Best Selling Books by John Dos Passos

With his U.S.A. trilogy, comprising THE 42nd PARALLEL, 1919, and THE BIG MONEY, John Dos Passos is said by many to have written the great American novel. While Fitzgerald and Hemingway were cultivating what Edmund Wilson once called their own little corners, John Dos Passos was taking on the world. Counted as one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Modern Library and by some of the finest writers working today, U.S.A. is a grand, kaleidoscopic portrait of a nation, buzzing with history and life on every page. The trilogy opens with THE 42nd PARALLEL, where we find a young country at the dawn of the twentieth century. Slowly, in stories artfully spliced together, the lives and fortunes of five characters unfold. Mac, Janey, Eleanor, Ward, and Charley are caught on the storm track of this parallel and blown New Yorkward. As their lives cross and double back again, the likes of Eugene Debs, Thomas Edison, and Andrew Carnegie make cameo appearances.

“A Depression-era novel about American tumult has—perhaps unsurprisingly—aged quite well.”—The New Yorker In 1919, the second volume of his U.S.A. trilogy, John Dos Passos continues his “vigorous and sweeping panorama of twentieth-century America” (Forum). 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 the era with a cinematic touch and unparalleled nerve.1919 opens to find America and the world at war, and Dos Passos’s characters, many of whom we met in the first volume, are thrown into the snarl. We follow the daughter of a Chicago minister, a wide-eyed Texas girl, a young poet, and a Jewish radical, and we get glimpses of Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and the Unknown Soldier. Named one of the Modern Library’s 100 best English-language novels of the twentieth century, “U.S.A. is a masterpiece” (Tim O’Brien) and 1919 is an unforgettable chapter in the saga. “It’s the kind of book a reader never forgets.”—Chicago Daily Tribune

Every generation rewrites the past. In easy times history is more or less of an ornamental art, but in times of danger we are driven to the written record by a pressing need to find answers to the riddles of today. We need to know what kind of firm ground other men, belonging to generations before us, have found to stand on. In spite of changing conditions of life they were not very different from us. This is a prime example of Dos Passos as an American novelist and reporter on American reality. In times of change and danger when there is fear under men''s reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present. That is why, in times like ours, when old institutions are caving in and being replaced by new institutions not necessarily in accord with most men''s preconceived hopes, political thought has to look backwards as well as forwards. It is not a question of what we want; it is a question of what is. American history, the successes and failures of the men who went before us, is only alive in so far as some seeds are still stirring and growing in us today. Divided up into three major sections: The Use of the Past, Roger Williams and the Planting of the Commonwealth in America, and On the White Porch of the Republic; The Ground We Stand On traces the backgrounds and the rise of America''s early political structure, the variety of influences upon it, and the men who gave it a stable foundation. John Dos Passos (1896-1970), American novelist, was born in Chicago. During and after the Second World War, he became increasingly interested in the roots of American culture and produced a number of historical studies relating to the problems of American democracy. He wrote both fiction and nonfiction. Among his works are Manhattan Transfer, the trilogy U.S.A. and his autobiographical The Best Times.

Manhattan Transfer is an American novel by John Dos Passos published in 1925. It focuses on 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. It is considered to be one of Dos Passos'' most important works.

Three young American soldiers are drafted in military and sent to France. But each has a reason to despise the war and to desert his post. What transpires next is a story of frustration, survival, betrayal and tragedy. The novel was inspired by author''s own experiences during World War I. Passoswas an ambulance driver for American volunteer groups in Paris and Italy, before joining the U.S. Army Medical Corps.

Contains American author John Dos Passo''s epic "U.S.A." trilogy which provides a collective portrait of America following dozens of characters from the Spanish-American War to the beginning of the Depression

This selective history of Portugal reflects the author’s fascination with his own Portuguese/Madeiran heritage. The work tracks the nation’s rise and fall as a world power, drawing from the author’s travels and archival research. “Dos Passos,” writes historian J. H. Plumb, “brings to his material a novelist’s acute eye for human character and a narrative skill that any historian might envy; and he has produced one of the most readable books on the subject that I know.”

THE BIG MONEY completes John Dos Passos''s three-volume "fable of America''s materialistic success and moral decline" (American Heritage) and marks the end of "one of the most ambitious projects that an American novelist has ever undertaken" (Time). Here we come back to America after the war and find a nation on the upswing. Industrialism booms. The stock market surges. Lindbergh takes his solo flight. Henry Ford makes automobiles. From New York to Hollywood, love affairs to business deals, it is a country taking the turns too fast, speeding toward the crash of 1929. Ultimately, whether the novels are read together or separately, they paint a sweeping portrait of collective America and showcase the brilliance and bravery of one of its most enduring and admired writers.

Unique for its epic scale and panoramic social sweep, Dos Passos'' masterpiece comprises three novels--The 42nd Parallel, 1919, and The Big Money--which create an unforgettable collective portrait of modern America.

In a novel that closely parallels author John Dos Passos’s own ideological struggles during the Spanish Civil War, protagonist Glenn Spotswood, an American, travels to Spain to fight on the Republican side. There, Spotswood joins the Communist Party to help establish a more just society, but his idealism quickly degrades under the stress of party orthodoxy and hypocrisy.

In the 1960''s John Dos Passos began calling his novel contemporary chronicles, and to his latest piece of fiction he gave the working title The Thirteenth Chronicle. These letters abd duarues naje a chronicle too.

A novel begun in college and then reworked for seven years, this work mirrors the author''s experience at Harvard and in greater Boston. The novel reflects young Dos Passos''s interests in aestheticism, Greek and Roman culture, and Walt Whitman.

In this semi-autobiographical novel, an American has a doomed affair with a younger woman, Elsa, in Cuba during World War II. The love story, in its happiest moments, parallels the idyllic life that author John Dos Passos had with his first wife, Katy. In Havana, Roland Lancaster relives his exciting years as a war correspondent, while trying to recapture his youth and his fame. The novel plots a key concern of the author''s in the 1950s America''s rise to global prominence during World War II, and its loss of power in the years following the peace.

Eight Harvard Poets presents a multifaceted exploration of early 20th-century American verse, bound together by the shared academic lineage and youthful vigor of its contributors. This anthology traverses a landscape of literary modernism, capturing the zeitgeist of an era through a medley of poetic forms, from traditional verse to experimental free verse. It reflects the burgeoning literary movements of the time, revealing the early inklings of modernist aesthetics and the personal predilections of its poets. The collection stands out not only for the diversity of its poetic styles but also for encapsulating a pivotal moment in American literary history, offering readers a glimpse into the formative years of these nascent talents. The contributors to Eight Harvard Poets are bound by their academic affiliation, having all walked the hallowed halls of Harvard University, yet they diverge vastly in their thematic preoccupations and poetic expressions. This compilation brings together the voices of John Dos Passos, Robert Hillyer, E.E. Cummings, and others, each contributing to the early 20th-century American literary canon in unique ways. Their works collectively underscore the dynamic interplay between traditional and emerging literary norms, signifying the shifting contours of American poetic expression. This anthology is a testament to the vibrant literary community at Harvard, showcasing how these individuals, despite their varied trajectories, were united in their quest for literary innovation. Eight Harvard Poets offers an invaluable opportunity for readers to engage with the rich tapestry of American poetry in the early 20th century. It invites an exploration into the evolution of poetic form and thought, seen through the prism of a select group of Harvard alumni. Each poets unique voice contributes to a broader conversation about identity, creativity, and the societal changes of their time, making this anthology a must-read for those interested in the intersections of education, literature, and the shaping of modern literary sensibilities. Through its diverse range of voices and styles, the collection fosters a deeper appreciation for the nuances of American poetry and the historical contexts from which it emerged.

A record of his childhood, young adulthood, and twenties, The Best Times is a collage of cherished memories. He reflects on the joys of an itinerant life enriched by new and diverse friendships, customs, cultures, and cuisines. Luminary personalities and landscapes abound in the 1920s literary world Dos Passos loved. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, E.E. Cummings, Gerald and Sara Murphy, Horsley Gantt—they are his beloved friends. Spain, the French Riviera, Paris, Persia, the Caucasus—they are his beloved footpaths.

Despite sickness in the final years of his life, Dos Passos presses on for adventure. He and his wife journey to Easter Island, where they explore the history behind the famous statues—called maois. “When I was a small boy,” Dos Passos says, “some kind person took me to the British Museum. There I saw a statue, a huge, rough, dark-gray statue with [a] long, sad, dark-gray face. The statue stared back out of deep, sunken eyes. What was it trying to say? To this day I can remember the feeling it gave me of savage, brooding melancholy.”

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, and Marrakesh, Morocco; from Kasvin, Iran, to Baghdad, Iraq, and Damascus, Syria. He crosses the Syrian Desert, observes the aftermath of the Greek-Turkish War, climbs the Caucasus, explores Persia during the rise of Reza Kahn, and records the creation of Iraq by the British. His message is clear and relevant to contemporary travelers: holiness and happiness abounds in the East as much as the West. “With the name of Allah for all baggage,” Dos Passos writes, “you could travel from the Great Wall of China to the Niger and be fairly sure of food, and often of money, if only you were ready to touch your forehead in the dust five times a day and put away self and the glamorous West. And yet,” he adds, “the West is conquering.”

John Dos Passos, the distinguished American novelist and historian has been personally interested in Brazil for the last fifteen years. He first visited the country in 1948, and returned again in 1956 and 1962. This book, which is based on his experiences in Brazil, presents the people and landscapes of a young country on the move. Here you will find several extraordinary reports on Brasilia, first in the planning stage, second in the wildly frantic period when it was a half-finished group of buildings, and, finally, as it appeared to Mr. Dos Passos in the summer of 1962 when it was at last beginning to function as a city. Here, too, is the story of Brazil’s great road building program designed to unify the country, and of the political battles in this enormous country which totters on the verge of a Communist takeover. From traveling the length and breadth of the land and from interviewing all kinds of people: politicians like Carlos Lacerda and religious leaders like Bishop Sales, Mr. Dos Passos has been able to transmit some of the flavor of the most important of Latin American nations. Mr. Dos Passos himself is of Portuguese descent, and he speaks Portuguese as well as Spanish. He begins this readable and fascinating book with a much needed short sketch of the history of Brazil and how the Portuguese tradition differs from the Spanish in South America.

Dos Passos''s first novel published in 1920.

Here, from the legendary author John Dos Passos and American Heritage, are portraits of three men critical to the early history of the United States: Aaron Burr, whose political skills carried him to the threshold of the White House but was ultimately indicted for treason; Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution who could not apply his ideals to a France sliding into terror; and Robert Morris, whose skills as a financier aided the new nation but led to his own ruin.