typical composite of the Bellow females and notes that they are never mediated except through the male protagonist's eyes. Contrasts this with the portrayal of Clara Velde who comes relatively unmediated and yet is still related to the earlier women. Concludes that what charm this little undernourished book possesses lies in its language, even though the net effect is skimpy.