Mother's Boy

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Howard Jacobson's memoir humorously and tenderly recounts his journey to becoming a writer, positing that only the unhappy and uncomfortable aspire to create art. He reflects on his life as a "Mother's Boy," exploring themes of belonging and identity as both an insider and outsider, straddling English and Jewish cultures. Jacobson was forty when his first novel was published, and in this memoir, he traces his path from a working-class family in 1940s Manchester, the great-grandson of Lithuanian and Russian immigrants, to literary success. Raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunt Joyce, he grew up with a father who had diverse occupations, from a regimental tailor to a magician. Jacobson grapples with his family's history and Jewish identity, sharing experiences from childhood through his time at Cambridge under F.R. Leavis, and later as a maverick professor in Sydney. His life journey includes various residences in London, Wolverhampton, Boscastle, and Melbourne, alongside numerous jobs, from selling handbags to teaching English in schools and universities. Infused with humor and bittersweet memories of his parents, this memoir captures the twists and turns of a writer's beginnings and the self-discovery necessary to embrace one's true calling.