Historien om Hr. Silberstein

by Erland Josephson

Through the central figure of Emanuel Silberstein, the novel draws the reader into an exploration of identity and the futile attempt to define a self "independent" of others. With a sharp eye on the Swedish milieu, Josephson probes the roots of anti-Semitism and thus of prejudice and self-deception in general. He creates his characters with the help of a keen ear for dialogue and interior voices, and deploys them with the skill of one who has long experience in the theater.

161 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Erland Josephson was a Swedish actor and author. He was best known to international audiences for his work in films directed by Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky and Theodoros Angelopoulos.

Reviews

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Josephson's writing style has been described as "inventive", which is usually a red flag, but in this case included lots of introspection by the main character and a slow reveal to his life and circumstances. This is not an easy read, as the reader must pull out the subtly dropped bits of information and put them together. It is the story of a Jewish man who arrives mysteriously in a small Swedish city after WW2, and the effect that has on his neighbors and himself, along with the author revealing the undercurrents of anti-Semitism in Swedish society. Lots of promise, but it just didn't pull together.

[Sophia Blomqvist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boken tar dig med på en resa i en grupp människors inre miljö; herr Silbersteins samt ett antal av hans grannars, i det lägenhetshus han flyttar in i.

Boken var aningens långsam, samtidigt som den hade ett påtagligt värde i att tydliggöra och illustrera hur vi förhåller oss till varandra och vad det faktiskt har för konsekvenser för både vad vi ser av verkligheten och för dem vi förhåller oss till.

En del tuggar man inte i sig för den kortsiktiga glädjen, utan för den långsiktiga nyttan.