Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this classic book is generally regarded as the finest novel ever written on American politics. It describes the career of Willie Stark, a back-country lawyer whose idealism is overcome by his lust for power.
American politics elevated, or degraded, to a personal level; It depends on ones point of view. This is a novel about tone man’s struggle for power, and his struggle to stay in power once he is there. Another novel that has become more, rather than less, relevant.
Author
bobmayer
2 years ago
A novel about politics and how it corrupts. Applicable to both the past and the present. One of the greatest dangers is the person who sets out to do good and gets blinded by power.
Author
emilyruthverona
2 years ago
All the King’s Men is one of the most gorgeously written books that I have ever read. It is a layered portrait of corruption which, in my opinion, has yet to be matched. Based on former Governor of Louisiana Huey Long, Robert Penn Warren’s masterpiece explores the political career and moral decline of the a character by the name of Willie Stark. At one time deemed a noble man, Stark’s success slowly transforms him into a power hungry fiend.
There is a reason this book won the Pulitzer Prize after its release in 1946 and has continued to remain in print and bookstores across the country after all these years. It is a story which resonates with the human condition and draws the reader in with such beautiful language that there is hardly a reading experience like it.
I highly recommend this novel for anyone interested in an honest tale of a flawed man.
Author
markalpert
2 years ago
This novel is the greatest political thriller ever written. The main character, Willie Stark, is based on Huey Long, the Depression-era Louisiana governor and senator. For a long time I’ve wanted to write a similar novel about a polarizing, morally compromised politician, and I found my opportunity after the election of 2016. The result is THE COMING STORM, which will be published by St. Martin’s Press in January 2019.
Author
wcclinton
2 years ago
A well-plotted novel with fully-drawn characters, the surface tale is about a naive yokel who enters politics with good intentions who gains insight into the dirty backroom deals and becomes a corrupt powerhouse, rising to governor of his state. However, the story is much more than a morality tale about political ethics. The novel follows the rise of Willie Stark through the eyes of an unambitious, scholarly henchman. We learn of Willie’s background and his populist ascent, his professional and familial relations, and also the story of the narrator, Jack Burden where it intersects with Willie Stark as well as with the other characters in the novel. Ultimately politics is merely the stage for author Robert Penn Warren’s ruminations on humanity. Warren’s language is vivid, full of imagery, and a delight to read. Fair warning, Jack Burden’s language and attitudes toward black people reflect the prevailing language and attitude of that time and place.
Author
tcweber
2 years ago
All the King’s Men was one of the most brilliant books I’ve ever read, with incisive characterization, lyrical language, and even a fair number of plot twists. One of the greatest of great American novels.
Warning: It’s a product of its time and place (1930’s Louisiana), and contains some offensive language.
American politics elevated, or degraded, to a personal level; It depends on ones point of view. This is a novel about tone man’s struggle for power, and his struggle to stay in power once he is there. Another novel that has become more, rather than less, relevant.
A novel about politics and how it corrupts. Applicable to both the past and the present. One of the greatest dangers is the person who sets out to do good and gets blinded by power.
All the King’s Men is one of the most gorgeously written books that I have ever read. It is a layered portrait of corruption which, in my opinion, has yet to be matched. Based on former Governor of Louisiana Huey Long, Robert Penn Warren’s masterpiece explores the political career and moral decline of the a character by the name of Willie Stark. At one time deemed a noble man, Stark’s success slowly transforms him into a power hungry fiend.
There is a reason this book won the Pulitzer Prize after its release in 1946 and has continued to remain in print and bookstores across the country after all these years. It is a story which resonates with the human condition and draws the reader in with such beautiful language that there is hardly a reading experience like it.
I highly recommend this novel for anyone interested in an honest tale of a flawed man.
This novel is the greatest political thriller ever written. The main character, Willie Stark, is based on Huey Long, the Depression-era Louisiana governor and senator. For a long time I’ve wanted to write a similar novel about a polarizing, morally compromised politician, and I found my opportunity after the election of 2016. The result is THE COMING STORM, which will be published by St. Martin’s Press in January 2019.
A well-plotted novel with fully-drawn characters, the surface tale is about a naive yokel who enters politics with good intentions who gains insight into the dirty backroom deals and becomes a corrupt powerhouse, rising to governor of his state. However, the story is much more than a morality tale about political ethics. The novel follows the rise of Willie Stark through the eyes of an unambitious, scholarly henchman. We learn of Willie’s background and his populist ascent, his professional and familial relations, and also the story of the narrator, Jack Burden where it intersects with Willie Stark as well as with the other characters in the novel. Ultimately politics is merely the stage for author Robert Penn Warren’s ruminations on humanity. Warren’s language is vivid, full of imagery, and a delight to read. Fair warning, Jack Burden’s language and attitudes toward black people reflect the prevailing language and attitude of that time and place.
All the King’s Men was one of the most brilliant books I’ve ever read, with incisive characterization, lyrical language, and even a fair number of plot twists. One of the greatest of great American novels.
Warning: It’s a product of its time and place (1930’s Louisiana), and contains some offensive language.