Little Big Man (novel)

Little Big Man
First edition cover
AuthorThomas Berger
Cover artistBernard Brussel-Smith
LanguageEnglish
GenrePicaresque novel
PublisherDial Press
Publication date
October 9, 1964[1]
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages440
Preceded byReinhart in Love 
Followed byKilling Time 

Little Big Man is a 1964 novel by American author Thomas Berger. Often described as a satire or parody of the western genre, the book is a modern example of picaresque fiction. Berger made use of a large volume of overlooked first-person primary materials, such as diaries, letters, and memoirs, to fashion a wide-ranging and entertaining tale that comments on alienation, identity, and perceptions of reality.[2] Easily Berger's best known work, Little Big Man was made into a popular 1970 film by Arthur Penn. It has been called "Berger's response to the great American myth of the frontier, representing as it does most of the central traditions of American literature."[3]

  1. ^ "Books Today". The New York Times: 36. October 9, 1964.
  2. ^ Turner 1977, p. 150.
  3. ^ Landon 1989, p. 30.