Pictures of Fidelman

An aspiring artist embarks on a comic misadventure in this classic from a Pulitzer Prize–winning and two-time National Book Award–winning author.

“Tremendously funny, deeply moving, brilliantly written . . . Malamud again proves he is one of America’s most precious natural resources.” —Chicago Tribune

Arthur Fidelman, Bronx-born and raised, is a self-confessed failure as a painter. When he goes to Italy to prepare a critical study of Giotto, a zany adventure ensues. Pursued through the streets of Rome by the refugee Susskind, forced to abandon Giotto, feeling a reawakening desire to create art, falling into the hands of art thieves, hand-carving wooden Madonnas for sale, becoming a pimp, attempting to sculpt the perfect hole, Fidelman is a comic creation of genius.

“Pictures of Fidelman is everything we could possibly ask of a novel and a little more . . . a delight to read . . . fine and clear and rich . . . sometimes brutally shocking. . . . It is funny, moving, honest, compelling, and has rare wisdom. . . . The novel is superb!” —Roanoke Times