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Primary Colors (novel)

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Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics
AuthorJoe Klein
LanguageEnglish
GenrePolitical novel
PublisherRandom House
Publication date
January 16, 1996
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeHardcover and Paperback
Pages366 (hc)
ISBNISBN 0-679-44859-4 (hc) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character

Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics, a 1996 novel by "Anonymous" (later revealed to be journalist Joe Klein[1]).

Roman à clef

Primary Colors is a roman à clef (French for "novel with a key," real-life events in the guise of fiction) inspired by U.S. President Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign in 1992. While many characters and events in the novel are based on reality, much of the book is fictional. The book centers on Henry Burton, a campaign aide for southern governor Jack Stanton (thought to represent Bill Clinton). It is thought to be influenced by an earlier roman à clef of American politics, Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men (1946).

There is a sequel of sorts to the novel (also by Joe Klein but not anonymously), The Running Mate, published in 2000.

Plot summary

Mixed race campaigner and former Congressional worker Henry Burton is asked to join the presidential campaign of Southern governor Jack Stanton. At the start of the campaign, things appear to be going smoothly; while there are a number of quirky individuals on board, and moments of agreement on campaign issues are few and far between, the governor really does appear to care—for people and legislation—and goes out of his way to appear different from the rest of the Democratic field.

But the situation begins to cloud as details of Stanton's involvement in an anti-war protest in Chicago and an alleged affair with his wife's hairdresser are revealed by the press. Seeing his political future slip away, and his fellow candidates preparing to replace him, Stanton makes a final, desperate pitch. He survives, and manages to tread water the rest of the way, helped by the mistakes of his opponents. But as Stanton slides towards success, campaign manager Burton increasingly feels disillusioned—and is also continuing to see a campaign worker on the side. Matters come to a head, and Burton is at last forced to choose between idealism and realism.

Fictional characters and real-life inspirations

Picker is believed to be based on four politicians, Brown, Hughes, Askew and Perot, for the following reasons:

  • Like Brown and Perot, Picker entered the race late.
  • Like Brown, Picker entered the race too late to stop the existing favorite from winning the Democratic nomination.
  • Picker's biography is similar to Askew's.
  • Picker was a former drug user, whereas Harold Hughes was an alcoholic.

Anonymous

Prior to Klein's confession, writers for Newsweek, The Washington Post, and The New York Times speculated that the author might be one of the following:

See also

References

  1. ^ Milton, Joyce (2000). The First Partner: Hillary Rodham Clinton. HarperCollins. p. 228. ISBN 0688177727.
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