The fame of the American writer Philip Roth (1933-2018) rested on the frank explorations of Jewish-American life he portrayed in his novels. There is a strong autobiographical element in much of what he wrote, alongside social commentary and political satire. Despite often polarising critics with his frequently explicit accounts of his male protagonists' sexual doings, Roth received a great many prestigious literary awards which include a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1997, and the 4th Man Booker International Prize in 2011.

Title: "Goodbye Columbus"

Listeners: Christopher Sykes

Tags: New York, Italy, Rome, Paris Review, The New Yorker, Commentary Magazine

Duration: 1 minute, 11 seconds

Date story recorded: March 2011

Date story went live: 18 March 2013