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Allegations of sexual assault and impropriety against Blake Bailey make it hard to read his life of Philip Roth in the way biographer and subject may have originally intended. ....
Advertisement Just as I was sitting down to write my review of Blake Bailey’s authorised biography of Philip Roth, the news broke that Bailey had been accused of two sexual assaults and several other instances of improper behaviour dating back to the 1990s. He was promptly dropped by his literary agent. His American publisher, W.W. Norton, announced it was suspending distribution and promotion of the book, then cancelled it. Philip Roth was well aware of his flaws and the vampiric nature of his art. Credit:Nancy Crampton Under the circumstances, a straight review would seem to be inappropriate and quite possibly redundant. Whatever the objective merits and shortcomings of the biography itself, it is now destined to be interpreted in light of the serious allegations against Bailey. His position is hardly enhanced by the fact that his thorough account of Roth’s life confirms that the celebrated novelist was something of a lothario. ....