Entropy and death: The cycle of tragedy in Nathanael West

Ever since their publication in the thirties, the novels of Nathanael West have enjoyed an obscurity that is difficult to account for. Even fifteen years after his death, few have ever heard of him, and it was not until the publication of his collected works in 1957 that he received anything resembling wide critical acclaim. Yet, even today, there are professors of literature who have never read a word he has written, and the recognition of his relevance to American literature is still in the beginning stages