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Being There

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 3,820 ratings · 267 reviews

A modern classic now available from Grove Press, Being There is one of the most popular and significant works from a writer of international stature. It is the story of Chauncey Gardiner - Chance, an enigmatic but distinguished man who emerges from nowhere to become an heir to the throne of a Wall Street tycoon, a presidential policy adviser, and a media icon. Truly "a man...more

Paperback, 160 pages

Published September 15th 1999 by Grove Press (first published January 1st 1970)

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Jan 25, 2012 Gavin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary

At a scant 128 pages, this is a small book with enormous implications. Although written in the seventies (with a movie starring Peter Sellers in the eighties), the storyline is very prescient today. Before reading this slim novel, think about the myriad of ways people continue to infer incorrectly important issues, or how they get their information pertaining an issue.

A slender gem that needs to be read by all.

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Aug 28, 2008 A.J. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, literary

You can Google this book and come up with numerous learned and not-so-learned papers discussing it, and this might lead you to think it significant. You might be swayed by people who call it a postmodern masterpiece or an existential gem, or by the fact that it was made into a film. But look at Kosinski's prose: this particular emperor is stark naked. In short, this novel has a good premise and is full of good ideas, amateur in their execution.

A back-of-the-book puff piece in my copy cites "a cr...more

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Apr 14, 2009 Evan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-reads, __in-my-collection, humor, politics

So, there was a German film in the mid-1970s, a Werner Herzog-directed movie of cult status titled, The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser, based supposedly on a true incident from hundreds of years ago in which a man, a kind of idiot, suddenly appeared in a town and his origins remained a mystery. In the film, Hauser is shown to be raised in a dark, prison-like condition, cut off completely from the ways of the world and socialization. Raised like some factory farm animal. Then one day his caretaker dies...more So, there was a German film in the mid-1970s, a Werner Herzog-directed movie of cult status titled, The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser, based supposedly on a true incident from hundreds of years ago in which a man, a kind of idiot, suddenly appeared in a town and his origins remained a mystery. In the film, Hauser is shown to be raised in a dark, prison-like condition, cut off completely from the ways of the world and socialization. Raised like some factory farm animal. Then one day his caretaker dies and he is released to the world, entirely ignorant. Goes into a village where his mysterious presence asserts a strange magic over the townsfolk all the way up to the leadership, including the mayor. Things are attributed to him that have no bearing in reality. People chose to see him as they will, to suit their own ends. But such enigma can attract power and cult and threaten the powerful and status quo. Hauser comes to be regarded as a nuisance to be gotten rid of...
There are all kinds of parallel parables to that story: The story of Christ being one, but a lot of satires (screwball movie comedies of the '30s and old stage farces up to today's movies) have rehashed this idea: the dumb guy thrust into society and taken for something more than he is.
So the idea for Kosinski's famous novel is not exactly original.

The good news is: it's a delightful little book, a clever story. Simple, fast-moving, not always entirely convincing, but mostly on-target.

The 1979 film adaptation with Peter Sellers certainly equals it, and maybe even surpasses it. It has to be one of the best and most faithful movie adaptations of a novel ever.

So I laughed several times at the ways in which the power elites misinterpret Chauncey Gardiner's simplistic, straightforward accounts of gardening as metaphors for the vagaries of business and politics.

The story is fairly well known: an anonymous nobody raised inside the walls of a house and garden, who knows nothing but gardening and whose socialization comes entirely from lifelong TV watching, is suddenly thrust into the world and through a mishap and a few well-timed but misinterpreted quotes becomes a confidante of the powerful, and a media sensation. People read into him their own agendas and desires. And, as he says, he just likes to watch. Watches it all happen as they write on his blank slate.

It's not a great novel, but as I say it's a fun story, done with dispatch.

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Jan 27, 2012 Mark R. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

***1/2

A humorous story with a serious theme, Being There, is about a simple man who has lived his entire life in a house, under the care of an old man who has just passed on. There is no legal record of the man whatsoever, no documents, no birth certificate, and he is forced out of the house, into the world.

In a matter of hours, he finds himself involved in national politics, thrust into the world spotlight, when people find deep meaning in things he says, when he himself means specifically, and...more

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May 11, 2012 wally rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kosinski

hmmm maybe i ought to read more from kosinski, as the few i've read have been a blast. whereas the painted bird was disturbing, this one is hilarious. remember the movie, peter sellers? great movie, too. a good read.

update
reading this one again....

begins:

it was sunday. chance was in the garden. he moved slowly, dragging the green hose from one path to the next, carefully watching the flow of water. very gently he let the stream touch every plant, every flower, every branch of the garden. plants...more

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Sep 10, 2008 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's interesting that I've picked up and read this story right now in view of McCain's selection of Palin, a virtual unknown, and her rapid escallation to the front page of the country's newspapers. That's almost exactly what occurred to Chance, the name of a man who had served without pay as a wealthy man's gardener until he suddenly found himself without a job or a family when the man died. While roaming the streets deciding what to next, a chauffeur backing into a parking place, pinned his le...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Marzie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, novella

I am still in the process of adding books from years ago and came across Being There. I am not sure how this would read today but on it's release it was a favorite (and then a movie version). I remember enjoying this very much and to this day those of us of a certain age can use Chauncy Gardner as an adjective and still get a chuckle. The media and government were dimly viewed in that era and so much of fiction at that time reflected an almost cynical society. This was when Vidal, Irving, Roth,...more

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May 12, 2013 Becky Hoffman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this for my Film & Lit class and it was thoroughly enjoyed. Most of the time, our class had a very sturdy belief that the books were always going to end up being better than the movie. With this book, we had a hard time deciding which one we liked more.

The book follows a man named Chance. He has lived with the 'Old Man' all of his life, kept in a room and away from civilization. His only job is to tend to the 'Old Man's' garden and then he spends the rest of his day watching tv. One d...more

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May 12, 2013 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I saw the film first. It is a very good film and also—now that I’ve read the book I can attest to this—an excellent adaptation which it ought to be as Kosinski also wrote the screenplay; the only thing I think was missed was the encounter with the homosexual and I can see why it was skipped because the same thing happens with EE later. Of course we couldn’t have had the film without the book and as I’ve implied there’s no great difference contentwise between the one and the other but the film is...more I saw the film first. It is a very good film and also—now that I’ve read the book I can attest to this—an excellent adaptation which it ought to be as Kosinski also wrote the screenplay; the only thing I think was missed was the encounter with the homosexual and I can see why it was skipped because the same thing happens with EE later. Of course we couldn’t have had the film without the book and as I’ve implied there’s no great difference contentwise between the one and the other but the film is better. The events as described in the book seem a little too farfetched but when you see the film you start to see how this most preposterous chain of events might actually have happened. Politics has never interested me very much but recently I’ve been watching a few more programmes that deal with political themes—shows like Political Animals and Veep—and they beggar belief at times. That said this isn’t that far removed from the world of Jane Austin either where people read into everything. It’s a comedy of errors, plain and simple. Chance is innocent in all this. He’s innocent in that he is guiltless and he’s innocent in that he’s ignorant. He goes with the flow.

This is a charming fable and if you read it as such then you won’t be disappointed. Start to ask too many questions and the book could lose some of its charm. The book ends differently to the film—no walking on water—and that’s not a bad thing but it’s not as interesting an ending. The fun, of course, is stopping the writing before Chance gets found out. Surely he has to get found out and sooner rather than later. But we don’t get to see his fall or the egg on the faces of all those who have put faith in him. It ends the only way it could really.

Not a great book then but an enjoyable read even after having seen the film twice at least. It actually felt like a novelisation rather than the other way round and usually they’re sniffed at but I guess it depends on who the author is; Thomas M. Disch’s novelisation of The Prisoner was excellent as were Alan Dean Foster’s three Alien novels. What I would like to see is a novelisation of the film which might shed a little light on that cryptic ending.
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Feb 13, 2013 Ian Robertson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reading this book and Kosinski’s first novel “The Painted Bird” back to back, it’s hard to believe they are by the same author. The plain wording and simple ‘chain of random events’ plots are similar, but the angriness and horror of the first book have given way to a breezy, whimsical humour.

Really a novella, “Being There” is a thoroughly entertaining story of a simple-minded gardener named Chance who inadvertently gets caught up in the highest business and political stratum. His simplistic, ga...more Reading this book and Kosinski’s first novel “The Painted Bird” back to back, it’s hard to believe they are by the same author. The plain wording and simple ‘chain of random events’ plots are similar, but the angriness and horror of the first book have given way to a breezy, whimsical humour.

Really a novella, “Being There” is a thoroughly entertaining story of a simple-minded gardener named Chance who inadvertently gets caught up in the highest business and political stratum. His simplistic, garden-themed answers to pointed economic and political questions are taken by his interlocutors and by the media as insightful commentaries, and his fifteen minutes of fame begins.

Like the television he has spent his life watching, Chance has no depth. As Kosinski tells us, “television reflect[s] only people’s surfaces”, and Chance has spent his life watching its depthless reflections and tending his walled garden. His actions are guided by the superficial behaviour he’s seen on TV, and his commentary is based on his experience in the garden.

Kosinski’s simple premise, delivered through a simple gardener, makes us reflect on the nature of our own interactions. Through the book we laugh at our superficiality and are left to ponder the way modern media magnify it. An effective and entertaining commentary in 1971, it is even more relevant and thought provoking today with the proliferation and portability of screens (hinted at in the novel with the TV in the car) and the advent of social media.

There are delightful ironies, for example the phrase “Let’s talk about life!” as it’s speaker stops to light a cigarette, and playful references (the estate lawyer, Thomas Franklin and his assistant Miss Hayes are from the firm Hancock, Adams and Colby - a collection of US presidents, a father of confederation and a secretary of state). Every scene, in fact, is a wonderful combination of simplicity and surrealism that makes us both smile and reflect.

An excellent book that is well worth an afternoon’s effort. Perhaps you’ll even catch the Peter Sellers movie version later that evening on the tube.(less)

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Feb 09, 2013 goodperson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Being There , written by Kosinski in 1961 is one of those book you find difficult to put down.
The action of the book is restricted to seven days during which its hero, mentally deficient Chance makes a staggering career as the man of the moment, all without his comprehension.
When the novel begins, Chance lives peacefully in a rich Old Mans garden. Nobody knows who his father was and his brain-damaged mother died when he was born. Sheltered existence, however, has not been recorded in any documen...more
Being There , written by Kosinski in 1961 is one of those book you find difficult to put down.
The action of the book is restricted to seven days during which its hero, mentally deficient Chance makes a staggering career as the man of the moment, all without his comprehension.
When the novel begins, Chance lives peacefully in a rich Old Mans garden. Nobody knows who his father was and his brain-damaged mother died when he was born. Sheltered existence, however, has not been recorded in any documents. All his knowledge about the world comes from the television, which he constantly watches.
There is a turning point in the novel when the Old man dies and Chance is asked to leave the house. Dressed in the Old Man's suit , he steps outside the garden and takes the streets for the first time in his life. Almost immediately becomes a victim of a car accident caused by a politician Benjamin Rand. Invited to stay in his house, he quickly wins a close friendship with Mrs Rand. Also Mr Rand is amazed by Chance for his simple comments on life which are perceived as optimistic pronouncements about the American economy. Chance's statements please the President who often comes to visit Benjamin and uses one of his metaphor in his speech. Chance is almost immediately acknowledged as an economic prophet. Without seeking or even realizing it, he joins the circle of the rich and influential becoming a hero. However, he is a great enigma, courted by beautiful women and admired by wealthy businessmen. No one seems to notice his idiocy , which infects larger and larger circles of power. The climax comes when Chance is named a presidential candidate , just because he doesn't own any past and can't be objectionable to anyone.
Kosinski sees Americans as "a nation of videotos" and suggest that it's television that bears the blame for creating a passive society.He satirizes and criticize mass media for turning people into robots and believes that collective media are a dangerous method of manipulation. (less)

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Aug 17, 2012 Arwen56 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romanzi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. “Oltre il giardino” è un libro difficile da commentare, perché è uno di quei romanzi che può voler dire tutto e niente e può tranquillamente essere giudicato molto sottile e intelligente oppure assolutamente stupido.

Ma, senza essere precipitosi, vediamo un po’ cosa abbiamo … Abbiamo questo Chance, un uomo di età indefinita, ma tendente al giovane, e decisamente attraente (non pensatelo con l’aspetto che ha Peter Sellers nel film che ne è stato tratto, perché fisicamente gli somiglia come una ci...more “Oltre il giardino” è un libro difficile da commentare, perché è uno di quei romanzi che può voler dire tutto e niente e può tranquillamente essere giudicato molto sottile e intelligente oppure assolutamente stupido.

Ma, senza essere precipitosi, vediamo un po’ cosa abbiamo … Abbiamo questo Chance, un uomo di età indefinita, ma tendente al giovane, e decisamente attraente (non pensatelo con l’aspetto che ha Peter Sellers nel film che ne è stato tratto, perché fisicamente gli somiglia come una ciliegia somiglia a un’arancia), che vive da sempre in una casa con un giardino, di cui si occupa e di cui gli è proibito varcare i confini. Il proprietario è un non meglio definito “vecchio”. Chi è questo “vecchio”? Non si sa, ma si suppone che sia lui a vietare che Chance possa uscire. Chance è chiaramente descritto come un ritardato mentale e lo stesso sua madre, ormai morta. Del padre nulla è dato sapere.

Premesse alquanto vaghe, lo ammetterete, da cui si potrebbero trarre molte e diverse conclusioni, anche solo limitandosi ad un ambito strettamente realistico. Ad esempio … Chance è il nipote minorato del “vecchio”, la cui figlia, altrettanto minorata, è stata stuprata o, comunque, messa incinta da qualcuno? Oppure Chance è il frutto di un rapporto incestuoso tra il “vecchio” e la sua stessa figlia? Oppure, ancora, tanto per pensare in maniera meno pessimistica, il “vecchio” è solo un filantropo distratto che ha preso a cuore lo sorte dell’orfanello tanto da accoglierlo in casa, ma che non si ricorda di dare disposizioni adeguate circa la sua collocazione dopo la propria morte? Boh, non si sa. Ma quest’ultima ipotesi appare piuttosto improbabile, dato che il “vecchio”, finché in vita, è alquanto riluttante ad avere rapporti diretti con lui, il che parrebbe piuttosto avallare una delle due ipotesi precedenti.

E perché si chiama proprio “Chance”? Perché è nato per caso? O perché è lui stesso ad essere un’incognita, una variabile “x” che determina mutamenti inaspettati? Oppure costituisce una possibilità, un’opportunità? Ma per chi? Per lui o per gli altri? Boh, non si sa.

Non resta, dunque, che procedere con la lettura, sperando di imbattersi in qualche epifania, che, ahimè, non arriva. E, alla fine, rimangono solo improponibili e astratti interrogativi, del tipo: il “vecchio” è Dio e Chance è il suo unico, anomalo e improbabile figlio, che, esattamente come lui, “guarda”, ma non “ascolta”, e al quale vengono comunque tributati tutti gli onori benché, chiaramente, non capisca un accidenti di niente di quel che gli succede attorno? Oppure quel che voleva dirci Kosinski nel 1971 è che non solo Dio è morto, ma che la genia cui, in teoria, Dio stesso ha dato vita, compreso suo figlio, è solo un’accozzaglia di imbecilli, pronta a bersi qualsiasi stronzata, purché sia teletrasmessa? O, invece, che è stata proprio la morte di Dio a portare il caos e che la serenità continua a esistere solo in chi, come Chance, è portatore di quella teorizzata, ma mai provata, saggezza che albergherebbe in chi ha qualche rotella fuori posto, ribadendo la presunta sacralità dei pazzi? Oppure voleva dirci che, ribaltando i termini del famoso proverbio, “Dio propone e l’uomo dispone”? Oppure non voleva dirci proprio niente perché quello che stava narrando e che gli premeva, o sapeva, raccontare era semplicemente la sua stessa interiore confusione e non capiva bene, neppure lui, che cavolo stesse scrivendo? Boh, non si sa.

E l’approccio omosessuale di cui Chance è oggetto, nel senso letterale del termine, cosa vuol dire? E’ piazzato lì, circa a metà della storia, senza alcun senso apparente. Nulla aggiunge e nulla toglie al già bizzarro andamento del racconto (nel film, ovviamente, è stato accuratamente rimosso). Nessuna conseguenza ne deriva, comunque. Dunque, qual era lo scopo del narrarlo? Boh, non si sa.

La partita si chiude con un nulla di fatto, che non convince granché. La frase finale recita “Non un pensiero si levò dal cervello di Chance. La pace gli riempiva il petto”. Beh, essendo un demente, è abbastanza ovvio che dal suo cervello non si levasse alcun pensiero, anche se, poche righe più sopra, si dice che era “perplesso”, il che dovrebbe implicare che un qualche tipo di considerazione l’abbia pur fatta, sebbene al lettore non sia dato sapere di che natura fosse. E, altrettanto, di che pace goda e perché non è chiaro. La pace di chi è immemore? Ma essere immemori può essere davvero considerata una pace?

Onestamente sono molto perplessa, sin da quando ho letto questo romanzo breve o racconto lungo che dir si voglia, nell’ormai lontano 1986. Le decine di recensioni positive, su aNobii e altrove, mi hanno convinto poco. Come poco mi ha convinto il film che ne è stato tratto, nonostante l’apprezzabile recitazione di Peter Sellers e Shirley MacLaine. Per cui lancio un S.O.S. Prego chiunque abbia una spiegazione almeno vagamente razionale al riguardo di venirmi in soccorso e spiegarmi cosa cazzo significa ‘sto libro. Preferibilmente senza tirare in ballo la storia delle solite trite e ritrite critiche alla società americana, perché non è questo il punto. Il disagio manifestato risiede chiaramente in altri ambiti. Ma quali?

PS: Ah, dimenticavo... evitiamo anche di paragonare Chance a Forrest Gump, perchè c'entra come i cavoli a merenda. Sono diversi come il giorno dalla notte.
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Jun 03, 2012 Jeffrey Guterman rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Freud said, "Go ask the poets." We can learn many lessons from art, music, stories, and film. This brings me to "Being there," a novel written by Jerzy Kosinski. The book was first published in 1970. In 1979, the film was released based on the screenplay that was co-written by Kosinski and Robert C. Jones. In keeping with a postmodern perspective, I am willing to entertain multiple interpretations of this story. But I cannot help but think that despite the many potential understandings about thi...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Jonathan Briggs rated it 4 of 5 stars

A venerable old lawyer dies, and the executors of his estate find an odd man wandering around his house. Chance Gardiner claims to have been tending the garden ("Gardiner," get it?) since he was a little boy, yet there are no records of his employment. Chance has no contract, no pay stubs, no ID. He has no mother, no father, no family. His name is Chance "because he had been born by chance." He has no existence outside the garden and no knowledge of the outside world that doesn't come from his t...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Lea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: eesti-keeles, usa, fiction

Lugesin eestikeelset väljaannet. Äärmiselt koleda kujundusega muidugi. Olion 2005. 71 lk Ühe hommikusöögiga sai läbi. Oli muidugi parasjagu pikk hommikusöök ka.
Aga raamat ise super. Vanamoodne aga hea. Polnudki ammuilma sellist stiili lugenud: "EE ei osanud määratleda tundeid, mida mees temas sütitas. Ta tundis, kuidas pulss kiirenes, kui ta oli tema läheduses. Tema mõtted viibisid ainult mehe juures ja tal oli raske säilitada mehega rääkides jahedat tasakaalukat tooni. Ta soovis meest tundma õp...more

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Sep 17, 2011 aPriL MEOWS often with scratching rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: awesomely-horrifying-loved-it, literary

What an awful, horrific, hateful book. Kosinski must have had a bad year or ten in high society. Nobody is ok in this book. In Kosinski's bleak, black satire it blasts away at who we we are, our thinking selves (avatars is what I actually want to say) which in truth hide self-knowledge or awareness of the extreme self-involvement and the resulting recursive solipsism of every single human being, in the author's opinion. I don't think some readers have caught on that Chance is a symbol of the inn...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had read The Painted Bird a number of years ago on the suggestion of a good friend, and loved the book. But until now I hadn't read any of Kosinski's other book. Tonight I was looking for a quick read after muddling through another novel that was becoming too laborious. I picked up Being There. It's not nearly as dark as The Painted Bird...duh, it's a satire. But I love Kosinski's direct style. Yes, many of the reviews I have read have compared Chance to Obama and/or Palin. (I think the compar...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Nathan "N.R." Gaddis marked it as filmed

Shelves: es-wurde-einmal-gelesen

I read Being There in my infancy, prior most likely to my familiarity with Herr Heidegger.

I saw the film last night, the one staring Peter Sellars.

(view spoiler) no matter what Melvyn Douglas's granddaughter (on the dvd extras) has to say. It is indeed possible to entirely, and at an angle of 180°, misinterpret a piece of literature. Sometimes one needn't pay attention because one always already knows what They say and so does one.

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Apr 29, 2010 AdultFiction Teton County Library rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

TCL Call #: 641.0973 KINGSOLVER

Madeleine - 5 stars
Huh. That's all I can seem to say.
For a book that is almost too basic in it's language and structure I ended up feeling totally spun around by it. In short, a housebound man whose only experience consists of what he's seen on TV is thrust out of his familiar into the real world . . .where he lands in the most powerful of households and becomes an overnight sensation. Will he survive with his limited grasp on reality?

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May 14, 2011 Gemma rated it 1 of 5 stars

It was as though Kosinski took a manual for writing postmodern novels and copied it verbatim. Omnipresent television, personality-less hero, lampooning of society's empty values...and did I mention omnipresent television? With painfully childishly-wrought, obvious metaphors about "being seen" and "watched"? Did you know we only exist if we are seen? Blah, blah, Baudrillard, whatever bleh.

I've heard this was a great film, though, and Kosinski did win a BAFTA and a Writer's Guild something-or-othe...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Mad Dog rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: what-do-i-know

The whole premise of people continually 'misoverestimating' (thank you Dubya) the protagonist doesn't work for me. This premise is so 'over the top' and farcical, and the writing is pretty dry (in comparison to the premise).

None of the characters in this book ever became interesting to me. I think it is safe to say that there is no character progression (and very little character development) in this book. Without interesting characters, there is 'pressure' on each scene to be funny or poignant...more

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Aug 26, 2012 MJ Nicholls rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novellas, other-parts-of-europe

Peter Sellers’s last (and best?) performance was in Being There—directed by Hal Ashby with Kosiński’s screenplay—one of my favourite American tragicomedies. The original novella compresses the meat of the movie into straightforward and simple chapters, mimicking the simple mind of Chance, the anonymous simpleton whose plain-talking homilies propel him into the top of American life within four days. The film brings the character of Chance into being through Peter Sellers, who expands upon the sim...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

At only 140 pages, this was a very quick read but fun.

Chance was sheltered from the outside world his entire life. He never left the house of his employer except to tend the garden in the backyard. He cannot read or write and spends his off time watching TV. When his employer dies he is left homeless and thrust into the outside world. After an accident and a few gardening metaphors he is thrust into America's financial and political society.

I found this book incredibly humorous. I loved the iron...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Always

There is something to be said about society that is satisfied with itself. However, the world portrayed is quiet the opposite. In fact, there is so much insecurity that a man whose talents lie in the garden only seems to do well.
Overall, this is a fantastic tale of a man who is swept along with the worlds current. It could have held the title, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." I really enjoyed this book because of the extremely blind people that surround the main character. Mor...more

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Feb 15, 2008 Gerald rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kosinski was one of my instructors in college. He taught a seminar on Camus and Sartre.

I remember he said, "The only moment of true freedom I ever experience was on airplane suspended between the two collectives."

The movie version was excellent but with much of the thematic weight of the book missing. And it's not that the book is too voluminous. That part is just unfilmable.

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Nov 15, 2012 Rich Gamble rated it 5 of 5 stars

I suspect this will be the most straight-forward Kosinski book I will read in terms of plot and structure. That being said its a cracker and still feels like a Kosinski book with his deft use of language (all the more notable given his non-english speaking childhood!)and of course the occasional kinky sex scene. This reads like a classic movie comedy (which it did eventually become) full of sophisticated wit and cracking dialogue. Main character Chauncy Gardener is a revelation as even the presi...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Kim Mayer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature

This book fascinated me. I loved not only the writing style but the unique perspective of Chance, the main character. Because he has no experience of the world outside of the garden he tends and what he watches on television, it's interesting to see what unfolds when he does have to strike out into the real world. His perspective is unique, unpredictable, and enjoyable to read about. Kosinki's writing is sparse, which some have criticized, but I find it to have the powerful effectiveness of auth...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

It’s basically exactly the same as the movie, but with a little more sex and a little more internal dialogue. For me the interesting part was realizing how the story isn’t only about how people hear what they want to hear and often mold what others say into something unintended. It can also be seen through a race, gender and class lens. So we’ve got the story of a mentally slow man who is white and who is dressed well. His simplistic statements about gardening are misinterpreted as genius symbol...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Simay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

http://zimlicious.blogspot.com/

Being There is the story of Chance, who's a gardener working for an old man. He doesn't have a family, he's never left the house his entire life, and all he does pretty much is tend the garden and watch TV. And then, after the man he works for dies, he has to move out because there are no records of him working there or living there or even existing at all. On his first day out, Chance is in a car accident and ends up living at the home of an ill, wealthy businessm...more

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Sep 17, 2011 David Williamson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-fiction, philosophy

Chance (the) Gardener is a blank page, there is very little of the 'Dasein' in him. He is always overcoming, disclosing, because he is in the flow of life, etc.

Chance to me seems to be a possible Heideggarian figure, but I'm not sure whether his being is being mocked?

He is a mirror to society and reflects what people want to hear in themselves. I'm not quite sure what the significance of the importance of TV has though? Possible to show his detachment, or that his only interactions (?) with peop...more

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About Jerzy Kosiński

Kosiński was born Josef Lewinkopf to Jewish parents in Łódź, Poland. As a child during World War II, he lived in central Poland under a false identity his father gave him to use, Jerzy Kosiński. A Roman Catholic priest issued him a forged baptismal certificate. The Kosiński family survived the Holocaust thanks to local villagers, who offered assistance to Jewish Poles often at great personal risk...more Kosiński was born Josef Lewinkopf to Jewish parents in Łódź, Poland. As a child during World War II, he lived in central Poland under a false identity his father gave him to use, Jerzy Kosiński. A Roman Catholic priest issued him a forged baptismal certificate. The Kosiński family survived the Holocaust thanks to local villagers, who offered assistance to Jewish Poles often at great personal risk (the penalty for assisting Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland was death). Kosiński's father received help not only from Polish town leaders and churchmen, but also from individuals such as Marianna Pasiowa, a member of the Polish underground network helping Jews to evade capture. The family lived openly in Dąbrowa Rzeczycka near Stalowa Wola, and attended church in nearby Wola Rzeczycka, obtaining support from villagers in Kępa Rzeczycka. They were sheltered temporarily by a Catholic family in Rzeczyca Okrągła. The young Jerzy even served as an altar boy in a local church.

After World War II, Kosiński remained with his parents in Poland, moved to Jelenia Góra, and earned degrees in history and political science at the University of Łódź. He worked as an assistant in Institute of History and Sociology at the Polish Academy of Sciences. In 1957, he emigrated to the United States, creating a fake foundation which supposedly sponsored him; he later claimed that the letters from eminent Polish communist authorities guaranteeing his loyal return, which were needed for anyone leaving the communist country at that time, had all been forged by him.

After taking odd jobs to get by, such as driving a truck, Kosiński graduated from Columbia University. In 1965, he became an American citizen. He received grants from Guggenheim Fellowship in 1967, Ford Foundation in 1968, and the American Academy in 1970, which allowed him to write a political non-fiction book, opening new doors of opportunity. In the States he became a lecturer at Yale, Princeton, Davenport University, and Wesleyan.

In 1962 Kosiński married Mary Hayward Weir who was 10 years his senior. They were divorced in 1966. Weir died in 1968 from brain cancer. Kosiński was left nothing in her will. He later fictionalized this marriage in his novel Blind Date speaking of Weir under pseudonym Mary-Jane Kirkland. Kosiński went on to marry Katherina "Kiki" von Fraunhofer, a marketing consultant and descendant of Bavarian aristocracy. They met in 1968.

Death

Kosiński suffered from multiple illnesses at the end of his life, and was under attack from journalists who alleged he was a plagiarist. By the time he reached his late 50s, Kosiński was suffering from an irregular heartbeat as well as severe physical and nervous exhaustion. Kosiński committed suicide on May 3, 1991, by taking a fatal dose of barbiturates. His parting suicide note read: "I am going to put myself to sleep now for a bit longer than usual. Call it Eternity".(less)

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Quotes from Being There

“Life is a state of mind.” — 9 people liked it

“- Growth has its season. There are spring and summer, but there are also fall and winter. And then spring and summer again. As long as the roots are not severed, all is well and all be well.” — 7 people liked it

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