Writer PHILIP ROTH

Writer PHILIP ROTH. best known for his books, Goodbye, Columbus, and Portnoy's Complaint, has won this year's National Book Award for fiction for his new novel Sabbath's Theater. ROTH has been criticized in the past for his treatment of Jewish themes. Some readers think his satirical take in his writing is anti-Semitic. His book Portnoy's Complaint, (1969) a sexual autobiography of a young lawyer, was labeled obscene by some because of its descriptions of masturbation and sexual conquest. Though the literary critics liked it, "a deliciously funny book, absurd and exuberant, wild and uproarious." Other books include his autobiography, The Facts, and a portrait of his father, Patrimony: A True Story, (1989) and Operation Shylock. Roth has also edited the Writers from Other Europe series for Penguin Books. (Originally aired 3/10/93)REV: TV Critic DAVID BIANCULLI previews next week's Beatles documentary. The six hour series features new music by the Beatles. The recordings use archive tape of John Lennon.