The Room (novel)
_1st_edition_cover.jpg) First edition | |
| Author | Hubert Selby, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Modern tragedy |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
Publication date | 1971 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | Last Exit to Brooklyn |
| Followed by | The Demon |
The Room is the second novel by Hubert Selby, Jr., first published in 1971.[1]
Plot
The novel centers on a nameless petty criminal locked in a remand cell, and explores his feelings of impotence, hatred and rage, and fantasies of revenge.[1]
Reception
Selby described the critical reception of the book as "the greatest reviews I've ever read in my life", although in reality it was not well received.[1][2] The novel was regarded by Selby as the most disturbing book ever written, and Selby stated that he himself was unable to read it again for 20 years.[2] At least one reviewer has expressed similar feelings, with claims that reading the novel made him physically sick.[3] It has been described as "a terrifying journey into the darkest corners of the psyche."[4]
In popular culture
A section of The Room is used in Richard Linklater's Waking Life, where a red-faced man in a jail cell describes in vivid detail the abuse he intends to inflict once he is released.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "World on the fringes of writer Selby", BBC
- ^ a b Guttridge, Peter (2004) "Obituaries: Hubert Selby Jnr", The Independent
- ^ Mitchell, Chris "Hubert Selby: The Movie and The Room", Splinter Magazine
- ^ O'Neill, Tony (2007) "A genuinely frightening American Psycho", The Guardian
- ^ Selby, Hubert (1971) The Room
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