The Human Stain Novelist is Philip Roth, a four-letter word. Roth is an American novelist and short story writer who has written numerous novels, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel American Pastoral. The Human Stain is a novel by Roth that was published in 2000. It tells the story of Coleman Silk, a professor at a small New England college who is forced to resign after being accused of racism. The novel explores themes of identity, race, and morality.