Philip Roth Non-Fiction books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Philip Roth Non-Fiction series?"

"There are seven books in the Philip Roth Non-Fiction series, published between 1975 and 2017."

Q: "What is the first book in the Philip Roth Non-Fiction series?"

"The first book in the Philip Roth Non-Fiction series is Reading Myself and Others, published in 1975."

Q: "What does Roth's non-fiction add to an understanding of his novels?"

"Quite a lot. The Facts is an autobiography that reads almost like a companion to the Zuckerman novels, and Reading Myself and Others collects interviews and essays where he discusses his own work directly. Shop Talk, a series of conversations with other writers, gives a broader sense of his literary influences and friendships."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	Reading Myself and Others	1975	Philip Roth	Buy
2	American West’s Acid Rain Test	1985	Philip Roth	Buy
3	The Facts	1988	Philip Roth	Buy
4	Shop Talk	2001	Philip Roth	Buy
5	A Writer at Work	2011	Philip Roth	Buy
6	Notes For My Biographer	2012	Philip Roth	Buy
7	Why Write?	2017	Philip Roth	Buy

Roth’s non-fiction is closely connected to his fiction in ways that make it particularly interesting for readers who already know his novels. The Facts presents his autobiography but then has Zuckerman respond to it, blurring the line between memoir and metafiction in a way that is characteristic of how Roth thought about identity and narrative.

Patrimony, his account of his father’s final illness, is probably the most emotionally direct thing he published and reads very differently from the ironic distance that marks most of his fiction. Shop Talk collects his conversations with writers including Primo Levi, Aharon Appelfeld, and Ivan Klíma, and reflects his deep engagement with European literature, particularly fiction that emerged from political oppression.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Philip Roth Non-Fiction series?

There are seven books in the Philip Roth Non-Fiction series, published between 1975 and 2017.

What is the first book in the Philip Roth Non-Fiction series?

The first book in the Philip Roth Non-Fiction series is Reading Myself and Others, published in 1975.

What does Roth's non-fiction add to an understanding of his novels?

Quite a lot. The Facts is an autobiography that reads almost like a companion to the Zuckerman novels, and Reading Myself and Others collects interviews and essays where he discusses his own work directly. Shop Talk, a series of conversations with other writers, gives a broader sense of his literary influences and friendships.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order