These novels, that in some way trace Eastern European experience from the 19th century to the post-communist times, are particularly interesting to many of us with roots in that part of Europe.
“The Magician of Lublin” by Isaac Singer is an absorbing story of lust, ambition and redemption, that takes place in the end of 19th century in Poland and gives us insight into the lives of Jews in that period.
“Ashes and Diamonds” by Jerzy Andrzejewski takes us into the dangerous period in Poland after WWII. A microcosm of the Polish nation; communists, socialists, fervent nationalists, fading aristocrats, black marketers, and ex-Nazi collaborators attend a banquet of unity. But there appear two uninvited guests with an irreversible mission. Their arrival changes the trajectory for many of the participants and leads to tragedy,
"The Master and Margarita" by Michael Bulgakov, completed in the 1940s, is a biting parody of life under the Soviet system. The devil with his entourage pays the citizens of Moscow a brief but unforgettable visit.
“Flight” by Olga Tokarczuk (recipient of the Nobel prize) meditates on the nature of travel; its psychology, humanity, and relation to other modes of being and questioning of the sedentary life. The secret to a well-lived life is life in motion.
1 The Magician of Lublin
2 The Magician of Lublin
3 Ashes &Diamonds
4 Ashes &Diamonds
5 The Master & Margarita
6 The Master & Margarita
7 The Master & Margarita
8 The Master & Margarita
9 Flights
19 Flights
11 Flights
12 Flights
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. The Magician of Lublin. Translated by Elaine Gottlieb and Joseph Singer. Penguin Books .
Andrzejewski, Jerzy. (1980) Ashes & Diamonds. Translated by D.J. Welsh. Northwestern University Press.
Bulgakov, Mikhail . (2001) The Master & Margarita . Penguin Books
Tokarczuk, Olga. (2007) Flights. Riverhead Books