From Elie Wiesel, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and one of our fiercest moral voices, a provocative and deeply thoughtful new novel about a life shaped by the worst horrors of the twentieth century and one man's attempt to reclaim happiness. Doriel, a European expatriate living in New York, suffers from a profound sense of desperation and loss. His mother, a member of the Resistance, survived World War II only to die in an accident, together with his father, soon after. Doriel was a child during the war, and his knowledge of the Holocaust is largely limited to what he finds in movies, newsreels, and books--but it is enough. Doriel's parents and their secrets haunt him, leaving him filled with longing but unable to experience the most basic joys in life. He plunges into an intense study of Judaism, but instead of finding solace, he comes to believe that he is possessed by a dybbuk. Surrounded by ghosts, spurred on by demons, Doriel finally turns to Dr. Thérèse Goldschmidt, a psychoanalyst who finds herself particularly intrigued by her patient. The two enter into an uneasy relationship based on exchange: of dreams, histories, and secrets. Despite Doriel's initial resistance, Dr. Goldschmidt helps to bring him to a crossroads--and to a shocking denouement. In Doriel's journey into the darkest regions of the soul, Elie Wiesel has written one of his most profoundly moving works of fiction, grounded always by his unparalleled moral compass.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Literary Fiction at its worst:
As a rule, I always finish a book once I start it, even if it is terrible. This book has proven to be the exception to that rule. It is a pompous, rambling, incoherent, boring piece of self-indulgent tripe that only someone with the stature of Elie Wiesel could get published. Of course, because it was written by Elie Wiesel, all the reviews lavish praise on it. After all, who would dare to criticize a novel by Elie Wiesel, and one that deals with Holocaust victims no less? Don't believe the reviews. This... more info
An Intellectual Trip And A Half:
Wow! "A Mad Desire To Dance" is an intellectual trip and a half. Five Stars. Easily the most profound novel I've ever read. Until reading this book, I hadn't realized that the madness of insanity begins literally from being habitually mad at something or someone or even at God. The only cure is forgiveness of one's self, than forgiveness of others and God for creating conditions that allow for a mad world to come into being seemingly unchecked. Opening to the goodness in others and oneself and becoming a... more info
New Novel for Nobel Prize Winning Author:
When a Nobel Prize winning author publishes a new novel, it is necessary for serious readers of fine literature to sit up and take notice. Elie Wiesel-- author of more than fifty books-- has shared with the world, yet another truly wonderful and thought-provoking story titled, A Mad Desire to Dance. In this novel, Wiesel chronicles the tormented life of Doriel Waldman. Told in his own words and spanning through several decades of his life, across three continents, Doriel engrosses himself in a quest to... more info
Madness, Sadness and Memory:
Wiesel, Elie. "A Mad Desire to Dance", Knopf, 2009. (translated by Catherine Temerson). Madness, Sadness and Memory Amos Lassen Doriel Waldman was a Polish Jew who survived the Nazi occupation by hiding with his father while at the same time his mother was working with the Polish resistance. His two siblings were murdered and his parents were killed in an automobile accident after the war. When the book begins Waldman is 60. He is alone and on the verge of going mad. Dr. Therese Goldsmith,... more info
