Promiscuous: A Biography of Portnoy’s Complaint at Kings Place

Portnoy's Complaint provoked instant, powerful reactions when first published in 1969 and retains an enduring hold over the imagination today. It blasted Philip Roth into international fame, subjected him to unrelenting personal scrutiny and conjecture, and shocked legions of readers - some delighted, others appalled. In Promiscuous Bernard Avishai offers a definitive biography of the satiric masterpiece, based on Roth’s own writings, teaching notes, and personal interviews. Avishai reflects on the Jewish community’s outrage over the book and how Roth survived it.