A dark and mesmerising story, at once lyrical and terrifying
The pogrom that swept through Poland was interpreted as a sign of the Coming of the Lord. In the little town of Goray, laid waste by murder and famine, grief becomes joy as good news arrives of the second coming of the Messiah. But such perilously high hopes pave the way to hysteria, and a panic which could threaten the very existence of Goray.The pogrom that swept through Poland was interpreted as a sign of the Coming of the Lord. In the little town of Goray, laid waste by murder and famine, grief becomes joy as good news arrives of the second coming of the Messiah. Once the town’s pious rabbi is usurped, the townspeople are free to look forward to the End of Days, when they will wear golden jackets and dine on marzipan candy. But such perilously high hopes pave the way to hysteria, and a panic which could threaten the very existence of Goray.
A gripping parable of reason versus revelation, hysteria in the face of apocalypse * Guardian *
Whatever religion his writing inhabits, it is blazing with life and actuality -- Ted Hughes * New York Review of Books *
Singer set scenes with such vividness that there is almost a smell to his books, the smell of poverty and guttering candles and decaying lives and decaying souls * Observer *
His storytelling powers are so immense, so natural. He has more creative confidence than any living writer * Financial Times *
A remarkably confident debut... Singer was a great writer who managed to make that small world take on universal significance * Guardian *
ISBN: 9780099285472
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 13mm
Weight: 149g
208 pages