Existentialism in The Book of Daniel

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Daniel is a spectacular post-modern novel that goes beyond and above most books I have read. Its dense philosophic message aligned with its rich experimental and original narrative, embodies Doctorow’s exceptional magnitude as a writer. In his rewriting of historical events with an insightful subjective approach, he touches upon central issues in the state of modern American culture and the postmodern age.
The Book of Daniel is a work of metafiction that interweaves the narrator's imagination with factual events within the context established by the real political and social conditions in post-war America in the 1950s . The background for this work of fiction is the famous and controversial case of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg who in an age of McCarthyism were tried, convicted and executed for conspiracy to commit espionage against America. With this as the fixated point of reference, The Book of Daniel becomes a complex mixture of both subjectivity a...