THE MAGICIAN OF LUBLIN (orig. published in print in 1960) tells the story of Yasha, a talented magician who performs throughout Poland in the last 1800's. He has the talent to pick any lock, escape any barrier. A non-observant Jew, Yasha finds that his abilities to juggle before an audience extend to the lives he must juggle off-stage. While his religious, dutiful wife waits for him at home, his many mistresses eagerly await his next trip to the city.
Yasha Mazur, the main character, is a Jewish Don Juan, consumed with restlessness and expressing it through a myriad of affairs. Caught between shtetl values and theatrical sophistication, Yasha is confronted with the greatest challenge of his life. How he escapes, and ultimately finds his own true self, is a parable of man's ongoing search for personal meaning.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
My first encounter with Singer's writting:
- This refers to the spanish edition Orbis Premios Nobel At 17 I had the pleasure of reading this novel and it was my first encounter with Singer and a life long admiration ever after. He is universal and existentialist in his writting. In my opinion, he bridges all spiritual differences and we can all be a same community under his guidance. There is asuperb movie adaptation of the book which I suggest you see too.
19th Century Story Is Just As Gripping Today:
This story is similar to "Enemies, A Love Story" in that it features a lead character with too many lovers, and it features some comical moments amid some very dramatic ones. No wonder so much of Singer's work has been translated from Yiddish. You don't have to be of the Jewish faith to identify with the moral struggles of his characters. Even an athiest could relate to the dilemmas faced by Yasha as he feebly tries to do right by all the women in his life, and not surprisingly often does horribly... more info
The Jewish Siddhartha:
Like Siddhartha, Yasha has led a life of dissipation. In Yasha's case his transgressions consisted of womanizing, excessive alcohol consumption, keeping friends with shady characters, and, finally, burglary and attempted thievery. Suffering a serious injury, the suicide of one of his paramours, and possible imprisonment, Yasha relinquishes his burgeoning career as a magician and tight rope walker in favor of doing deep religious penance. Also, like Siddhartha, Yasha becomes an ascetic. Recognizing himself... more info
Trickster Tumbles, Taps into Truth:
But can we know what God wants us to do ? Isn't it a case of Man sewing throughout his lifetime the clothes that fit him ? We ask a million questions, however the answers lie only within. You have to do as you see fit. Some say the discipline of orthodox religion points out the road; every bird, every snowflake, every acorn lying on the grass is proof of God's existence. Others deny the whole thing and swear God never existed. Singer's tale of a religiously-lapsed Jewish magician/acrobat is not so much... more info
