J 2016

"He Is Not English, He Is Not a Novelist; And How Far Is He Even Likeable?" On the Critical Reception of Arthur Koestler's Thieves in the Night

VERNYIK, Zénó

Basic information

Original name

"He Is Not English, He Is Not a Novelist; And How Far Is He Even Likeable?" On the Critical Reception of Arthur Koestler's Thieves in the Night

Authors

VERNYIK, Zénó (348 Hungary, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos, Sevilla, Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos, 2016, 0210-6124

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Article in a journal

Field of Study

Literature, mass media, audio-visual activities

Country of publisher

Spain

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

References:

Organization

Faculty of Science, Humanities and Education – Technical University of Liberec – Repository

UT WoS

000378606800004

Keywords in English

Arthur Koestler; reception; foreign policy; Palestine; 1946

Tags

International impact, Reviewed
Changed: 26/7/2016 17:47, Zeno Vernyik

Abstract

V originále

This paper deals with the immediate critical reception of Arthur Koestler's Thieves in the Night. Through a comparative analysis of reviews published at the time of the book's appearance, it aims to show that the said reception was in many cases neither fair, nor focused on the book's literary values. More specifically, in comparing the novel's American reception to its British counterpart, and focusing on the various fallacies and biases appearing predominantly in the latter one, it aims to draw attention to the fact that the present-day obscurity of this commercially successful novel might be, at least partially, due to the often angered and biased reaction to the book's topic and its explicit criticism of British foreign policy, rather than a result of the book's qualities themselves.