Libra (Contemporary American Fiction) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Libra is a masterpiece of criticism. DeLillo criticizes hierarchies and power relations that are getting out of hands as does the orginal plan, i.e. the conspiracy, of Win Everett, eventually developing a self-dynamic which kills President Kennedy. The JFK assassination is not the only significant historical happening in Libra. Besides depicting Cold-War History, DeLillo demonstrates how historical events (the Bay of Pigs Invasion) can leap into the present,bearing negative, even lethal, consequences: President Kennedy is finally killed by an ex-Cuban who was with Castro in the movement of the 26th of July, being a member of "the starved army of beards".

Additional to this rather unpronounced critique of past events (and the failure of dealing with them in an adequate way), there is a critique of manipulation on various levels. First, there are the conspirators who are constructing the future assassin of JFK, "putting together a man with scissors and tape". Then, there is the omnipresent world of the media that more and more invades our private life, to an extent where we can no longer differentiate between what is real and what is not.This feeling of insecurity is even reinforced by the proliferation of systems and soctieties' fragmentation and brutality that Lee Harvey Oswald is a victim of. The character of Lee Harvey Oswald seems to stand for any individual who does not find its place within society, being pushed from one side to the other, manipulated and abused, aquiring "foolish different characters" that can not prevent the ultimate failure.

DeLillo leaves the reader with more questions that she/he had before: with questions about identity, reality and positionality. Who am I, what is my perception of the world, and what is ultimately true?

A very inspring book.

In answering this question DeLillo leaves out the obvious reasons: JFK's popularity and people's hopes connected with his politics. Instead, he puts the focus on a more profound problem: With the assassination of JFK the American people were woken up from their dream of security and regularity. A conclusive explanation of the how and why of the event could have put them back to sleep. Such an explanation is not available though. It is just not the way history works, and DeLillo skillfully shows exactly that in his book. He depicts a conspiracy that gets out of hand and Oswald as a manipulated and constructed individual.

Presenting his version of the events, DeLillo at the same time questions its validity. Reading his novel we become aware of the impossibility of drawing the right conclusions of the mass of hard facts and vague hints--the infinite possibilities of what can be held for the truth. Therefore, any historical account can only be a possible version of the real. In so far, DeLillo's Libra places itself somewhere between fiction and history.

Libra is a novel that deserves every attention.

Character's are expertly crafted and there is rarely the sentence lacking in ingenius observances and irony. Dialogue is extremely provocative and difficult events are pictured with masterful eloquence. The plot itself is very well-crafted if not neccessarily executed to the fullest. The ever-present cynicism is also very welcome and blesses the novel with a unique feel.

If there is a flaw with the book, it must be said that there is a lack of consistent progression. You ca devour a hundred or more pages without having a sense of a developing plot. This factor is why I haven't recommended this book any higher. I still believe White Noise is has yet to be toppled over its lofty perch.

However, despite this shortcoming, this book is testimony to Delillo's position in comtemporary literature: a master for lesser's to see.