What do you think?
Rate this book
The Jump Artist
The Jump Artist, praised as “a remarkable work” by Harper’s Magazine and featured in Publishers Weekly in 2009 as one of ten promising debuts, is a novel based on the true story of Philippe Halsman, a man who Adolf Hitler knew by name, who Sigmund Freud wrote about in 1930, and who put Marilyn Monroe on the cover of Life magazine.
The story begins in September 1928, when Halsman and his father were hiking in the Tyrolean Alps. While Halsman went ahead on the trail, his father was attacked and murdered. The Jewish 22 year old would be falsely accused of killing his father. The Jump Artist follows his life story from the murder and trial in Austria, into the depths of Halsman's despair in prison, to his rise in Paris and New York as one of the world's most renowned photographers.
Austin Ratner’s work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine and has been honored with the Missouri Review Editors’ Prize in Fiction. He attended the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Before turning to writing he received his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and he is co-author of the textbook Concepts in Medical Physiology. This is his first novel.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
10 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
Austin Ratner
8 books32 followersAustin Ratner’s first novel, The Jump Artist, won the 2011 Rohr Prize in Jewish Literature. His next novel, In the Land of the Living, is forthcoming from Reagan Arthur / Little Brown in 2013.
Before turning to writing he received his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and he is co-author of the textbook Concepts in Medical Physiology. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and now lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two sons.
Austin Ratner's facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/AustinRatner
Before turning to writing he received his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and he is co-author of the textbook Concepts in Medical Physiology. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and now lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two sons.
Austin Ratner's facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/AustinRatner
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 23, 2009
An Absorbing, Literate, Impressive Debut Novel
Austin Ratner joins the ranks of physicians-turned-writers (Rabelais, Keats, Chekhov, Somerset Maugham, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, William Carlos Williams, Michael Crichton, Khaled Hosseini, etc) in this very impressive debut novel THE JUMP ARTIST, a 'fictionalized biographical novel' of Philippe Halsman, considered to be one of the world's top 10 photographers. Ratner proves himself to be not only a fine investigative historian, but also a writer adept at exploring several languages and countries and enhancing the character perception of some very famous people. And he accomplishes this with a gift for story telling that promises he will be around for a significant new career!
THE JUMP ARTIST, a title given to Halsman as a photographer who achieved complex demands on celebrities who served as his models: 'Everyone jumps (quite literally) when Halsman commands.' But to understand this gifted photographer's approach to his art, author Ratner takes us back to Halsman's childhood when in 1929 he was accused and abruptly imprisoned for the death of his father - an unsolved incident when Halsman was hiking with his father, his father fell and died, and circumstantial evidence (real or placed) lead to an anti-Semitic kangaroo court convicting him of murder/patricide. Released from prison with tuberculosis and a broken spirit, Halsman's family and friends and nurse him back to health and Halsman discovers the art of photography, moves to Paris, and becomes - gradually and with the backing of such celebrities as Andre Gide and Albert Einstien - becomes a renowned photographer. Between the anti-Semitism that flooded Europe during and after World War II Halsman proved himself not only a survivor of his self-imposed guilt but also his surviving the purge of Jews.
Ratner makes his writing more solid by using quotes form the famous people in Halsman's life/story. For example, he introduces his book with Andre Gide's statement ' fiction is history which MIGHT have taken place, and history is fiction which HAS taken place.' Later in the book, when Halsman is photographing Gide he adapts the language of Gide to further create his drama: "Some people speak of 'finding oneself'.....but most people don't know what that means, They think of themselves as a mystery to be found out. But no one is a mystery. Everyone is what they always were. The courageous thing is to be who one always was and to find in the world those people and places that are like oneself.' Ratner unfolds his story slowly, carefully, rich with atmospheric descriptions of settings - from the filth and agony of prisons to the beauty of the Alps and the excitement of the streets of Paris. It all comes together to enhance our understanding of a man we know only as a famous photographer in a novel whose title not only recalls the 'jump technique' of a camera genius, but also the 'jump accident' of his father' that started it all. This is fine writing and a solid introduction to another physician novelist!
Grady Harp
Austin Ratner joins the ranks of physicians-turned-writers (Rabelais, Keats, Chekhov, Somerset Maugham, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, William Carlos Williams, Michael Crichton, Khaled Hosseini, etc) in this very impressive debut novel THE JUMP ARTIST, a 'fictionalized biographical novel' of Philippe Halsman, considered to be one of the world's top 10 photographers. Ratner proves himself to be not only a fine investigative historian, but also a writer adept at exploring several languages and countries and enhancing the character perception of some very famous people. And he accomplishes this with a gift for story telling that promises he will be around for a significant new career!
THE JUMP ARTIST, a title given to Halsman as a photographer who achieved complex demands on celebrities who served as his models: 'Everyone jumps (quite literally) when Halsman commands.' But to understand this gifted photographer's approach to his art, author Ratner takes us back to Halsman's childhood when in 1929 he was accused and abruptly imprisoned for the death of his father - an unsolved incident when Halsman was hiking with his father, his father fell and died, and circumstantial evidence (real or placed) lead to an anti-Semitic kangaroo court convicting him of murder/patricide. Released from prison with tuberculosis and a broken spirit, Halsman's family and friends and nurse him back to health and Halsman discovers the art of photography, moves to Paris, and becomes - gradually and with the backing of such celebrities as Andre Gide and Albert Einstien - becomes a renowned photographer. Between the anti-Semitism that flooded Europe during and after World War II Halsman proved himself not only a survivor of his self-imposed guilt but also his surviving the purge of Jews.
Ratner makes his writing more solid by using quotes form the famous people in Halsman's life/story. For example, he introduces his book with Andre Gide's statement ' fiction is history which MIGHT have taken place, and history is fiction which HAS taken place.' Later in the book, when Halsman is photographing Gide he adapts the language of Gide to further create his drama: "Some people speak of 'finding oneself'.....but most people don't know what that means, They think of themselves as a mystery to be found out. But no one is a mystery. Everyone is what they always were. The courageous thing is to be who one always was and to find in the world those people and places that are like oneself.' Ratner unfolds his story slowly, carefully, rich with atmospheric descriptions of settings - from the filth and agony of prisons to the beauty of the Alps and the excitement of the streets of Paris. It all comes together to enhance our understanding of a man we know only as a famous photographer in a novel whose title not only recalls the 'jump technique' of a camera genius, but also the 'jump accident' of his father' that started it all. This is fine writing and a solid introduction to another physician novelist!
Grady Harp
October 21, 2018
Austin Ratner's novel is the fictionalized story of the real-life Philippe Halsman, a Latvian Jew accused of killing his father on a hike in the Austrian Alps in 1928, his two trials, and his eventual freedom and escape to the U.S. as war begins, helped by the efforts of Varian Fry and Albert Einstein. He went on to have a storied career photographing the world's biggest celebrities: Einstein, Churchill, Salvador Dali, Marilyn Monroe; but, the book suggests, the trauma inflicted by both the circumstances of his father's death, and being unjustly accused of it, never left him.
Halsman, while not an entirely likable character, is a very sympathetic one. Any adolescent who has ever written something nasty about his parent in diaries or letters will be haunted by the way Halsman's innocent but ungracious words are twisted into something monstrous. "Help! I am being dragged across the entire length of the Alps," wrote Halsman to his girlfriend shortly before his father's death. "I can't stand another minute of this forced march." In the midst of the hike, Halsman's father sets off into the brush to relieve himself. Halsman next sees his father's body beginning to fall through the air. He assumes he has suffered a heart attack; the body is found lying face down in a stream. Dr. Karl Meixner, the deeply anti-Semitic forensic pathologist who performs the autopsy, finds wounds to the head and determines that Halsman has killed his father with a stone. In a repulsive attempt at gratuitous intimidation, Meixner shows Halsman his father's head in a jar ("a white organ the size of a pot roast"). The head will make a repeat appearance at Halsman's trial.
The epigraphs before each chapter, including excerpts from letters and journalistic accounts, bring us back from the realm of the partially-imagined to real history. "The Halsmann trial shows all who wish to see the massive influence and cohesion of Jewry. The Jew is master of the German people!" quotes a Nazi placard from Innsbruck during the second trial. Particularly fascinating is an excerpt from Sigmund Freud's memorandum "The Expert Opinion in the Halsmann Case," in which Freud, recruited by Halsman's defenders, asserts that "precisely because it is always present, the Oedipus complex is not suited to provide a decision on the question of guilt."
The language of the novel is vivid and poetic; something said by a witness at one of the trials "caused a quick reflex in the rumor monster, which siphoned air across its many gills and filled the courtroom again with whispering."
A slideshow of some of Halsman's most iconic works:
http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/halsman/hal...
May 4, 2009
Compelling idea, executed in an original and thoughtful way. Some beautiful writing, to boot! I recommend this for anyone who likes DeLillo or Nabokov, for starters. Also anyone who likes books; thoughts; photography; Freud; the Dreyfus affair. "A River Runs Through It." Oh, hell, just get yourself a copy!
"He thought he saw a flower in her hair, but then saw it was just an empty glove in the hand of the woman sitting behind her."
"Philipp watched the motes of dust sliding into the small patch of sunlight up by the window, like fireflies igniting, then diving back into the extinguishing gloom. Maybe he would be free soon. He would buy Ruth an ice cream at the Brandenburg Gate."
"It was as though an odor of childhood had escaped through some rent in time -- from some bright winter afternoon in Riga with apple pie steam curling upward from the waxed table."
" 'I like that you knit,' he said. He liked schoolmarmish women who cited Balzac and knitted and understood suffering and showed him their naked lower abdomens. 'But perhaps you should try knitting with your pants on to avoid such entanglements!'"
"He thought he saw a flower in her hair, but then saw it was just an empty glove in the hand of the woman sitting behind her."
"Philipp watched the motes of dust sliding into the small patch of sunlight up by the window, like fireflies igniting, then diving back into the extinguishing gloom. Maybe he would be free soon. He would buy Ruth an ice cream at the Brandenburg Gate."
"It was as though an odor of childhood had escaped through some rent in time -- from some bright winter afternoon in Riga with apple pie steam curling upward from the waxed table."
" 'I like that you knit,' he said. He liked schoolmarmish women who cited Balzac and knitted and understood suffering and showed him their naked lower abdomens. 'But perhaps you should try knitting with your pants on to avoid such entanglements!'"
October 23, 2009
This very literary novel is based on an obscure incident in the life of renown photographer Philippe Halsmann. In 1928, Halsmann was falsely accused and tried for the murder of his father. The incident, then known as the "Austrian Dreyfus Affair" revealed a rampant Antisemitism which was only starting to boil into the rise of Hitler and the resulting atrocities of World War Two. The Jump Artist follows Halsmann through the trial, his despair, and his recovery and triumph. Austin Ratner does this with a stunning talent for descriptive writing and an ability to dig into the soul and pain of the main character. The tale is not only mesmerizing but a joy to read due to the skillful use of language. It is peppered with actual quotes from witnesses of the events. Yet this is not a non-fiction work but a fictional account in which the author is most interested in the individual struggles of the protagonist. The Jump Artist is easily the best new novel I have read in 2009.
November 4, 2009
I found this book to be difficult to put down. It was suspenseful, heart wrenching, and thought provoking. I really became attached to Philippe and thought he was a very well developed character. I appreciate the author's use of symbolism and imagery. He has crafted an excellent read based around an actual event.
I would have loved to have heard more of his sister's story (what an amazing, persistent force) but recognize that this was Philipe's and his father's tale.
I think I will be thinking about Philip for sometime and the injustice that marked his entire life and in reality shaped who he became.
I won this title from Goodreads and I am glad I had the chance to discover a book I may not have discovered on my own. Thank you.
I would have loved to have heard more of his sister's story (what an amazing, persistent force) but recognize that this was Philipe's and his father's tale.
I think I will be thinking about Philip for sometime and the injustice that marked his entire life and in reality shaped who he became.
I won this title from Goodreads and I am glad I had the chance to discover a book I may not have discovered on my own. Thank you.
December 11, 2014
The Jump Artist has so much promise that it pains me to give it less than 5 stars. In the opening author’s note, Austin Ratner quotes Andre Gide: “Fiction is history that might have taken place, and history is fiction which has taken place.” Using that definition, The Jump Artist is based on history: Philipp Halsmann, a 22-year-old Jewish Latvian young man, joins his father for a hike in the Tyrolean Alps. His father temporarily wanders off and is murdered. Despite woefully lacking evidence, Philipp is falsely accused and jailed.
The ensuing story – taking up about half of the book – boggles the mind. In the anti-Semitic Austria of the late 1920s, Halsman is convicted not just once but twice – a foreshadow of the horrific excesses of Nazism. As Halsmann’s lawyer states, “The values that matter here are not the values of Jews or Latvians or Russians or Poles or Swiss or French. The values that matter here are Austrian values, and we value the truth or we have nothing. We may mean well, but without the truth, we could murder our own flock out of fears of mange, when the real culprit may be a wolf.”
Halsmann’s miscarriage of justice attracts the attention of intellectuals the world over, including Albert Einstein. Indeed, the opening of each chapter incorporates true quotations from Halsmann and other key protagonists in this sorry situation.
Had I stopped half-way through, I would have rated this book with the highest star rating. But the second half of the book then moves on to Halsmann’s post-jail life as a famous photographer (Philipp Halsman becomes a well-known portrait photographer of luminaries that include Marilyn Monroe). His character becomes surprisingly inert. I did not gain a sense of Halsmann’s own internal struggles after such a life-scarring event; rather, Halsmann (Philippe Halsman after arriving in France), seems like a one-dimensional character and there’s little sense of connection with his readers.
I suspect that Austin Ratner relies too heavily on the research (not unlike, say, Cold Mountain, which – in my mind – was similarly inert). I wanted Mr. Ratner to dig deeper into the man who was determined to succeed despite the damning label of patricide and the knowledge of the world’s cruelties. I almost felt as if I were reading two books.
The ensuing story – taking up about half of the book – boggles the mind. In the anti-Semitic Austria of the late 1920s, Halsman is convicted not just once but twice – a foreshadow of the horrific excesses of Nazism. As Halsmann’s lawyer states, “The values that matter here are not the values of Jews or Latvians or Russians or Poles or Swiss or French. The values that matter here are Austrian values, and we value the truth or we have nothing. We may mean well, but without the truth, we could murder our own flock out of fears of mange, when the real culprit may be a wolf.”
Halsmann’s miscarriage of justice attracts the attention of intellectuals the world over, including Albert Einstein. Indeed, the opening of each chapter incorporates true quotations from Halsmann and other key protagonists in this sorry situation.
Had I stopped half-way through, I would have rated this book with the highest star rating. But the second half of the book then moves on to Halsmann’s post-jail life as a famous photographer (Philipp Halsman becomes a well-known portrait photographer of luminaries that include Marilyn Monroe). His character becomes surprisingly inert. I did not gain a sense of Halsmann’s own internal struggles after such a life-scarring event; rather, Halsmann (Philippe Halsman after arriving in France), seems like a one-dimensional character and there’s little sense of connection with his readers.
I suspect that Austin Ratner relies too heavily on the research (not unlike, say, Cold Mountain, which – in my mind – was similarly inert). I wanted Mr. Ratner to dig deeper into the man who was determined to succeed despite the damning label of patricide and the knowledge of the world’s cruelties. I almost felt as if I were reading two books.
December 30, 2009
I had known of Philippe Halsman as a photographer but knew nothing of his personal life until I read The Jump Artist, a novel based on research into his life. Still, the book does not claim to be a biography, and the author has fleshed out the basic facts with his interpretation of Halsman's thoughts and deeds.
Halsman was accused of murdering his father while they were hiking together in the Tyrolean Alps, and spent time in prison. He was Jewish and lived in a very dangerous time and place during the rise of Hitler, the victim of anti-Semitism, quite obvious in his trials. Philippe had a conflicted relationship with his father, as many young men do. After the murder of his father, he became depressed and self-destructive and he pushed away all the people who loved him. The book is well-written, with some beautiful language. There are interesting quotes at the beginning of each chapter and foreign language phrases that are not always translated. For me, some of the sentences didn't make sense until I read further. A bit of the writing was almost stream-of-consciousness, especially that involving sea life.
As to how he became a photographer, I appreciated the quote “at the gallery they asked me how I became a photographer and I said it happened as a girl sometimes becomes a prostitute – doing it first for herself, then for friends, and finally for money.” The book was not dumbed down to make it a happy, light read. Even though this is a short novel, it is a serious book. There is a retrospective of Halsman, including some of his fabulous portraits, at http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/halsman/.
Halsman was accused of murdering his father while they were hiking together in the Tyrolean Alps, and spent time in prison. He was Jewish and lived in a very dangerous time and place during the rise of Hitler, the victim of anti-Semitism, quite obvious in his trials. Philippe had a conflicted relationship with his father, as many young men do. After the murder of his father, he became depressed and self-destructive and he pushed away all the people who loved him. The book is well-written, with some beautiful language. There are interesting quotes at the beginning of each chapter and foreign language phrases that are not always translated. For me, some of the sentences didn't make sense until I read further. A bit of the writing was almost stream-of-consciousness, especially that involving sea life.
As to how he became a photographer, I appreciated the quote “at the gallery they asked me how I became a photographer and I said it happened as a girl sometimes becomes a prostitute – doing it first for herself, then for friends, and finally for money.” The book was not dumbed down to make it a happy, light read. Even though this is a short novel, it is a serious book. There is a retrospective of Halsman, including some of his fabulous portraits, at http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/halsman/.
May 6, 2009
This is a fantastic book. It is a combination of a great literary work, a thriller, a psychological study, and an historical novel offering insight into a period that was the precursor to the holocaust. Phillipe Halsman, who is known as a photographer of Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, among others, had a painful and complicated history before his successful life. Falsely accused of murder by the anti-semitic powers in Austria in 1928, his trial, considered "the Austrian Dreyfus" case, altered his life. This fictionalized imagining of Halsman's inner and outer life is a tremendous psychological study of guilt, innocence, and shame. How Halsman constructs a future from such a difficult past is rivetting and uplifting. And the writing is absolutely beautiful. I can't recommend this book strongly enough.
October 15, 2010
This is an amazing book - each chapter starts with a quote that pertains to the chapter - a quote from many different sources - the first one is absolutely exquisite .. These quotes show how smart this author really is - and how much work he's done on the book -- masterful - just that aspect of the book. The writing is wonderful - the descriptions of a young man unfairly accused - of loss, of solitude - of strength and of weakness - is this a historical fiction? Is this a psychological study - is this ... I don't know what this is - but I can say it's one of the best books I've read in a long, long time ... I think every chapter or two could be the basis of a book club discussion - it's very, very rich in so many ways .. I can usually knock off a book every few days but this one took me a very long time because I had to think about what was happening - google the actual events the book is based on (even though it's a fictional account), then think about it some more - and then I had to savor the writing ...
May 29, 2009
Enthralling. This book helps us learn how to live with the unimaginable, and it does so beautifully.
March 5, 2017
I was quite disappointed, frankly. I think that I was expecting some kind of rational explanation (even a hypothetical one) by someone about what had happened to him in the Alps. Although it posits an inner life for the hero, it is disjointed, and seems half-sane.
My assumption is that this method of writing would speak more to people with more developed post-modern sensibilities. Since my parents actually experienced the years the author speaks about, I think a few more concrete facts about antisemitism are in order.
My assumption is that this method of writing would speak more to people with more developed post-modern sensibilities. Since my parents actually experienced the years the author speaks about, I think a few more concrete facts about antisemitism are in order.
January 31, 2010
Primarily focuses on photographer's Phillip Halsman's life before he came to the United States. He was accused of killing his father while hiking in the Austrian Alps and was imprisoned for 4 years. When he was released, he lived in France for a few years and aided by Albert Einstein came to New York when France was invaded by the Nazi's. Ended rather abruptly. I wanted to know more but recommend this. Very well written.
March 22, 2013
Beautiful, vivid writing. Grabs you immediately. Surprising metaphors and similes.
May 23, 2011
This book makes no sense. I cannot wait til I finish these last few pages so I can move on. Interesting story. But the way it's written is tremendously difficult to follow.
April 13, 2011
Loved this book!
June 24, 2012
I devoured this in just over a day. A beautiful read.
My full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/?p=1813
My full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/?p=1813
October 12, 2019
The Jump Artist, Austin Ratner
This is the story of Phillip Halsmann, a Latvian Jew who, in 1929, was condemned falsely for the murder of his father while on a hiking trip in the Tyrolean Alps, in Western Austria. Convicted by a Kangaroo Court of liars and anti-Semites, not once, but twice, when they presented false evidence and hid pertinent facts, he was finally pardoned and released after two years in prison, at the behest of several influential, famous personages, Jews who had some influence and knew, like the Dreyfus Affair, the Halsmann Affair was another example of injustice spawned by ignorance and hatred of the Jews. It was a harbinger of the horrors to soon come, however, as Germany would soon attempt to conquer Europe and create an Aryan Nation under the leadership of Adolf Hitler.
Before prison, Phillip was a student studying to be an engineer. He was falling in love and his life was before him. After his staged trials and his treatment in prison, he was often angry and unable to love properly. Although he tried to return to school to study engineering, he soon left. He abandoned his girlfriend Ruth who had loved and stood by him. He began to sink into a depression. He would admire strange women and imagine them naked. Filled with guilt, he pleasured himself, repenting by visiting various images of The Pieta.
Soon, Phillip was allowing those who hated him to define him with all sorts of heinous descriptions. Eventually, in an effort to ignore his Latvian heritage and become more French, he changed his name to Phillipe Halsman. Soon, he found love again. Quickly, though, he learned that he would always be a Latvian Jew under Hitler’s regime.
When he and his family finally escaped to America, he truly began to define himself and regain his self respect. Although he became a successful photographer, rather than the lawyer or doctor his father had hoped he would become, his family was proud of what he had achieved. Soon, he also earned the respect of many famous people who sought his services like, Marilyn Monroe, Andre Gide, Albert Einstein and others. However, his early career was defined by photos of barely dressed females he found in his travels. He wanted to photograph beautiful women whom he posed in various stages of undress. He was able to capture them in their best possible vantage point. Somehow his keen eye knew how to adjust light and position to capture the person’s true self. He was helped by his mother and sister who had remained devoted and loyal to him throughout his ordeal, and they had weathered the changes he made in his life alongside him, helping him as they were able.
This book is an intuitive description of the degradation and disintegration of what once was a normal man, full of hope, devoted to his family, with a bright future ahead of him. Because of the false conviction of the terrible crime of patricide, the corrupt system almost destroyed him. If nothing else, this book should be a lesson to all those who are so quick to judge the current President of the United States without allowing him the right to defend himself bolstered by a press that constantly maligns him, often falsely.
This is the story of Phillip Halsmann, a Latvian Jew who, in 1929, was condemned falsely for the murder of his father while on a hiking trip in the Tyrolean Alps, in Western Austria. Convicted by a Kangaroo Court of liars and anti-Semites, not once, but twice, when they presented false evidence and hid pertinent facts, he was finally pardoned and released after two years in prison, at the behest of several influential, famous personages, Jews who had some influence and knew, like the Dreyfus Affair, the Halsmann Affair was another example of injustice spawned by ignorance and hatred of the Jews. It was a harbinger of the horrors to soon come, however, as Germany would soon attempt to conquer Europe and create an Aryan Nation under the leadership of Adolf Hitler.
Before prison, Phillip was a student studying to be an engineer. He was falling in love and his life was before him. After his staged trials and his treatment in prison, he was often angry and unable to love properly. Although he tried to return to school to study engineering, he soon left. He abandoned his girlfriend Ruth who had loved and stood by him. He began to sink into a depression. He would admire strange women and imagine them naked. Filled with guilt, he pleasured himself, repenting by visiting various images of The Pieta.
Soon, Phillip was allowing those who hated him to define him with all sorts of heinous descriptions. Eventually, in an effort to ignore his Latvian heritage and become more French, he changed his name to Phillipe Halsman. Soon, he found love again. Quickly, though, he learned that he would always be a Latvian Jew under Hitler’s regime.
When he and his family finally escaped to America, he truly began to define himself and regain his self respect. Although he became a successful photographer, rather than the lawyer or doctor his father had hoped he would become, his family was proud of what he had achieved. Soon, he also earned the respect of many famous people who sought his services like, Marilyn Monroe, Andre Gide, Albert Einstein and others. However, his early career was defined by photos of barely dressed females he found in his travels. He wanted to photograph beautiful women whom he posed in various stages of undress. He was able to capture them in their best possible vantage point. Somehow his keen eye knew how to adjust light and position to capture the person’s true self. He was helped by his mother and sister who had remained devoted and loyal to him throughout his ordeal, and they had weathered the changes he made in his life alongside him, helping him as they were able.
This book is an intuitive description of the degradation and disintegration of what once was a normal man, full of hope, devoted to his family, with a bright future ahead of him. Because of the false conviction of the terrible crime of patricide, the corrupt system almost destroyed him. If nothing else, this book should be a lesson to all those who are so quick to judge the current President of the United States without allowing him the right to defend himself bolstered by a press that constantly maligns him, often falsely.
August 30, 2019
Even though I have - unknowingly - seen photographs by Philippe Halsman, I never knew about his personal background and how he became the famous artist that he was at the end of his life. As a fictionalised biography, The Jump Artist chronicles how Halsman was convicted of murdering his father but later pardoned and released from prison in Austria to make his home in Paris. As WW2 looms, he starts a career as a photographer.
The books features real documents from the trial, which is set during the dawn of Nazism and is clearly influenced by Antisemitic bias on the part of the prosecution, witnesses, the press and the general public. Even though Halsman is pardoned, he was never exonerated and the experience of the trial, his imprisonment and the accusation that he was capable of not only committing murder but killing his own father weighs heavily on the young man as he tries to reintegrate into society.
It is a bit of a shame then that the book shows Ratner's early successes as a photographer in Paris but does not really delve into the height of his fame in the US, where he photographed icons from Dalí and Einstein to Hitchcock and Hepburn. Even the title - The Jump Artist - only makes sense when you know that Halsman was famous for a collection of photos in which people jump in the air, something that is only alluded to towards the end. Still, a fitting tribute to the artist although I sometimes struggled with the style that is plain and economical in some sections but impressionistic and introspective in others.
The books features real documents from the trial, which is set during the dawn of Nazism and is clearly influenced by Antisemitic bias on the part of the prosecution, witnesses, the press and the general public. Even though Halsman is pardoned, he was never exonerated and the experience of the trial, his imprisonment and the accusation that he was capable of not only committing murder but killing his own father weighs heavily on the young man as he tries to reintegrate into society.
It is a bit of a shame then that the book shows Ratner's early successes as a photographer in Paris but does not really delve into the height of his fame in the US, where he photographed icons from Dalí and Einstein to Hitchcock and Hepburn. Even the title - The Jump Artist - only makes sense when you know that Halsman was famous for a collection of photos in which people jump in the air, something that is only alluded to towards the end. Still, a fitting tribute to the artist although I sometimes struggled with the style that is plain and economical in some sections but impressionistic and introspective in others.
June 10, 2020
This debut piece of historical fiction, based on a true event is very well done. Phillip Halsman was accused, convicted twice and pardoned for the murder of his father while they were hiking in the Tyrol Mountains in 1929. His case was known worldwide with people such as Albert Einstein taking up his cause. He was ramrodded by Austrians who already held intense anti-Semite views. The author is able to take the reader through the trials, the prison term, and Halsman's illustrious photography career, his post-traumatic stress experiences, his never ending guilt for not finding his father's murderer, his lusts and loves, his trek to obtain a visa to move to the United States, sponsored by Albert Einstein who remembered his court case. I think the most striking stylistic note for me was the author's ability to shift his writing style to match the mood of different events. He shifted from succinct courtroom dialogue style to the romanticist internal monologue of the young Phillip to the delirious, fever dream voice of Phillip during times of illness as he fought tuberculosis. I am very impressed by Ratner's writing ability and will look for more in the future!
August 5, 2022
Based on a true story around a son and the murdered father - woven into a free flowing literary tale - calm waters with deep eddies
October 2, 2020
American writer, Austin Ratner, follows Peter Carey down the path of revisiting the lives of deceased people of interest. His debut novel, already published in the US, has garnered comparison to The True History of the Kelly Gang. Except, in this case, Ned Kelly has been pushed aside to make way for a new and unlikely protagonist, Jewish photographer, Philipp Halsmann.
By 1959, Philipp Halsmann has earned a reputation as a reliable and talented photographer and enjoyed a successful career working from his studio on the Upper West Side of New York City. His images of everyone from Salvador Dalí to Einstein, not to mention Marylin Monroe, brought him fame and recognition. However, this period makes up just a few final pages in Ratner’s novel. The main story is an earlier life marred by tragedy and misery compounded by Anti-Semite sentiment and the unrest of a Europe on the brink of World War Two.
The novel opens in September 1928, with Austrian prince Eduard Severin Maria von Auersperg enjoying a horse-mounted hunt with his bloodthirsty dogs. The prince’s air of entitlement and apparent disregard for the welfare of humans and animals alike is a chilling indication of the drama that is about to unfold. Elsewhere Max Halsmann and his son, Philipp, are trekking along the Zamserschinder, a mountain trail in the Austrian Alps. The air is crisp, the trail is tough, and tension between father and son lingers after a minor disagreement. When nature calls, Max excuses himself and, upon hearing a sharp cry, Philipp turns to see his father fall backward from a height. His bloodied corpse is later discovered, apparently beaten to death.
Fast forward and Philipp has been incarcerated at Innsbruck prison, convicted of murdering his own father. As the (mostly Aryan) inmates and wardens torment Philipp with taunts of ‘Vatermörder’ (father murderer), Philipp clings to the chance of appealing his sentence under the guidance of Pessler, a Jewish lawyer from Vienna. Ratner’s narrative is steeped in fear and gloom as Pessler warns Philip of the unlikely chance of success. Reading of Philipp’s plight now, given our understanding of the genocide that followed throughout Europe, is both disturbing and heartbreaking. Ratner heightens the ominous sense of Philipp’s powerlessness with unnerving quotations from newspapers such as Die Wahrheit, Deutsche Arbeiter Presse published contemporaneously to the Halsmann trial; “The son of Israel, the murderer of his father, Halsmann was this time the cause for Jewish mockery of the Aryan Volk, Aryan, take note!”
Ratner’s experience as co-author of the textbook Concepts in Medical Physiology can be seen in his detailed account of Max’s death. The deplorable forensic pathologist, Dr Meixner, shows no mercy as he leads the deceased’s son through the injuries before coldly dismissing the traumatised young man. Although not before pointedly remarking that “this case has consumed enough of the faculty’s time already [...] at great cost to its reputation. I believe I’ve been overly gracious, as have many others, in acceding to the demands of Jews and Viennese mercenaries [...] the demands of this sacrosanct... Halsmann family.” And with that Philipp knew his cards were marked for the trail. The appeal was overturned.
Eventually political intervention coupled with the pressure of public support from leading Jewish minds, including Einstein, led to Philipp’s release in 1931. He relocated to Paris —where unfortunately Ratner’s novel loses its pace— and later, to America. However the damage was done; Philipp is now a disillusioned and strange man and remains a grieving son. The Jump Artist is a dense debut. Philipp’s transition from a relatively carefree young man to the victim of a mistrial of justice, to an international photographer, is hectic. Ratner has constructed a fractured character, unfortunately, reflected in the borderline overly-fragmented narrative.
By 1959, Philipp Halsmann has earned a reputation as a reliable and talented photographer and enjoyed a successful career working from his studio on the Upper West Side of New York City. His images of everyone from Salvador Dalí to Einstein, not to mention Marylin Monroe, brought him fame and recognition. However, this period makes up just a few final pages in Ratner’s novel. The main story is an earlier life marred by tragedy and misery compounded by Anti-Semite sentiment and the unrest of a Europe on the brink of World War Two.
The novel opens in September 1928, with Austrian prince Eduard Severin Maria von Auersperg enjoying a horse-mounted hunt with his bloodthirsty dogs. The prince’s air of entitlement and apparent disregard for the welfare of humans and animals alike is a chilling indication of the drama that is about to unfold. Elsewhere Max Halsmann and his son, Philipp, are trekking along the Zamserschinder, a mountain trail in the Austrian Alps. The air is crisp, the trail is tough, and tension between father and son lingers after a minor disagreement. When nature calls, Max excuses himself and, upon hearing a sharp cry, Philipp turns to see his father fall backward from a height. His bloodied corpse is later discovered, apparently beaten to death.
Fast forward and Philipp has been incarcerated at Innsbruck prison, convicted of murdering his own father. As the (mostly Aryan) inmates and wardens torment Philipp with taunts of ‘Vatermörder’ (father murderer), Philipp clings to the chance of appealing his sentence under the guidance of Pessler, a Jewish lawyer from Vienna. Ratner’s narrative is steeped in fear and gloom as Pessler warns Philip of the unlikely chance of success. Reading of Philipp’s plight now, given our understanding of the genocide that followed throughout Europe, is both disturbing and heartbreaking. Ratner heightens the ominous sense of Philipp’s powerlessness with unnerving quotations from newspapers such as Die Wahrheit, Deutsche Arbeiter Presse published contemporaneously to the Halsmann trial; “The son of Israel, the murderer of his father, Halsmann was this time the cause for Jewish mockery of the Aryan Volk, Aryan, take note!”
Ratner’s experience as co-author of the textbook Concepts in Medical Physiology can be seen in his detailed account of Max’s death. The deplorable forensic pathologist, Dr Meixner, shows no mercy as he leads the deceased’s son through the injuries before coldly dismissing the traumatised young man. Although not before pointedly remarking that “this case has consumed enough of the faculty’s time already [...] at great cost to its reputation. I believe I’ve been overly gracious, as have many others, in acceding to the demands of Jews and Viennese mercenaries [...] the demands of this sacrosanct... Halsmann family.” And with that Philipp knew his cards were marked for the trail. The appeal was overturned.
Eventually political intervention coupled with the pressure of public support from leading Jewish minds, including Einstein, led to Philipp’s release in 1931. He relocated to Paris —where unfortunately Ratner’s novel loses its pace— and later, to America. However the damage was done; Philipp is now a disillusioned and strange man and remains a grieving son. The Jump Artist is a dense debut. Philipp’s transition from a relatively carefree young man to the victim of a mistrial of justice, to an international photographer, is hectic. Ratner has constructed a fractured character, unfortunately, reflected in the borderline overly-fragmented narrative.
November 11, 2013
This impressive first novel is based on a real story the author describes as ‘an early chapter of the Holocaust’. In 1928, two Latvian Jews from Riga, Philipp Halsman and his father are hiking in the Austrian Tyrol Mountains. They speak German well and the boy is studying at a Vienna high school. The teenaged son is shirtless on doctor’s advice and resentful of his father who insists on carrying both packs and pushes himself to the limits of the son’s patience and physical endurance. However, the father is ever jocular, especially with the strangers met on the hike. When Phillip is momentarily separated from his father and day dreaming about his love for his girlfriend, Ruth, he is alerted by the sound of hunting dogs and looking down through the trees to the lower mountain path sees his father fall. ‘It was pictorial and still like an image on a photographic plate.’
I next find Philipp four months later in the Innsbruck prison, angry and self punishing, with scars on his wrists being interviewed by Dr Pessler his new defence lawyer preparing for his appeal after he had been found guilty of patricide. Philipp is convinced that his father fell but Pessler insists that he had been murdered and patiently persuades him that he has to change his story. To convince him, there is a bizarre visit to the morgue where the forensic pathologist, Dr Meixner insists on showing him his father’s severed head preserved in a jar to demonstrate how the theory of murder by stone hit was the correct interpretation, something he will repeat later in court for the benefit of the jury.
What follows is an intriguing court case story interpreted by the author Ratner using the legal documents, letters and media accounts after the case became famous. As he comments, he used the documents to develop the characters into what they might have been like. The casual anti-Semitism of Austrians is brilliantly used by the Gentile defence lawyer in his masterful cross examinations but like in the Dreyfus case, despite the obvious innocence of Philipp, he is again found guilty and removed to prison. As a Catholic pastor comments, ‘he was a Jew and so lacked a conscience.’ Even Freud’s new theory of the Oedipus complex has been used against him. Like Lindy Chamberlain, he did not cry; he looked guilty.
Philipp’s sister, now 20 begins a campaign by writing to Freud and other famous persons including Einstein, Thomas Mann and the French Dreyfussards to eventually gain a pardon from the Austrian Chancellor but not before Philipp has contacted TB from his prison ordeals and, clearly suffering from post traumatic depression rejects Ruth whom he loved. ‘You can’t love a cause celebre.’
This only marks the halfway point of the novel: Ratner continues to explore his character as following rejection from university in Austria, he moves to Paris then leaves his engineering course at the Sorbonne when a prize is denied him and becomes a photographer. He is able to remove the mask of his portrait subjects, but is unable to remove his own. The story continues until finally the enigmatic title of the novel reveals its meaning. Ratner covers the events of 1928 to 1959 with brief glimpses of those after 1930 when his focus is on the psychological effects on Philipp. However, for me, I appreciated most his forensic details of the crime investigation and the gripping account of the second trial set in the almost incredible anti-Semitism of those times. The characters, even the monstrous Meixner are, unfortunately, totally believable. Ratner succeeds in his factual novel and I look forward to reading him again after this most impressive debut.
I next find Philipp four months later in the Innsbruck prison, angry and self punishing, with scars on his wrists being interviewed by Dr Pessler his new defence lawyer preparing for his appeal after he had been found guilty of patricide. Philipp is convinced that his father fell but Pessler insists that he had been murdered and patiently persuades him that he has to change his story. To convince him, there is a bizarre visit to the morgue where the forensic pathologist, Dr Meixner insists on showing him his father’s severed head preserved in a jar to demonstrate how the theory of murder by stone hit was the correct interpretation, something he will repeat later in court for the benefit of the jury.
What follows is an intriguing court case story interpreted by the author Ratner using the legal documents, letters and media accounts after the case became famous. As he comments, he used the documents to develop the characters into what they might have been like. The casual anti-Semitism of Austrians is brilliantly used by the Gentile defence lawyer in his masterful cross examinations but like in the Dreyfus case, despite the obvious innocence of Philipp, he is again found guilty and removed to prison. As a Catholic pastor comments, ‘he was a Jew and so lacked a conscience.’ Even Freud’s new theory of the Oedipus complex has been used against him. Like Lindy Chamberlain, he did not cry; he looked guilty.
Philipp’s sister, now 20 begins a campaign by writing to Freud and other famous persons including Einstein, Thomas Mann and the French Dreyfussards to eventually gain a pardon from the Austrian Chancellor but not before Philipp has contacted TB from his prison ordeals and, clearly suffering from post traumatic depression rejects Ruth whom he loved. ‘You can’t love a cause celebre.’
This only marks the halfway point of the novel: Ratner continues to explore his character as following rejection from university in Austria, he moves to Paris then leaves his engineering course at the Sorbonne when a prize is denied him and becomes a photographer. He is able to remove the mask of his portrait subjects, but is unable to remove his own. The story continues until finally the enigmatic title of the novel reveals its meaning. Ratner covers the events of 1928 to 1959 with brief glimpses of those after 1930 when his focus is on the psychological effects on Philipp. However, for me, I appreciated most his forensic details of the crime investigation and the gripping account of the second trial set in the almost incredible anti-Semitism of those times. The characters, even the monstrous Meixner are, unfortunately, totally believable. Ratner succeeds in his factual novel and I look forward to reading him again after this most impressive debut.
June 20, 2012
Received my copy from the Penguin Books UK Proof Readers circle.
This is a fictionalised account of a little known event in history - Halsman is accused of patricide after the death of his father whilst the pair are walking in the Alps. He is found guilty, spends several years in jail, but is finally pardoned on condition that he leaves Austria, never to return.
He recovers from Tuberculosis whilst in France, trains as an engineer, but ends up taking photographs. His talent increases, and he starts to become well known for portrait photographs (doing the covers of Vogue etc). Finally, WWII starts, and he and his family escape France for America, where he finally achieves fame as a photographer of the famous.
This is not a dry, non-fiction biography. Especially in the first section of the book there are jumps in narrative time, sometimes in the same chapter, once in a while the same paragraph. Slightly disconcerting, it however makes the story telling quite fluid.
I didnt feel emotionally connected to Halsman very much throughout the book. I dont know whether that was on purpose or not by the author. Halsman did come across as rather emotionally restrained, feeling the need to punish himself if he felt his emotions were too out of control. There were times where he comes across as OCD and almost autistic in not being able to react the correct way towards others (and especially girls).
The title refers to a series of portraits (including Monroe) where he takes their photos whilst they are jumping.
This is a fictionalised account of a little known event in history - Halsman is accused of patricide after the death of his father whilst the pair are walking in the Alps. He is found guilty, spends several years in jail, but is finally pardoned on condition that he leaves Austria, never to return.
He recovers from Tuberculosis whilst in France, trains as an engineer, but ends up taking photographs. His talent increases, and he starts to become well known for portrait photographs (doing the covers of Vogue etc). Finally, WWII starts, and he and his family escape France for America, where he finally achieves fame as a photographer of the famous.
This is not a dry, non-fiction biography. Especially in the first section of the book there are jumps in narrative time, sometimes in the same chapter, once in a while the same paragraph. Slightly disconcerting, it however makes the story telling quite fluid.
I didnt feel emotionally connected to Halsman very much throughout the book. I dont know whether that was on purpose or not by the author. Halsman did come across as rather emotionally restrained, feeling the need to punish himself if he felt his emotions were too out of control. There were times where he comes across as OCD and almost autistic in not being able to react the correct way towards others (and especially girls).
The title refers to a series of portraits (including Monroe) where he takes their photos whilst they are jumping.
decided-not-to-read
November 25, 2009This is a fictionalized account of a fascinating and little-known incident that occurred in Austria, during the rise of the Nazis to power. From an on-line review:
"... based on the true story of Philippe Halsman, a man who Adolf Hitler knew by name, who Sigmund Freud wrote about in 1930, and who put Marilyn Monroe on the cover of Life magazine. The story begins in September 1928, when Halsman and his father were hiking in the Tyrolean Alps. While Halsman went ahead on the trail, his father was attacked and murdered. The Jewish 22 year old would be falsely accused of killing his father. The Jump Artist follows his life story from the murder and trial in Austria, into the depths of Halsman's despair in prison, to his rise in Paris and New York as one of the world's most renowned photographers."
It's well-written, but in a style that I don't particularly like, so I didn't finish the book.
"... based on the true story of Philippe Halsman, a man who Adolf Hitler knew by name, who Sigmund Freud wrote about in 1930, and who put Marilyn Monroe on the cover of Life magazine. The story begins in September 1928, when Halsman and his father were hiking in the Tyrolean Alps. While Halsman went ahead on the trail, his father was attacked and murdered. The Jewish 22 year old would be falsely accused of killing his father. The Jump Artist follows his life story from the murder and trial in Austria, into the depths of Halsman's despair in prison, to his rise in Paris and New York as one of the world's most renowned photographers."
It's well-written, but in a style that I don't particularly like, so I didn't finish the book.
June 25, 2013
This is a highly fictionalized account of the life of Philippe Halsman. As a young man, Halsman was falsely accused of murdering his father while on a hiking trip in the Austrian Alps. The fact he was Jewish may have been a factor in his arrest. After two traumatic years in prison, his family managed to secure him a pardon. He worked hard to reinvent himself as a photographer in France in the late 1930's. When the war encroached on Paris, he managed to flee to America with his family. After years of adjustment he would eventually establish himself as a leading photographer for Life magazine capturing many of the most notable faces of the twentieth century. The writing is often pedantic, dark, and hard to follow due to a train of thought style. The constant infusion of foreign phrases, mostly German, while adding atmosphere, also slow down the flow. It's almost as hard to get through this book as it was for Halsman to achieve his fame.
June 19, 2011
I picked out from awards listed in NYB Review(Prize for Jewish Literature). Interesting base to the story; a bit difficult to follow but in a way, wonderful in portraying the guilt, depression, anger ..and recovery of Philllipe on an emotional level. Somewhat a story-told-from-a-distance though as opposed to State of Wonder; Caleb's Crossing.
And, although you don't learn this from the novel itself, here is a site for some of his picture (and thus the insight into the title) http://www.google.com/search?q=philip.... This is particularly interesting - and not at all addressed during the novel: how such a tortuned soul produces this wonderful art!/images.
And, although you don't learn this from the novel itself, here is a site for some of his picture (and thus the insight into the title) http://www.google.com/search?q=philip.... This is particularly interesting - and not at all addressed during the novel: how such a tortuned soul produces this wonderful art!/images.
May 19, 2014
I'm not at all sure how to star this book. I hadn't any prior knowledge about Philippe Halsman and after finishing the book I really enjoyed looking up some of the images he has taken - all of which were a bit of surprise even after reading the book. I thought the way the book was written was really interesting and quite unusual. Perhaps if I had known of Philippe before hand, or more of the characters that appeared in this story, that would have leant extra meaning to the events and what information was left out, but I have to confess to being ignorant (and not much wiser after reading this). I didn't really mind the structure or style but for whatever reason this book didn't quite grab me. Although certain bits did have me hooked it wasn't evenly spread through the book.
April 13, 2015
The Jump Artist becomes more interesting the moment you realise that this is based on a real person, let alone a very famous photographer. Google him and you will be surprised to find many photos of his that you already know. As a read is quite hard to get into but once you pass page 60 things get better. I can’t deny that Philippe himself must have been a very interesting person to know and this book sheds some light into his personality. It’s a great account of the events leading up to and during the Second World War. But the most interesting part for me personally was the background thoughts on the creation of some of the most famous photographs he made. All and all is an interesting read but I doubt it will stick to my memory.
March 11, 2010
This was a well-written and captivating story. I did not know of Halsmann but found myself absorbed into his life both pre-fame and then, through my own research, in his professional life as well. His photographs were amazing and it was interesting to learn, albeit with artistic license, the story of the man behind the camera and the steps that led him to becoming the renowned man. I did however sometimes find that there were jumps within chapters that made it a little difficult to follow the train of thought. At times it seemed that comprehension was possible once I was fairly far into the passage. Overall though, it was an interesting historical-fiction read.
February 18, 2010
This has entered my canon of favorite books-- an overlooked piece of Holocaust history told in eloquent, stylish, condensed prose, charting the emotional journey taken by Philippe Halsmann, who transcended early tragedy (the death of his father, and a charge of patricide trumped up by Austrian anti-Semites) to become a leading photojournalist at Life magazine, photographing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Winston Churchill. In the face of unimaginable horror, Halsmann found, through art and love, the imaginative resources to live.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews