Duddy!

I remember someone asking me once, “What do you suggest? I need a funny book. Some amusing literature. Something I can laugh at, but yet something not stupid.”
So I had to think. And the answer arrived rather quickly.
Mordecai Richler’s The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.
A lot of Canadians may have had to read this thing in high-school English class. I, on the other hand, read it of my own free will, at a time when I could barely even remember high school. And I loved the book. It is unforgettable.
I love it. And in my opinion, it is a hilarious read! The scene at about midpoint, where there is the screening of the movie that Duddy produced in collaboration with J.P. Friar [entitled “Happy Bar-Mitzvah Bernie!”]... well, I cannot recall laughing that much while reading anything, before or since.

In a (1970) television interview Richler said that his best writing was the stuff that flowed out from him and did not require too much revision or re-writing. I think that a lot of that sort of "one-take" inspiration must have found its way into this fourth novel of his. As I read it, there was one word that kept recurring in my thoughts... "raw"!
Richler seems to me to be the type of writer who would not have had much use for a thesaurus in his study. And I say that in praise of his ability as a writer. Everything is just right up front and center with him, nothing embellished, overcooked, or re-written for the sake of eloquence alone. The result is sometimes brash, often vulgar... but all the while, it is very real and necessary to explain the impetuous character of Duddy. Very well written. Great bantering dialogue. [Count how many times Richler puts the word "but" at the end of a sentence.] It's bizarre.
It is a story of ambition run amok! A precocious upstart trying to satiate his obsessive perception of success. Duddy is like... an over-confident Jewish Holden Caulfield on amphetamines!
A certain phrase haunts Duddy Kravitz: "A man without land is nobody!" It becomes Duddy's particular obsession.
Richler creates a fascinating (realistic, albeit despicable) character here. The quintessential shyster! There were a few redeeming moments, but most of the time I just wanted to strangle Duddy... in fact, my feelings for Duddy alternated between wanting to strangle him and then (next page) laugh at him.
I maintain that the story is hilarious.... but the thing is, it's really not funny. I see Duddy as a tragic figure. He consistently abuses the two people (Yvette and Virgil) who are trying the hardest to help him realize his dreams. Ultimately, Duddy has to face the fact that perhaps the only thing legendary about him are the stories that his father Max is already inventing down at Lou's Bagel and Lox Bar.
The message of the story seems to be that there can only be one thing more miserable than someone who reaches his goals by trampling on others, and that is to find out after all the trampling, you are no success story after all. In the end, Duddy can't even afford bus fare. He becomes a nobody... [with land!]
It is a great book that I unreservedly recommend to one and all.
Mordecai Richler.
A Canadian literary icon who was with us not long enough. 1931 – 2001.

***********