Requiem for Harlem: Mercy of a Rude Stream, Vol. 4
by: Henry Roth

Hardcover. NY, St Martins Press, 1st, 1998, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 291 pages. It's a shame that Henry Roth died in 1995, because now readers will never know what happens to his fictional alter ego, Ira Stigman, once he leaves City College. For readers familiar with Roth's series of autobiographical novels, Requiem for Harlem is the last of four books chronicling the childhood and young adulthood of Stigman; for those who have not yet discovered Roth, consider reading the first three in the series to get a handle on the dark, complicated, and rich world Ira Stigman occupies. Set in 1920s Harlem, Roth's novels explore the life of Jewish immigrants. This last installment finds his alter ego about to leave childhood and Harlem forever behind as he begins an affair with Edith, a refined NYU English professor. Roth portrays his youthful self severely here, dwelling on the guilt and self-hatred resulting from an incestuous relationship with his sister and an affair with a young cousin. Clean copy.