All the King's Men
by Robert Penn Warren · first published 1946
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
A literary novel about a populist politician loosely based on Huey Long. It offers a richly described portrait of American life and explores its political themes in depth, suited to readers of literary fiction.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The story is about Willie Stark, a slick politician of humble birth, who was based on real-life Huey Long, a Louisiana governor, but the real main character is Jack Burden, a reporter who serves to narrate the story and Stark's rise to power.
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I listed six here: http://jseliger.com/top-five-books : These books are worth reading immediately: 1. Lord of the Rings 2. All the King’s Men 3. High Fidelity 4. Get Shorty 5. Cryptonomicon 6. Almost anything by Robertson Davies, though I recommend starting with The Deptford Trilogy and skipping The Salterton Trilogy
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗…Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman Object Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler Thieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. War and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy Chapaev and the void by Pelevin
on “Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?” ↗"All The King's Men," Robert Penn Warren's fictionalized treatment of Huey Long, is magnificent.
on “Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?” ↗For a very literary novel on a dubious populist politician, read All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren.
on “The 480” ↗"All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren.
on “Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read? ” ↗There's a beautiful passage in All The King's Men that makes, to me, a similar point: "The friend of your youth is the only friend you will ever have, for he does not really see you...and perhaps he never saw you. What he saw was simply part of the…
on “Why is it hard to make friends over 30? (2012)” ↗>There's a beautiful passage in All The King's Men that makes, to me, a similar point: "The friend of your youth is the only friend you will ever have, for he does not really see you...and perhaps he never saw you. What he saw was simply part of the furniture…
on “Why is it hard to make friends over 30? (2012)” ↗Yes, I second this. That was an absolutely critical read for me. As an aside, All The King's Men and All The President's Men are books I recommend too.
on “'Coup 53' tells the story of 1953 campaign by MI6 and CIA to oust Iran's leader” ↗Tangentially, if you enjoy The Great Gatsby, you might also enjoy All The King's Men, which is a work of fiction that I think similarly richly described a swath of the American experience. As for Gatsby, I think it's a great piece of fiction that invites a lot of readings, and everyone's…
on “The Great Gatsby is the most misunderstood novel” ↗