Being There

Jerzy Kosiński · 1933–1991 · Poland / USA

Why it matters

An illiterate gardener who has only ever watched television is mistaken for a sage by Washington's elite and rises toward the presidency. Kosiński's slim, savage satire of media, power, and mistaken profundity.

At a glance

Short, plain, deadpan prose makes this an easy, fast read.