Call It Sleep

Call It Sleep
First edition
AuthorHenry Roth
LanguageEnglish
PublisherRobert O. Ballou
Publication date
1934
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback)

Call It Sleep is a 1934 novel by Henry Roth. The book is about a young boy growing up in the Jewish immigrant ghetto of New York's Lower East Side in the early 20th century.

Although it earned acclaim, the book sold poorly and was out of print for close to 30 years. It received a second life when it was reviewed by literary critic Irving Howe on the front page of The New York Times Book Review on October 25, 1964.[1] Its paperback edition, published by Avon, sold over 1 million copies.[2] The novel was included on Time's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923.[3]

  1. ^ Howe, Irving (1964-10-25). "Life Never Let Up; Call It Sleep". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  2. ^ Severo, Richard (1995-10-14). "Henry Roth Is Dead at 89; Wrote Novel 'Call It Sleep'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  3. ^ Grossman, Lev; Lacayo, Richard (2005-10-16). "All-Time 100 Novels: The Complete List". Time. Retrieved 2021-05-07.