Are You Listening Rabbi Löw. [First Printing]

Schultz #2

by J.P. Donleavy

Sigmund Franz Isadore Schultz – impresario, impostor and womanizer extraordinaire.

Schultz in a mid-life crisis, being turned into a public scandal by his divorcing wife. Seducing his friend Al's girlfriend while Al is in hospital. Trying to hang on to his share of the hit musical Kiss It, Don't Hold It, It's Too Hot when those about him are selling theirs. Schultz terrified that the tax man will catch up with him before long. Schultz confiding in Rabbi Löw, his confessor, about life and sex and what it all means...

Love him or hate him, you can't ignore Schultz, Donleavy's vulgar, rumbustious, life-affirming creation, as he takes London by storm.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

James Patrick Donleavy was an Irish American author, born to Irish immigrants. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II after which he moved to Ireland. In 1946 he began studies at Trinity College, Dublin, but left before taking a degree. He was first published in the Dublin literary periodical, Envoy.

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.P._Don...

Reviews

[Sue Dounim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just re-read this and Schultz. There's so much in common between them, I'm going to discuss them both, then cheat and copy this review and use it for Schultz. There were several years between the two books, Schultz was published in 1979 and Rabbi Loew in 1988.

Since this is 2020 let me get this out of the way now: these novels contain a shocking amount of misogynistic, racist, and anti-Semitic language and unparliamentary behavior. You have to read them with that in mind and not the current norms of acceptable behavior and discourse. Furthermore I will disclose as a reviewer I am over 60 and brought up on Henry Miller, D.H. Lawrence, etc. It's probably ageist of me to say it, but sometimes I think reviewers should at a minimum disclose their ages (although I know this leads to the slippery slope of requiring disclosure of a reviewer' gender, ethnic and educational background, etc.)

That said, I am hopeless biased towards all Donleavy's works. I think they strike a wonderful balance between pathos and hilarity. You'll either love or hate his style, but I think it's worth sticking with. Also his style evolves, from the early days of The Ginger Man and The Onion Eaters to his later more polished works, with the oddball but indispensible The Unexpurgated Code in there as well.

The basic scenario has Sigmund Schultz as a struggling London theatrical impresario. Born in America to a hard working Jewish clothing merchant, through dint of good looks, a good education, exasperating charm, and inability to take no for an answer, he is battling to finally get one successful production mounted after a string of flops. The other thing about Schultz is that he is pure id. He cannot resist a pretty woman, married, unattainable, high or low born and basically always follows where his gonads lead. The results are inevitably and increasingly disastrous in unforeseen ways.

I do see a line from Donleavy's early masterpiece The Ginger Man to Schulz, but they are worlds apart in the maturity of Donleavy's style, the scenario and milieu.

Schultz is surrounded by a carnival of theater people, chief among which are his two partners: the mysterious and fabulously wealthy Lord Basil Nectarine and equally wealthy and urbane Binky Sunningdale, who basically keep Schultz around for entertainment. The story revolves around Schultz' increasingly desperate and manic attempts to fund and produce his latest project "Kiss It, Don't Hold It, It's Too Hot".

But this is not just a novel of pratfalls and desperate sex; there are sections when Schultz attempts to make sense of his inner life and his past that are achingly poignant.

In the second book, the production has actually succeeded and after a slow start, Schultz and his investors are reaping huge profits. With this of course, Schultz' contretemps take on even more colossal and spectacular dimensions. He occasionally mentally invokes Rabbi Loew, an imaginary totem out of his Middle European Jewish ancestry for advice or just to use as a personal Greek chorus. The ending seems idyllic but the book ends on an unsettling note.

Obviously I love these books. For weeks after I read Donleavy I end up speaking and writing in his style. I think most of his books are treasures and I recommend both of these. They are of course not perfect, and often you think: Schultz what the hell is wrong with you? as he keeps putting what I will euphemistically refer to his foot in it romantically, without regard for the inevitable disaster that will ensue.

I think Rabbi Loew is more exquisitely written with more depth, but both are highly recommended if you like this sort of thing.

[Angus Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly the best way I can describe this book is lmao.

Thats it. Thats all it ever was. Was so super entertaining and actually had me laughing out loud at parts so Mr Donleavy go off. I did find out halfway through reading this that it was a sequel however it definitely stood strongly on its own. Loved the narrative style and this had some of the most lively and realistic entertaining punchy dialogue I have ever read in a book. ALSO the ending which initially left me feeling unsatisfied I have realised is exactly what the point of this book is about and that is the unpredictability of life and just simply going with it. It reminded me of something I think we often forget and that in any story we read the characters' lives go on and anything could happen beyond the final page of the book which is both daunting but also really interesting. Loved this book and highly recommend!

[Tom Greenwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece and wonderfully funny.