The Bonfire of the Vanities
by Tom Wolfe, Tsipi Borsuḳ · first published 1920
48% recommend48% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Satirical novel of 1980s New York that captures Wall Street excess, bond markets, the legal system and status fights in vivid, never-dull prose; suits readers wanting fiction that conveys the era's money and politics.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The Bonfire of the Vanities is a 1987 satirical novel by Tom Wolfe. The story is a drama about ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed in 1980s New York City, and centers on three main characters: WASP bond trader Sherman McCoy, Jewish assistant district attorney Larry Kramer, and British expatriate journalist Peter Fallow. See also: - The Bonfire of the Vanities: 1/2 - The Bonfire of the Vanities: 2/2
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…an age of decadence, 1940 was an age of horrors so horrific Europe basically collapsed. 1960s were extremely decadent but it was a bit more broad-based. The 1980s were decadent (I recommend Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities). 2000 was maybe unusually sedate? Probably it was decadent and I didn't notice. 2020 is decadent and I am not surprised. The times don't change all that much.
on “What can ‘The Age of Decadence’ teach us about today? A great deal” ↗I'm sure you'll get plenty of comments on hacker fiction, so here's some "business" fiction: * "The Bonfire of the Vanities" by Tom Wolfe. The classic novel of 80s Wall Street at its peak. * "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis. A pretty terrifying picture of greed and excess, again on 80s Wall Street. If you've seen…
on “Ask HN: Recommend any good business/hacker fiction?” ↗…opinion doesn't have a good track record, for one. It's decisions are often based on fashion more than any kind of ethical principles. A classic exploration of this phenomenon is contained in the novel The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe.
on “After GitHub CEO backs Black Lives Matter, workers demand an end to ICE contract” ↗…an age of decadence, 1940 was an age of horrors so horrific Europe basically collapsed. 1960s were extremely decadent but it was a bit more broad-based. The 1980s were decadent (I recommend Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities). 2000 was maybe unusually sedate? Probably it was decadent and I didn't notice. 2020 is decadent and I am not surprised. >>> The times don't change all that much. That doesn't sound philosophically…
on “What can ‘The Age of Decadence’ teach us about today? A great deal” ↗Wow, Wolfe writes like a God. Not a dull sentence (I read Bonfire of the Vanities and it was like stepping into another world).
on “One Giant Leap to Nowhere” ↗Read Tom Wolfe's novel The Bonfire of the Vanities if you want a great example of the legal process portrayed in fiction.
on “Kim Dotcom Will Go to the US in Exchange for Legal Funds” ↗Sad to learn of his passing. Note to self: reread some of Tom Wolfe's books, especially The Bonfire of the Vanities and The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test.
on “Tom Wolfe is dead” ↗…brilliant, and as someone who is fortunate enough to not have ever been impacted greatly by wartime, it is equally eye-opening. Honorable mention (a book I have read more recently) goes to Tom Wolfe with The Bonfire of the Vanities. This book combines the legal system (police and prosecutors), personal greed and ambition (Wall Street bond salesman), racism (Media biases), and class structures and privilege in a hard hitting social…
on “Learning to Read in Your 30s Profoundly Transforms the Brain” ↗Sometimes there still is, for example Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities goes into great depths into how bond markets work. Also James Michener novels are a good introduction to the history of different geographical location.
on “Your Novel Should Be More Like Moby-Dick” ↗Tom Wolfe is an absolutely incredible author. Bonfire of the vanities in particular is an amazing read which the film adaptation only barely begins to do justice to. I also think that both A Man in Full and Back to Blood are amazing novels. The thing these books do is bring…
on “Tom Wolfe's Irresistible Snap, Crackle and Pop” ↗…virtues of storytelling to capture a truth. I doubt there is as good a nonfiction book that conveys the reality of the life, economics and politics of New York in the 1980s as well as Tom Wolfe’s “The Bonfire of the Vanities.” You can read as many guides to living your best life as you wish, but I defy you to find a better account of the travails of love, happiness, faith and morals as Evelyn Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited.”…
on “A Novel Idea: Read More Fiction” ↗Bonfire Of The Vanities by Tom Wolfe Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗…Value of Free Thought” an essay by Bertrand Russel “The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism” by Daniel Bell “Stalking the billion-footed beast” an essay by Tom Wolfe “Propaganda” by Edward Bernays “Bonfire of the Vanities” by Tom Wolfe “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau “30 Satires” by Lewis H. Lapham “Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut Above, in chronological order, are the books that changed my life. It is weird looking…
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗…other government agencies, they start out with some presumption of sincerity, but then the old case of "the means becomes the ends" sets in. Reminds me of what Tom Wolfe meant when the lawyer character in Bonfire of the Vanities labelled the line of criminals waiting at the back of the courthouse as "chow." The DEA will probably never go away, because it keeps people employed for one thing, and helps large pharmaceutical companies…
on “How to stop the drug wars” ↗It's a reference to this quote: > New York State chief judge Sol Wachtler was famously quoted by Tom Wolfe in The Bonfire of the Vanities that "a grand jury would 'indict a ham sandwich,' if that's what you wanted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_sandwich
on “Jonathan Smith walks free after 21 years of wrongful imprisonment” ↗