Portrait of an Artist, As an Old Man is a novel published after Heller's death. It follows an elderly, successful writer who struggles to produce one last book. Surrounded by memories, doubts, family and the demands of publishers and admirers, he considers what remains to be said and how a creative life ends. The story is a comic and reflective look at fame, ageing and the habits of writing, and readers have often seen echoes of Heller's own experience in it. It offers a quiet, wry late work rather than a large satire.
Quotes
Anyone seeking public office was not worthy to hold it.
She knew Pota had a larger respect for personal privacy than he did for God, Congress, or the U.S. Constitution and never looked at anything there except, occasionally, for the remote control to the television set.