Humboldt's Gift | Characters

Von Humboldt Fleisher, the titular hero of the novel, Humboldt's Gift, is a Romantic poet. Brilliant and charismatic, he is unable to sustain his early success, seeks security in the academic world, turns to women and booze, becomes a manic-depressive, and dies as a bum. He exemplifies the plight of the poet in modern America.

Charlie Citrine, the narrator and real hero of the novel, is also a successful artist, a writer of Broadway plays and historical and political books. He has witnessed Humboldt's decline. He is suffering many evils himself — money troubles, women...

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