It is the winter of 1945, the last dark days of World War II in occupied Holland. A Nazi collaborator, infamous for his cruelty, is assassinated as he rides home on his bicycle. The Germans retaliate by burning down the home of an innocent family; only twelve-year-old Anton survives.

Based on actual events, The Assault traces the complex repercussions of this horrific incident on Anton’s life. Determined to forget, he opts for a carefully normal existence: a prudent marriage, a successful career, and colorless passivity. But the past keeps breaking through, in relentless memories and in chance encounters with others who were involved in the assassination and its aftermath, until Anton finally learns what really happened that night in 1945—and why.

Herzog is the story of Moses Herzog, a great sufferer, joker, mourner, and charmer. Although his life steadily disintegrates around him—he has failed as a writer and teacher, as a father, and has lost the affection of his wife to his best friend—Herzog sees himself as a survivor, both of his private disasters and those of the age.

He writes unsent letters to friends and enemies, colleagues and famous people, revealing his wry perception of the world around him and the innermost secrets of his heart. This novel is a multifaceted portrait of a modern-day hero, a man struggling with the complexity of existence and longing for redemption.

In this postmodern fiction, Saul Bellow presents a unique achievement, blending confessional elements with exorcism. Is Moses Herzog losing his mind? With his head buzzing with ideas, he writes frantic, unsent letters, revealing the spectacular workings of his labyrinthine mind and the innermost secrets of his troubled heart.