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The Circumcision
Twelve-year-old Robi Singer and best friend Gabor Blum are the only boys in their class who have yet to be circumcised. Robi is worried.
What if the knife should slip? What will the others think in the showers? Will he find a wife? Is there plastic surgery to fix damage of this sort?
Should he have the circumcision? Everyone has an opinion—from his teachers to his eccentric grandmother and hypochondriac mother—the final decision is Robi’s.
What if the knife should slip? What will the others think in the showers? Will he find a wife? Is there plastic surgery to fix damage of this sort?
Should he have the circumcision? Everyone has an opinion—from his teachers to his eccentric grandmother and hypochondriac mother—the final decision is Robi’s.
140 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 31, 2025
She's a wise woman, alle Achtung, my hat off to her.
The Circumcision ~~~ György Dalos
Twelve-year-old Robi Singer has not been circumcised ~~ this is not an uncommon state of affairs in mid-1950’s Hungary ~~ but now, with his bar mitzvah approaching, Robi's penis has become a point of contention. Robi ~~ our hero ~~ is a self-proclaimed Hungarian Communist Jew-for-Jesus.
Robi is a half-orphan ~~ his father died soon after the war ~~ who spends his weekdays in a Jewish orphanage in Budapest & his weekends in a small apartment with his grandmother & mother. His mother is agoraphobic & hypochondriac, but his grandmother is a tough old lady who holds down an unskilled job & knows how to work the system; they manage to cling to a middle-class lifestyle, even if they can't afford a proper winter coat for Robi.
Bala ~~ a teacher at the orphanage ~~ inspires him with stories about the heroes of Jewish history, but on Sundays his mother takes him to prayer meetings of Jews for Christ ~~ and his grandmother is a communist. So when the time comes for Robi's bar mitzvah, it's not clear that his belated circumcision really will be "just a formality". The title is a metaphor for what is going on in Robi's life. To tell you more would rob you of an enjoyable read.
The tribulations of Robi & his family, & their relationships with others, offer a fascinating view of life in Hungary under Rákosi and Stalin. Ultimately, The Circumcision is a heartfelt, sincere story of a young teenage boy growing up, facing the common confusions of sex & love & family as well as those anomalous to his religious background. Dalos delivers short, dynamic episodes in lucent prose, with a quiet but effective humor.
The Circumcision ~~~ György Dalos
Twelve-year-old Robi Singer has not been circumcised ~~ this is not an uncommon state of affairs in mid-1950’s Hungary ~~ but now, with his bar mitzvah approaching, Robi's penis has become a point of contention. Robi ~~ our hero ~~ is a self-proclaimed Hungarian Communist Jew-for-Jesus.
Robi is a half-orphan ~~ his father died soon after the war ~~ who spends his weekdays in a Jewish orphanage in Budapest & his weekends in a small apartment with his grandmother & mother. His mother is agoraphobic & hypochondriac, but his grandmother is a tough old lady who holds down an unskilled job & knows how to work the system; they manage to cling to a middle-class lifestyle, even if they can't afford a proper winter coat for Robi.
Bala ~~ a teacher at the orphanage ~~ inspires him with stories about the heroes of Jewish history, but on Sundays his mother takes him to prayer meetings of Jews for Christ ~~ and his grandmother is a communist. So when the time comes for Robi's bar mitzvah, it's not clear that his belated circumcision really will be "just a formality". The title is a metaphor for what is going on in Robi's life. To tell you more would rob you of an enjoyable read.
The tribulations of Robi & his family, & their relationships with others, offer a fascinating view of life in Hungary under Rákosi and Stalin. Ultimately, The Circumcision is a heartfelt, sincere story of a young teenage boy growing up, facing the common confusions of sex & love & family as well as those anomalous to his religious background. Dalos delivers short, dynamic episodes in lucent prose, with a quiet but effective humor.
June 16, 2008
A weird little book. Basically, a few days in the life of Robi Singer, a twelve-year-old Jewish boy in post-Holocaust Hungary. A half-orphan (his father was 'a victim of fascism', as Robi's grandmother delicately puts it), Robi lives in an Jewish orphanage during the week and goes home to his neurotic 'Jews-for-Christ' mother and Communist grandmother on weekends. Now that Robi's Bar Mitzvah is approaching, he must decide whether or not to become a 'real Jew', which, as the title implies, entails cutting off a small part of his member. The style of this book is simple and humorous, as if it were written for children, but the ideas it subtly conveys are strange and somewhat subversive.
October 25, 2018
This is a wonderful little book. I read it in German (die Beschneidung) and thoroughly enjoyed the language. I hope it comes through equally warm, humorous and poignant in English. Anybody interested in Hungary, Jewish issues and history should love this book which is full of wondeful characters and deep issues
February 2, 2022
Set in Budapest in 1955, this recounts a few months in the life of 12 year old Robi Singer, preparing for his barmitzvah, but necessary that he undergoes a certain procedure beforehand, that he missed out on as a newborn.
That premise alone is certain to provide tension, and indeed humour, but Robi's days are stifled by his overweight and depressed mother, and his grandmother, with whom he shares a bed when he is at home. Robi boards at his Jewish school, which is part of an orphanage, but also attends a 'Jews-for-Christ' service every Sunday with his mother.
It is therefore far from being your usual sort of coming of age tale. It is a fascinating insight into life of the Jewish community in Budapest under the Communist regime in the 1950s , but the real highlight of Dalos's book is in describing Robi and his tribulations at this stressful time. The 12 year old is himself obese, just at the stage when his own image has become important to him. As he sneaks a glance at the other, more developed boys in the shower, he is closer and closer to that all important decision, to accept the knife and embrace tradition, or not.
That premise alone is certain to provide tension, and indeed humour, but Robi's days are stifled by his overweight and depressed mother, and his grandmother, with whom he shares a bed when he is at home. Robi boards at his Jewish school, which is part of an orphanage, but also attends a 'Jews-for-Christ' service every Sunday with his mother.
It is therefore far from being your usual sort of coming of age tale. It is a fascinating insight into life of the Jewish community in Budapest under the Communist regime in the 1950s , but the real highlight of Dalos's book is in describing Robi and his tribulations at this stressful time. The 12 year old is himself obese, just at the stage when his own image has become important to him. As he sneaks a glance at the other, more developed boys in the shower, he is closer and closer to that all important decision, to accept the knife and embrace tradition, or not.
June 5, 2013
This was a real gem. Simultaneously sad and funny it is a 'rites of passage' novella.
For a Jewish boy the Bar Mitzvah marks the transition from boyhood to manhood, the entrance into the heart of the worshipping community. But for Robi Singer - who was not circumcised as a baby - growing up is a very different matter. This is Hungary in the mid 1950s. His grandmother is a Communist while his mother - a woman plagued by numerous ailments - attends Christian services. Meanwhile Robi spends the week at a Jewish orphanage. While attached to all the significant adults in his life he is in a complete muddle about what to believe. And as he grows to realise the frailty - and fundamental unreliability - of all these loved individuals, he has to make his own choice about whether or not to undergo circumcision.
This is a beautifully judged book. I was reminded of Woody Allen films at times. But whereas Allen never quite manages to balance seriousness with hilarity, Dalos succeeds in a seemingly effortless fashion.
For a Jewish boy the Bar Mitzvah marks the transition from boyhood to manhood, the entrance into the heart of the worshipping community. But for Robi Singer - who was not circumcised as a baby - growing up is a very different matter. This is Hungary in the mid 1950s. His grandmother is a Communist while his mother - a woman plagued by numerous ailments - attends Christian services. Meanwhile Robi spends the week at a Jewish orphanage. While attached to all the significant adults in his life he is in a complete muddle about what to believe. And as he grows to realise the frailty - and fundamental unreliability - of all these loved individuals, he has to make his own choice about whether or not to undergo circumcision.
This is a beautifully judged book. I was reminded of Woody Allen films at times. But whereas Allen never quite manages to balance seriousness with hilarity, Dalos succeeds in a seemingly effortless fashion.
September 20, 2022
The Circumcision is the story of a short period in the life of a young Hungarian boy who happens of be of Jewish heritage and uncircumcised. As he approaches plans for his Bar Mitzvah, the confusion in his life ramps up--his grandmother is a Communist, his mother is a hypochondriac "Jew for Christ", they live in post-WW2 Budapest with all its queueing for basic necessities and changes to society's structures. Robi must make a decision as to his future path. A quick read--humorous at times, sad at others--and an interesting look at that society in that period.
August 9, 2013
The premise and setting of Dalos György's The Circumcision had me expecting a wholly different book. Set in Budapest in early-1956 (that is, just before the Red Army crushed the nascent Hungarian revolution), one imagines that events will be woven into the novel.
Instead, it remains a casual account of the life of a Jewish twelve year old in 1950s Hungary. You can't even say it is a coming of age tale, rather a slight series of set pieces with an interesting and some quirky characters.
Instead, it remains a casual account of the life of a Jewish twelve year old in 1950s Hungary. You can't even say it is a coming of age tale, rather a slight series of set pieces with an interesting and some quirky characters.
January 26, 2013
I struggled to engage with the characters, which was unusual because I normally enjoy coming of age stories.
full review here
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August 5, 2023My first book bought and read in Hungary. The ending is perfect. "Other".
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews