Satirical novels. Recommendations?

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Can anyone suggest some great satirical novels that were written in the past 100 years?

I've already read "Catch-22" and "Money" (by Martin Amis). I tend to favour the more scathing satires that don't pull their punches.

― Church Mouse, Friday, 20 August 2004 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

After "Catch-22", I would recommend two by English authors. Evelyn Waugh is a great satirist and "The Loved One" is among his best, taking on America, Hollywood, and death. "Lucky Jim" is Kingsley Amis's brilliant send-up of British academia, with a depiction of petty personalities that doesn't require going to grad school to appreciate.

Finally, I would suggest reading some of Mark Twain's satirical writings. "Roughing It" is a fantastic take on the American West of his time, while "The Innocents Abroad" looks at Europe from the perspective of the American traveler. His later stuff is just as good, though a lot of people are offended by his attacks on religion in "What is Man?"

I hope this helps.

― Mark Klobas, Saturday, 21 August 2004 02:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Picture This by Joseph Heller.

― Fred (Fred), Saturday, 21 August 2004 09:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I've read "Lucky Jim." What a great book.

I totally forgot, however, about Evelyn Waugh and Mark Twain. I'll definitely have to check them out.

― Church Mouse, Saturday, 21 August 2004 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

The Winshaw Legacy (if you're in the US) or What a Carve Up! (as it's called in the UK) by Jonathan Coe. Brilliant Thatcherism satire.

― Jessa (Jessa), Sunday, 22 August 2004 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm fits here quite nicely.

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Sunday, 22 August 2004 12:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I highly recommend "Bombardiers" by Po Bronson. One of the few books I've read that had me laughing out loud on public transport.

Book Description
From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller What Should I Do with My Life?, Bombardiers is Po Bronson’s first novel, a devastating satire of the business world told through the lens of a crazed and colorful group of salespeople forced to push increasingly absurd financial products

Available used via 4m4zon for 88 cents apparently

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Sunday, 22 August 2004 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, and 10p back here in Blighty.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Sunday, 22 August 2004 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Anything by James Branch Cabell, but particularly Jurgen and The High Place. Great american author, virtually forgotten except for the obscenity case surrounding Jurgen.

― selfnoise, Monday, 23 August 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

What a Carve Up by Jonathan Coe, a hearty satire of Britain under Thatcher featuring some of the ugliest characters ever put on paper.

― holojames (holojames), Monday, 23 August 2004 20:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe Bonfire of the Vanities as a satire of 80s Wall Street?

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 01:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Jay McCenerney - My So Called Life. I think it's satire, anyway. Loud cheers from Mikey G for What A Carve Up, especially the Faith, Hope & Brenda scene.

― MikeyG (MikeyG), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 08:19 (twenty-one years ago)

You should read some Woody Allen.

― Fred (Fred), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 09:54 (twenty-one years ago)

This is as good a thread as any to bring this up: Has anyone ever read Nigel Williams? I guess I'm asking UK ILB people, cuz I don't even know if his books have been published in the states. I picked up East Of Wimbledon at the thrift store and thought it was pretty darn funny. Is he hugely popular in the UK?

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 10:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I know a Nigel Williams who's a rapper.

anyway fodder for discussion:
coming this fall
Sammy’s Hill, Kristin Gore (Miramax), political satire from the daughter of former vice-president Al Gore.

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Why only novels?

― Fred (Fred), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Fred wrote: "Why only novels?"

Because novels are my main interest, but if people here want to suggest poetry or short stories, that's cool.

― Church Mouse, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I second Jonathan Coe's "What A Carve Up!". His "The House of Sleep" is well worth checking out as well.

― Tinka, Friday, 27 August 2004 10:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Hi Tinka. I read your blog sometimes, if you are the same Tinka :)

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 27 August 2004 11:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Archel: if it's distant sun, then..

― Tinka, Friday, 27 August 2004 15:02 (twenty-one years ago)

How about David Lodge's academic trilogy--Changing Places, Small World, and Nice Work?

― Mr. Jaggers, Friday, 27 August 2004 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Handling Sin by Michael Malone, a great romp of Southern self-loathing in the tradition of Walker Percy (where a simple "Yes" or "No" exemplifies each character's pathological lies). True Enough by Stephen McCauley, a gay couples, relationship novel in the tradition of... John Updike? Master and Margarita, a great and hilarious example of disguised political satire, thus avoiding execution. He died of a broken heart (probably) none the less.

― donald, Sunday, 29 August 2004 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Hear hear for the Lodge trilogy; at the expense of getting rotten fruit thrown at my head I have to chip in with Neal Pollack's Never Mind the Pollacks. After trying heavy involvement in music journalism for a bit I laughed my head off at this poop on that uh profession.

Perhaps less controversially, I'd say Dario Fo's mixture of commedia dell'arte and satire in Accidental Death of an Anarchist really tripped my trigger. It's about the Italian police, but funny how it resonates with the crap the U.S. gvt is pulling today...

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Monday, 30 August 2004 22:21 (twenty-one years ago)

(warning: the Fo is a play)

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Monday, 30 August 2004 22:23 (twenty-one years ago)

It's been years and years, but I seem to recall Giles, Goat-Boy fitting the bill. The hero , raised among goats, goes to college to learn to be human. I should find a copy and reread it. There's a lot of satirical work by Barth, isn't there?

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Monday, 30 August 2004 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Pulls off satirizing a number of unrelated targets simultaneously.

― Sredni Vashtar, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't believe no one has mentioned Gulliver's Travels yet.

― SRH (Skrik), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 05:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I can quite clearly see a mention of it in the post right above this one.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 05:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Can anyone suggest some great satirical novels that were written in the past 100 years?

Sure can, but Gulliver's Travels isn't one of them.

― William Crump (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha!

― Fred (Fred), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 16:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Chinua Achebe's "A man of the people"

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Thursday, 21 October 2004 04:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Scoop is another great one by Waugh (satirizes journalism/foreign war correspondents).

― mck (mck), Thursday, 21 October 2004 14:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't believe that no one told me to read the original post before making an ass of myself.

― SRH (Skrik), Saturday, 23 October 2004 08:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not sure whether you'd classify it as a satire (portrayal of its monstrous heroine and the society that spawned her) or a tragedy (what happens to her husbands and her soul), but Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country is packed with embittered, horrible humor.

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Monday, 25 October 2004 21:03 (twenty-one years ago)

OMFG: I just read Schuyler's "Black No More" and it's like one of the greatest satirical anythings ever. ego trip has nothing on this guy! (speaking of which: ishmael reed -- reckless eyeballing) I totally see how Th. Lewis thought he was one of the best writers to come out of the Harlem Ren.

One of the most fully realized anti-heroes I've read too, in terms of pure sympathy factor.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Ooooh I'm reading Ferdydurke right now and it's delishamous, even in translation. Satire is so lovely in the fall, let's never let this thread die. If I weren't on a budget and trying to live off my stockpiles I'd go to Amazon right now and get me some Black No More. Must... not... succumb... no! NO! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Sunday, 31 October 2004 23:41 (twenty-one years ago)

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