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Enemies, A Love Story
Almost before he knows it, Herman Broder, refugee and survivor of World War II, has three wives: Yadwiga, the Polish peasant who hid him from the Nazis; Masha , his beautiful and neurotic true love; and Tamara, his first wife, miraculously returned from the dead. Astonished by each new complication, and yet resigned to a life of evasion, Herman navigates a crowded, Yiddish New York with a sense of perpetually impending doom.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1966
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About the author
Isaac Bashevis Singer
554 books1,103 followersIsaac Bashevis Singer was a Polish American author of Jewish descent, noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978.
His memoir, "A Day Of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw", won the U.S. National Book Award in Children's Literature in 1970, while his collection "A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories" won the U.S. National Book Award in Fiction in 1974.
His memoir, "A Day Of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw", won the U.S. National Book Award in Children's Literature in 1970, while his collection "A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories" won the U.S. National Book Award in Fiction in 1974.
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January 29, 2023
ANDIAMO DALL’ALTRA PARTE, LA VISTA È MIGLIORE DA LÌ
Herman e Yadwiga, la sua moglie #2, abitano a Coney Island.
Ah che piacere… che gioia leggere un vero romanzo, senza se e senza ma, un vecchio classico eccellente romanzo…: uno di quei bei romanzi d’antan, ben scritti, colti, indifferenti alle mode e ai generi, con molte cose da dire sul mondo ma senza gridarle a ogni giro di pagina, nessun desiderio di scandalo, e magari proprio per questo perturbanti, difficili da dimenticare – perché i buoni romanzi parlano sempre e soprattutto di noi, cioè delle nostre miserie, prendendoci a pesci in faccia ma senza scuse né fronzoli né compiacimenti.
Ron Silver è Herman.
Ho letto quanto precede su un numero dell’Espresso a firma Mario Fortunato.
E siccome Mario Fortunato è persona che stimo e apprezzo, ancor più come giornalista e critico letterario che come scrittore, e siccome, anche se non siamo sempre d’accordo, ho imparato a capire quando quello che dice può corrispondere al mio sentire, sono alfine approdato al mio primo Isaac Bashevis Singer. Romanzo che è tuttora da molti considerato il suo primo in terra a stelle e strisce, quando in realtà ce ne fu un altro prima di questo, Ombre sull’Hudson, ugualmente uscito prima a puntate, ugualmente scritto in yiddish e solo più tardi tradotto in inglese.
Lena Olin è Masha, la moglie #3, dall’irresistibile sensualità.
Mario Fortunato riassume così la trama:
La storia è quella di Herman, ebreo polacco scampato ai nazisti grazie a una connazionale contadina, Jadwiga, che ha sposato, lasciando con lei l’Europa per la New York dell’immediato dopoguerra. Nella Grande Mela, Herman, uomo senza qualità pur possedendone più d’una, conosce e si innamora di Masha, altra figura di scampata ai lager, nevrotica ed esigente, sensuale e minacciosa. In patria, prima dell’orrore, Herman era sposato con Tamara, da cui aveva due figli, ma tutti e tre sono stati uccisi. Invece no. Tamara ritorna dal passato, per complicare la vita già complicata del protagonista. Romanzo sull’amore come conflitto e interminabile menzogna, è una delle migliori letture di quest’anno.
Anjelica Huston è Tamara, la moglie #1, colei che torna dal mondo dei morti.
È prima di tutto una storia di ebrei devastati dalla Shoah. Mi hanno colpito molto questi Stati Uniti di fine anni ’40 e inizio anni ’50 popolati da ebrei sopravvissuti ai campi di concentramento e alle camere a gas, che si adoprano per ricostruirsi un’esistenza, che parte straziata e segnata da tormento spesso insanabile, o se non altro per convivere in qualche modo con ferite e lacerazioni.
Molti di loro anche sopravvissuti a Stalin: riusciti a scappare dai nazisti fuggivano in Russia nella speranza di essere in salvo, e solo troppo tardi scoprivano che invece…
E molti di loro sopravvissuti anche ai campi profughi che li accolsero alla liberazione dai lager, campi dove stazionavano a lungo prima di potersi imbarcare per il Nuovo Mondo.
Singer conosceva bene questo mondo, molto più di quanto abbia conosciuto la Shoah: perché, già nel 1935 era riuscito a mettersi in salvo raggiungendo il fratello Israel Joshua negli Stati Uniti, e ha quindi, per così dire, vissuto tutto l’orrore europeo ‘al sicuro’ dall’altra parte dell’oceano. Immagino si sentisse anche lui in qualche modo un sopravvissuto: o forse, soprattutto uno scampato.
Ora rimaneva in piedi, guardando, fuori, la via fiocamente illuminata, le foglie immote sugli alberi, il cielo che rifletteva le luci di Coney Island, i vecchi, uomini e donne, che avevano portato sedie intorno al portone e conversavano a non finire, come fa chi non ha più nulla in cui sperare.
Herman con Tamara e Yadwiga.
Il protagonista maschile Herman ha tre mogli: è un indeciso? Uno che non sa dire di no?
A me viene piuttosto da pensare che sia un uomo che sente molto forte il fascino dell’universo femminile, fino forse al punto di subirlo. E lo capisco bene, dal mio punto di vista non fa una piega.
Il film ha lo stesso titolo del romanzo, è del 1989, diretto da Paul Mazursky, che qui si vede sul set insieme a Ron Silver, Anjelica Huston e Margaret Sophie Stein.
Herman mi pare molto poco paragonabile all’Ulrich del capolavoro di Musil, e trovo che tirare in ballo a ogni piè sospinto l’espressione “uomo senza qualità” sia degno del flaubertiano leggendario Dictionnaire des idées reçues (un po’ come l’atmosfera “kafkiana”).
È indubbio che le virtù di Herman non spicchino particolarmente: la sua fantasia e carica erotica probabilmente – la sua conoscenza della filosofia, della religione e del pensiero umano in generale, anche – la sua bontà, quasi sicuramente. Accanto a tutto ciò va sottolineato quanto sia persona che sembra essenzialmente lasciarsi vivere, non scegliere, non decidere, incapace di prendere decisioni, non solo in ambito sentimentale, ma anche nella vita in genere (vedi alla voce lavoro). Un pusillanime?
Herman ha vissuto tre anni nascosto in un pagliaio, rischiando la vita, perché i nazisti erano tenaci, ostinati, continuavano a cercare gli ebrei anche in mezzo alla paglia. Ha perso un mondo, il suo mondo: può riuscire a trovarne un altro, uno nuovo?
Ha ragione Mario Fortunato, leggere questo romanzo è stata una gioia. Pura bellezza.
Andiamo dall’altra parte, la vista è migliore da lì è l’ultima battuta dello splendido film splendido del polacco Pawel Pawlikowski “Cold War”. E questa è l’inquadratura finale.
Herman e Yadwiga, la sua moglie #2, abitano a Coney Island.
Ah che piacere… che gioia leggere un vero romanzo, senza se e senza ma, un vecchio classico eccellente romanzo…: uno di quei bei romanzi d’antan, ben scritti, colti, indifferenti alle mode e ai generi, con molte cose da dire sul mondo ma senza gridarle a ogni giro di pagina, nessun desiderio di scandalo, e magari proprio per questo perturbanti, difficili da dimenticare – perché i buoni romanzi parlano sempre e soprattutto di noi, cioè delle nostre miserie, prendendoci a pesci in faccia ma senza scuse né fronzoli né compiacimenti.
Ron Silver è Herman.
Ho letto quanto precede su un numero dell’Espresso a firma Mario Fortunato.
E siccome Mario Fortunato è persona che stimo e apprezzo, ancor più come giornalista e critico letterario che come scrittore, e siccome, anche se non siamo sempre d’accordo, ho imparato a capire quando quello che dice può corrispondere al mio sentire, sono alfine approdato al mio primo Isaac Bashevis Singer. Romanzo che è tuttora da molti considerato il suo primo in terra a stelle e strisce, quando in realtà ce ne fu un altro prima di questo, Ombre sull’Hudson, ugualmente uscito prima a puntate, ugualmente scritto in yiddish e solo più tardi tradotto in inglese.
Lena Olin è Masha, la moglie #3, dall’irresistibile sensualità.
Mario Fortunato riassume così la trama:
La storia è quella di Herman, ebreo polacco scampato ai nazisti grazie a una connazionale contadina, Jadwiga, che ha sposato, lasciando con lei l’Europa per la New York dell’immediato dopoguerra. Nella Grande Mela, Herman, uomo senza qualità pur possedendone più d’una, conosce e si innamora di Masha, altra figura di scampata ai lager, nevrotica ed esigente, sensuale e minacciosa. In patria, prima dell’orrore, Herman era sposato con Tamara, da cui aveva due figli, ma tutti e tre sono stati uccisi. Invece no. Tamara ritorna dal passato, per complicare la vita già complicata del protagonista. Romanzo sull’amore come conflitto e interminabile menzogna, è una delle migliori letture di quest’anno.
Anjelica Huston è Tamara, la moglie #1, colei che torna dal mondo dei morti.
È prima di tutto una storia di ebrei devastati dalla Shoah. Mi hanno colpito molto questi Stati Uniti di fine anni ’40 e inizio anni ’50 popolati da ebrei sopravvissuti ai campi di concentramento e alle camere a gas, che si adoprano per ricostruirsi un’esistenza, che parte straziata e segnata da tormento spesso insanabile, o se non altro per convivere in qualche modo con ferite e lacerazioni.
Molti di loro anche sopravvissuti a Stalin: riusciti a scappare dai nazisti fuggivano in Russia nella speranza di essere in salvo, e solo troppo tardi scoprivano che invece…
E molti di loro sopravvissuti anche ai campi profughi che li accolsero alla liberazione dai lager, campi dove stazionavano a lungo prima di potersi imbarcare per il Nuovo Mondo.
Singer conosceva bene questo mondo, molto più di quanto abbia conosciuto la Shoah: perché, già nel 1935 era riuscito a mettersi in salvo raggiungendo il fratello Israel Joshua negli Stati Uniti, e ha quindi, per così dire, vissuto tutto l’orrore europeo ‘al sicuro’ dall’altra parte dell’oceano. Immagino si sentisse anche lui in qualche modo un sopravvissuto: o forse, soprattutto uno scampato.
Ora rimaneva in piedi, guardando, fuori, la via fiocamente illuminata, le foglie immote sugli alberi, il cielo che rifletteva le luci di Coney Island, i vecchi, uomini e donne, che avevano portato sedie intorno al portone e conversavano a non finire, come fa chi non ha più nulla in cui sperare.
Herman con Tamara e Yadwiga.
Il protagonista maschile Herman ha tre mogli: è un indeciso? Uno che non sa dire di no?
A me viene piuttosto da pensare che sia un uomo che sente molto forte il fascino dell’universo femminile, fino forse al punto di subirlo. E lo capisco bene, dal mio punto di vista non fa una piega.
Il film ha lo stesso titolo del romanzo, è del 1989, diretto da Paul Mazursky, che qui si vede sul set insieme a Ron Silver, Anjelica Huston e Margaret Sophie Stein.
Herman mi pare molto poco paragonabile all’Ulrich del capolavoro di Musil, e trovo che tirare in ballo a ogni piè sospinto l’espressione “uomo senza qualità” sia degno del flaubertiano leggendario Dictionnaire des idées reçues (un po’ come l’atmosfera “kafkiana”).
È indubbio che le virtù di Herman non spicchino particolarmente: la sua fantasia e carica erotica probabilmente – la sua conoscenza della filosofia, della religione e del pensiero umano in generale, anche – la sua bontà, quasi sicuramente. Accanto a tutto ciò va sottolineato quanto sia persona che sembra essenzialmente lasciarsi vivere, non scegliere, non decidere, incapace di prendere decisioni, non solo in ambito sentimentale, ma anche nella vita in genere (vedi alla voce lavoro). Un pusillanime?
Herman ha vissuto tre anni nascosto in un pagliaio, rischiando la vita, perché i nazisti erano tenaci, ostinati, continuavano a cercare gli ebrei anche in mezzo alla paglia. Ha perso un mondo, il suo mondo: può riuscire a trovarne un altro, uno nuovo?
Ha ragione Mario Fortunato, leggere questo romanzo è stata una gioia. Pura bellezza.
Andiamo dall’altra parte, la vista è migliore da lì è l’ultima battuta dello splendido film splendido del polacco Pawel Pawlikowski “Cold War”. E questa è l’inquadratura finale.
July 31, 2024
Me gustó la forma, pero no me satisfizo el conjunto. Me ha parecido una novela con demasiados altibajos, un tanto deshilvanada y, sobre todo, desaprovechada. La posibilidad de la felicidad es un don que se tiene o no se tiene. Esta historia de dos personas que no poseían ese don podría haber dado mucho más de sí.
May 19, 2024
Notes on 2nd reading
Herman Broder survives the Holocaust by hiding in a hayloft in Poland. When the war ends he marries the Polish peasant, Yadwiga, who hid him from the Nazis. Together they move to New York City, where the present action of the novel finds him suffering PTSD and thinking the Nazis are around every corner. Sex seems to be the only treatment for his death saturated soul. He is a hound, a chauvinist, and a bigamist.
He married Yadwiga after getting word that his wife, Tamara, had been murdered by the Nazis, along with their children. But then Tamara reappears in New York, without the children. The third wife, Masha, is the one he loves and who is furiously jealous of the peasant in Coney Island. All the main characters, not just Herman, have death saturated souls and are more or less demented by their violent experiences. Masha and Tamara — who unlike Herman both suffered in the death camps — upbraid Herman with a vitriol that must be read to be appreciated. The humor — to the extent a Holocaust survivor story can have one — is when the wives discover each other.
Here's another of Herman Broder's problems. He is stripped of all faith — for what God could have permitted the Holocaust — yet he is deeply marked by the traditions of Judaism.
"His pondering always brought him to the same conclusion: God (or whatever He may be) was certainly wise, but there was no sign of His mercy. If a God of mercy did exist in the heavenly hierarchy, then he was only a helpless godlet, a kind of heavenly Jew among the heavenly Nazis. As long as one does not have the courage to leave this world, one can only hide and try to get by...."(p. 123)
Singer was from a family of rabbis. An element of his writing is the literature and ritual of Judaism. In this book Herman is ghost writer (for an ambitious New York rabbi) with an on-again off-again relationship with the faith he had studied for so many years in Poland.
"At night he had taken stock of himself. He was deceiving Masha, Masha was deceiving him. Both had the same goal: to get as much pleasure as possible out of life in the few years left before darkness, the final end, an eternity without reward, without punishment, without will, would be upon them. Behind this Weltanschauung festered deception and the principle of "might is right." One could escape from this only by turning to God. And to what faith could he repair? Not to a faith which had, in the name of God, organized inquisitions, crusades, bloody wars. There was only one escape for him: to go back to the Torah, the Gemara, the Jewish books. What about his doubt? Even if one were to doubt the existence of oxygen, one would still have to breathe. One could deny gravity, but one would still have to walk on the ground. Since he was suffocating without God and the Torah, he must serve God and study the Torah. He rocked back and forth, intoning. . . . (p. 170)
Sad end.
——
Notes on 1st reading
It's 1948 or so, soon after the birth of Israel. Herman Broder, who is Jewish, lives in New York with the shiksa who saved him from the Holocaust. This woman, Yadwiga, a Polish peasant with calloused hands, hid him in a hayloft for four years. She brought him food. She carried away his waste. Naturally, when the war ends and he hears the terrible news that his wife and children were gunned down in a trench, he acts upon his gratitude and marries Yadwiga. He brings her to New York City. They settle in Coney Island. Herman, who has never been at ease in this world, even before the Nazis, is death saturated. And the sex act may be the only thing that can convince him he actually exists, for he is delusion-ridden, expecting Nazi tanks to appear on Broadway at any moment.
Moreover, he has what the psychologists call survival guilt. He regrets that he did not die in the war. Why is he alive? He is extremely unhappy, anxiety-ridden, and given to PTSD delusions in which the Nazis have invaded or are about to invade New York. His response to this condition is sex, lots of it. He sleeps around as much as he can. In addition to Yadwiga, in Brooklyn, he has Masha, in the Bronx. Both Masha and her mother are survivors, too. Eventually, by the novel's end, Herman is sleeping with and married to three women. Wherever he goes he plans an escape route, just in case. His experience during the war has rendered him Godless, yet he finds work writing devotional books and sermons for a local Rabbi, his training in the Talmud being deep. Most of the time however he is going from one woman's bed to the next. Yet he refuses to have any more children. No one, he believes, should have children in a world which allows them to be gunned down in trenches. That frustrated or blocked fertility/virility is the book's central metaphor.
There's something a little old fashioned about the book which I liked. The narrative is straightforward chronology. Singer avoids the use of flashbacks for the most part. Too, the story is steeped in the old-world shtetl values in which, of course, marriage was a holy and sacred trust. So I think some of the book worked as comedy for a previous generation in a way it no longer works for most present-day readers. Herman's fervid polygamy is a sign of his despair. But even with that bit of cultural comedy neutralized, there is much to impress. Singer has a compressed style which (translated from the Yiddish) is charmingly sustained. His spot-on characterizations run very deep. Enemies: A Love Story is a superb novel.
Herman Broder survives the Holocaust by hiding in a hayloft in Poland. When the war ends he marries the Polish peasant, Yadwiga, who hid him from the Nazis. Together they move to New York City, where the present action of the novel finds him suffering PTSD and thinking the Nazis are around every corner. Sex seems to be the only treatment for his death saturated soul. He is a hound, a chauvinist, and a bigamist.
He married Yadwiga after getting word that his wife, Tamara, had been murdered by the Nazis, along with their children. But then Tamara reappears in New York, without the children. The third wife, Masha, is the one he loves and who is furiously jealous of the peasant in Coney Island. All the main characters, not just Herman, have death saturated souls and are more or less demented by their violent experiences. Masha and Tamara — who unlike Herman both suffered in the death camps — upbraid Herman with a vitriol that must be read to be appreciated. The humor — to the extent a Holocaust survivor story can have one — is when the wives discover each other.
Here's another of Herman Broder's problems. He is stripped of all faith — for what God could have permitted the Holocaust — yet he is deeply marked by the traditions of Judaism.
"His pondering always brought him to the same conclusion: God (or whatever He may be) was certainly wise, but there was no sign of His mercy. If a God of mercy did exist in the heavenly hierarchy, then he was only a helpless godlet, a kind of heavenly Jew among the heavenly Nazis. As long as one does not have the courage to leave this world, one can only hide and try to get by...."(p. 123)
Singer was from a family of rabbis. An element of his writing is the literature and ritual of Judaism. In this book Herman is ghost writer (for an ambitious New York rabbi) with an on-again off-again relationship with the faith he had studied for so many years in Poland.
"At night he had taken stock of himself. He was deceiving Masha, Masha was deceiving him. Both had the same goal: to get as much pleasure as possible out of life in the few years left before darkness, the final end, an eternity without reward, without punishment, without will, would be upon them. Behind this Weltanschauung festered deception and the principle of "might is right." One could escape from this only by turning to God. And to what faith could he repair? Not to a faith which had, in the name of God, organized inquisitions, crusades, bloody wars. There was only one escape for him: to go back to the Torah, the Gemara, the Jewish books. What about his doubt? Even if one were to doubt the existence of oxygen, one would still have to breathe. One could deny gravity, but one would still have to walk on the ground. Since he was suffocating without God and the Torah, he must serve God and study the Torah. He rocked back and forth, intoning. . . . (p. 170)
Sad end.
——
Notes on 1st reading
It's 1948 or so, soon after the birth of Israel. Herman Broder, who is Jewish, lives in New York with the shiksa who saved him from the Holocaust. This woman, Yadwiga, a Polish peasant with calloused hands, hid him in a hayloft for four years. She brought him food. She carried away his waste. Naturally, when the war ends and he hears the terrible news that his wife and children were gunned down in a trench, he acts upon his gratitude and marries Yadwiga. He brings her to New York City. They settle in Coney Island. Herman, who has never been at ease in this world, even before the Nazis, is death saturated. And the sex act may be the only thing that can convince him he actually exists, for he is delusion-ridden, expecting Nazi tanks to appear on Broadway at any moment.
Moreover, he has what the psychologists call survival guilt. He regrets that he did not die in the war. Why is he alive? He is extremely unhappy, anxiety-ridden, and given to PTSD delusions in which the Nazis have invaded or are about to invade New York. His response to this condition is sex, lots of it. He sleeps around as much as he can. In addition to Yadwiga, in Brooklyn, he has Masha, in the Bronx. Both Masha and her mother are survivors, too. Eventually, by the novel's end, Herman is sleeping with and married to three women. Wherever he goes he plans an escape route, just in case. His experience during the war has rendered him Godless, yet he finds work writing devotional books and sermons for a local Rabbi, his training in the Talmud being deep. Most of the time however he is going from one woman's bed to the next. Yet he refuses to have any more children. No one, he believes, should have children in a world which allows them to be gunned down in trenches. That frustrated or blocked fertility/virility is the book's central metaphor.
There's something a little old fashioned about the book which I liked. The narrative is straightforward chronology. Singer avoids the use of flashbacks for the most part. Too, the story is steeped in the old-world shtetl values in which, of course, marriage was a holy and sacred trust. So I think some of the book worked as comedy for a previous generation in a way it no longer works for most present-day readers. Herman's fervid polygamy is a sign of his despair. But even with that bit of cultural comedy neutralized, there is much to impress. Singer has a compressed style which (translated from the Yiddish) is charmingly sustained. His spot-on characterizations run very deep. Enemies: A Love Story is a superb novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2019
Too much spoilers in reviews, but also in the synopsis, almost ruined this one for me.
1/3 of the reviews should be flagged! There's one reviewer who wrote, without inserting a spoiler alert : "The climax of the story is when he..."
I'm never going to read reviews again, before reading a work of fiction.
So if I don't "like" your review of a fiction book that's on my to read list, you now know why!
The story is rather far-fetched and dark, and the main character is extremely pathetic. Nonetheless it kept my interest, because it was so well-written. A story about human behavior, wartime memories, moral bankruptcy and destructive relationships.
1/3 of the reviews should be flagged! There's one reviewer who wrote, without inserting a spoiler alert : "The climax of the story is when he..."
I'm never going to read reviews again, before reading a work of fiction.
So if I don't "like" your review of a fiction book that's on my to read list, you now know why!
The story is rather far-fetched and dark, and the main character is extremely pathetic. Nonetheless it kept my interest, because it was so well-written. A story about human behavior, wartime memories, moral bankruptcy and destructive relationships.
December 29, 2023
هرمان برودر یهودی برای اینکه به دست نازیها نیفته توسط دختر خدمتکارشون در انبار علوفه مخفی شده و به این دختر خدمتکار مدیونه. زن و بچههاش به دست نازیها کشته شدن و در نهایت با همون دختر خدمتکار ازدواج میکنه و به آمریکا میاد. و این مقدمهی اتفاقاتی است که برای هرمان در آمریکا خواهد افتاد. داستان واقعا کشش و جذابیت خوبی داره و شما رو با خودش همراه میکنه و نکتهی منفیای که برای من داشت این بود که انگار نویسنده میخواست به هر ترتیبی که شده اسم تمام مراسمات و تعطیلات و مناسک یهودی رو در این رمان بیاره و این کمی اعصاب خرد کن بود.ه
November 4, 2020
“أي شخص يمر بما مررت به أنا لا يعود جزءً من العالم”
“إن الناس يعرفون القليل عما فعله النازيون، قطرة من محيط، ولا يعرف الناس عما فعله ستالين، ومازال يفعله، بل إن الذين يعيشون في روسيا لا يعرفون أيضَا القصة بأكملها”
“أنت تبصق على وجه العم سام عشر مرات في اليوم؛ يبتسم لك ابتسامة عريضة ويتحملك، ولكن حاول أن تمس استثماراته فعندئذ ينقلب إلى نمر”.
“أن الذين يحوزون أسرارًا يخونون أنفسهم، والإنسان خائن لنفسه”.
“إن كل أنثى تقيم في شركها الخاص تقوم بالنسج كالعنكبوت، وحين تجيء ذبابة تصطادها، وإذا لم تهرب امتصصن آخر قطرة من حياتك”.
“إن عشرة أعداء لا يمكنهم أن يؤذوا إنسانًا قدر ما يؤذي نفسه”.
“إن الحلم المشقوق لا يلتئم بخياطته”.
“أن البشر نازيون في سلوكهم تجاه المخلوقات، إذ يمثل الغرور الذي يتعامل به الإنسان مع الأنواع الأخرى أشد النظريات العنصرية تطرفًا، ويجسد المبدأ القائل بأن الحق للقوة”.
إسحق باشيفيس سنجر
“إن الناس يعرفون القليل عما فعله النازيون، قطرة من محيط، ولا يعرف الناس عما فعله ستالين، ومازال يفعله، بل إن الذين يعيشون في روسيا لا يعرفون أيضَا القصة بأكملها”
“أنت تبصق على وجه العم سام عشر مرات في اليوم؛ يبتسم لك ابتسامة عريضة ويتحملك، ولكن حاول أن تمس استثماراته فعندئذ ينقلب إلى نمر”.
“أن الذين يحوزون أسرارًا يخونون أنفسهم، والإنسان خائن لنفسه”.
“إن كل أنثى تقيم في شركها الخاص تقوم بالنسج كالعنكبوت، وحين تجيء ذبابة تصطادها، وإذا لم تهرب امتصصن آخر قطرة من حياتك”.
“إن عشرة أعداء لا يمكنهم أن يؤذوا إنسانًا قدر ما يؤذي نفسه”.
“إن الحلم المشقوق لا يلتئم بخياطته”.
“أن البشر نازيون في سلوكهم تجاه المخلوقات، إذ يمثل الغرور الذي يتعامل به الإنسان مع الأنواع الأخرى أشد النظريات العنصرية تطرفًا، ويجسد المبدأ القائل بأن الحق للقوة”.
إسحق باشيفيس سنجر
January 7, 2024
🕎 Singer explained that in writing this novel he interviewed a number of Holocaust survivors he knew since he himself had not gone through that hell as they had.
Behavior is so erratic in the novel I thought of how much shock and anxiety and PTSD the survivors of that genocide must have wrestled with the rest of their lives. Husbands annihilated. Wives annihilated. Children annihilated. Entire extended families wiped out. So, people married again, had new children, started new lives. But it could not have been easy. Memories of loss and trauma and fear do not just disappear. And I wondered about other genocides or near genocides in recent history (like Rwanda or Kosovo). How do people pick up and carry on when other human beings have ripped out their hearts?
The novel is so well written. Singer is such the story teller, poet and philosopher. Characters fight with God. They see snowfall and think of the snow falling in their souls. An animal is ritually slaughtered to celebrate a religious ceremony and they ask: what kind of God demands the killing of innocent animals for his honor and worship?
It left me ill at ease. The male lead, Herman, has three women in his life, hurts them all, makes a mess of everything, yet is obsessed with one. The obsession reminded me unpleasantly of Philip Carey’s situation in Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage, where there are four women, but he obsesses over the one who destroys him, Mildred Rogers.
However Herman, in this novel, is as destructive, or more destructive, than the woman he is consumed with. Not because he is vicious. But because he wants to do the right thing, over and over again, and agonizes that he does not do the right thing, over and over again. Part of this inability I attribute to the emotional and moral wreckage that occurred from hiding in a barn from Nazi patrols for three years, almost completely isolated, and constantly in fear for his life.
🕎 Nevertheless, Singer keeps you reading because the story is compelling, the characters crackle with life, the musings of Herman are so fascinating, and you wonder what will happen to them all, these survivors who have become important to you.
Behavior is so erratic in the novel I thought of how much shock and anxiety and PTSD the survivors of that genocide must have wrestled with the rest of their lives. Husbands annihilated. Wives annihilated. Children annihilated. Entire extended families wiped out. So, people married again, had new children, started new lives. But it could not have been easy. Memories of loss and trauma and fear do not just disappear. And I wondered about other genocides or near genocides in recent history (like Rwanda or Kosovo). How do people pick up and carry on when other human beings have ripped out their hearts?
The novel is so well written. Singer is such the story teller, poet and philosopher. Characters fight with God. They see snowfall and think of the snow falling in their souls. An animal is ritually slaughtered to celebrate a religious ceremony and they ask: what kind of God demands the killing of innocent animals for his honor and worship?
It left me ill at ease. The male lead, Herman, has three women in his life, hurts them all, makes a mess of everything, yet is obsessed with one. The obsession reminded me unpleasantly of Philip Carey’s situation in Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage, where there are four women, but he obsesses over the one who destroys him, Mildred Rogers.
However Herman, in this novel, is as destructive, or more destructive, than the woman he is consumed with. Not because he is vicious. But because he wants to do the right thing, over and over again, and agonizes that he does not do the right thing, over and over again. Part of this inability I attribute to the emotional and moral wreckage that occurred from hiding in a barn from Nazi patrols for three years, almost completely isolated, and constantly in fear for his life.
🕎 Nevertheless, Singer keeps you reading because the story is compelling, the characters crackle with life, the musings of Herman are so fascinating, and you wonder what will happen to them all, these survivors who have become important to you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2019
Confusi e infelici.
Sopravvissuti alla shoah. Esuli polacchi in America. Paese che accoglie ma che non è casa.
Vivere in una dimensione onirica, in cui si è quasi incapaci di distinguere tra presente e passato. Un passato che non dà tregua, un passato che ossessiona.
Non essere più in grado di rispettare i propri valori. Non essere più certi di niente. E continuare a sentire un senso di colpa e di inadeguatezza in tutte le situazioni tanto da essere incapace di negarsi ad alcuno.
Ed è così che il protagonista di questa storia, pur non volendo nuocere a nessuno, si trova contemporaneamente impegnato con tre donne.
La moglie, creduta morta nella shoa, improvvisamente ricomparsa come un fantasma dal passato.
La cameriera non ebrea, che con la sua devozione lo ha salvato da morte certa, sposata per gratitudine in seconde nozze.
L'amante, anch'essa ebrea e sopravvissuta alla shoah.
Si trova ad essere il ghost writer di un rabbino e scrivere per lui di un Dio compassionevole in cui non crede, a professare una religione che pur appartenendogli ed essendo parte di lui, non riesce più a condividere.
Un libro talmente disperato e pessimista che mi sembra impossibile parlarne con entusiasmo.
"La mia teoria è che il genere umano stia diventando peggiore, non migliore. Credo, per così dire, in un'evoluzione al contrario. L'ultimo uomo sulla terra sarà un criminale e un pazzo "
Sopravvissuti alla shoah. Esuli polacchi in America. Paese che accoglie ma che non è casa.
Vivere in una dimensione onirica, in cui si è quasi incapaci di distinguere tra presente e passato. Un passato che non dà tregua, un passato che ossessiona.
Non essere più in grado di rispettare i propri valori. Non essere più certi di niente. E continuare a sentire un senso di colpa e di inadeguatezza in tutte le situazioni tanto da essere incapace di negarsi ad alcuno.
Ed è così che il protagonista di questa storia, pur non volendo nuocere a nessuno, si trova contemporaneamente impegnato con tre donne.
La moglie, creduta morta nella shoa, improvvisamente ricomparsa come un fantasma dal passato.
La cameriera non ebrea, che con la sua devozione lo ha salvato da morte certa, sposata per gratitudine in seconde nozze.
L'amante, anch'essa ebrea e sopravvissuta alla shoah.
Si trova ad essere il ghost writer di un rabbino e scrivere per lui di un Dio compassionevole in cui non crede, a professare una religione che pur appartenendogli ed essendo parte di lui, non riesce più a condividere.
Un libro talmente disperato e pessimista che mi sembra impossibile parlarne con entusiasmo.
"La mia teoria è che il genere umano stia diventando peggiore, non migliore. Credo, per così dire, in un'evoluzione al contrario. L'ultimo uomo sulla terra sarà un criminale e un pazzo "
August 26, 2014
This novel achieves a remarkable feat in that it makes a love quadrangle among four ex-pat holocaust survivors seem both traumatic and sexy, rather than traumatic and even more traumatic. Herman is the (un)fortunate bigamist caught between his faithful peasant wife Yadwiga and runaway soul Masha as he struggles to adapt to his life of wartime memories and apparent freedom while ghostwriting Talmudic materials for a rabbi, despite having hurled God in the bucket—sort of. Later in the novel, his presumed-dead wife Tamara turns up to complete the quadrangle, making Herman’s struggle for sanity, stability, identity, whatever, even grizzlier. Singer’s novel is melancholy, tender, powerful and extremely entertaining and touches upon a fascinating historical milieu unfamiliar to this reader. Sensational prose.
November 29, 2016
Πολύ ωραία η γραφή του Singer. Όμορφη ιστορία, συμπαθείς πρωταγωνιστές.
Read
January 7, 2021From antic to tragic. Or pathetic -- as in pathos. But in the ordinary sense, too. Pathetic what happened to these people whose lives were upended by the Holocaust and by each other.
The set-up is that a Jewish man, Herman, living in New York with his wife, the Polish woman who saved him from the Nazis during the war, while conducting an affair with another survivor and working ... well, better not tell too much of the plot, since its unfolding is part of the fun and or shock value. The people are strange and entirely real, emerging without any magical realism as the plot unfolds. No magic needed since reality is strange enough on its own.
The picture of the time and place is real, too, as though you could reach out and touch it. Not so unfamiliar, although at the time the novel is set I was just a baby. Things have changed and sometimes remained the same.
I did notice that for most of the book, the women are seen through the lens of Herman, which suddenly changes at the tail end of the story.
Had no idea how it was going to end. Utterly unpredictable. Not a conventional ending but maybe a modicum of redemption, for some, at least. I could have used a tad more but the author must be saying nope it's not going to happen.
I looked the novel up on Wikipedia to check the date at which it was set since I didn't remember. The answer is 1949. I also discovered it was first published in The Jewish Daily Forward in 1966, then published in English in '72. Got a bad review from The New York Times! The book has also been made into a play, a movie, and an opera!
I found out elsewhere that although the author wrote in Yiddish he supervised his English translations. No translator listed. Early on, I was surprised, since the prose gives no indication of by being by anyone other than a native speaker.
The prose is occasionally poetic.
About two parakeets:
...and philosophical:
and biblical:
Trying to figure out Reality:
and
and
I was recently reading another book, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, where the characters were saved by discipline and organization.
And maybe more than one book on that point of order. The hapless Herman -- would he have resisted order in any universe? The terrible circumstances he survived didn't form him but exacerbated his characteristics.
I thought Singer wrote folk-sounding tales about shtetls. A lot I knew!
Addendum: decided to clear my rating. I didn't have the hard copy this time and I don't fully trust the narration in this case. Moreover, was listening in less than ideal circumstances. I think I may have missed out on the use of words, vocabulary and nuances, and, overall, on the full impact of the writing.
The set-up is that a Jewish man, Herman, living in New York with his wife, the Polish woman who saved him from the Nazis during the war, while conducting an affair with another survivor and working ... well, better not tell too much of the plot, since its unfolding is part of the fun and or shock value. The people are strange and entirely real, emerging without any magical realism as the plot unfolds. No magic needed since reality is strange enough on its own.
The picture of the time and place is real, too, as though you could reach out and touch it. Not so unfamiliar, although at the time the novel is set I was just a baby. Things have changed and sometimes remained the same.
I did notice that for most of the book, the women are seen through the lens of Herman, which suddenly changes at the tail end of the story.
Had no idea how it was going to end. Utterly unpredictable. Not a conventional ending but maybe a modicum of redemption, for some, at least. I could have used a tad more but the author must be saying nope it's not going to happen.
I looked the novel up on Wikipedia to check the date at which it was set since I didn't remember. The answer is 1949. I also discovered it was first published in The Jewish Daily Forward in 1966, then published in English in '72. Got a bad review from The New York Times! The book has also been made into a play, a movie, and an opera!
I found out elsewhere that although the author wrote in Yiddish he supervised his English translations. No translator listed. Early on, I was surprised, since the prose gives no indication of by being by anyone other than a native speaker.
The prose is occasionally poetic.
About two parakeets:
He placed himself firmly next to her on the perch, where they remained motionless til sunup, perhaps getting a taste of the great rest that comes with death, the redeemer of men and animals.
...and philosophical:
Masha was the best argument Herman knew for Schopenhauer's thesis that intelligence is nothing more than a servant of blind will.
and biblical:
Like the lean cows of Pharaoh's dream, the present had swallowed eternity.
Trying to figure out Reality:
Half of his people had been tortured and murdered, and the other half were giving parties.
and
In all the turmoil, there existed a plan engineered by the Powers who controlled human affairs.
and
He was willing to let the Powers lead him, whether they were called Chance or Providence or Tamara.
I was recently reading another book, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, where the characters were saved by discipline and organization.
And maybe more than one book on that point of order. The hapless Herman -- would he have resisted order in any universe? The terrible circumstances he survived didn't form him but exacerbated his characteristics.
I thought Singer wrote folk-sounding tales about shtetls. A lot I knew!
Addendum: decided to clear my rating. I didn't have the hard copy this time and I don't fully trust the narration in this case. Moreover, was listening in less than ideal circumstances. I think I may have missed out on the use of words, vocabulary and nuances, and, overall, on the full impact of the writing.
November 23, 2025
Tra i romanzi che ho letto di Isaac Bashevis Singer, “Nemici (una storia d’amore)” del 1966, pur non raggiungendo la qualità di “la Famiglia Muskat” e “La Fortezza”, è tuttavia un’ottima lettura che racconta lo straniamento degli ebrei riparati dall’Europa, in preda alla “pazzia” del nazismo, negli Stati Uniti dove si respira aria di libertà, di democrazia, di intraprendenza.
Protagonista del romanzo Herman Broder, un ebreo che salvatosi dell’olocausto grazie alla pietà di una ragazza polacca che lo ha tenuto nascosto durante tutta la durata del conflitto in un pagliaio, adesso si ritrova con lei, che ha sposato di nascosto per riconoscenza, a New York dove ancora non riesce a sentirsi integrato, dove si arrabatta a sbarcare il lunario con lavoretti saltuari per conto di un rabbino e si destreggia tra la difficile convivenza con la moglie che non ama e una giovane ebrea emancipata che ha promesso di sposare secondo la legge di Mosé.
Herman, protagonista scapestrato e funambolo di questo romanzo non sa che lo aspetta un duro confronto col suo passato, con la precarietà del suo presente e l’illusorietà di un futuro vagheggiato ma mai realmente scelto.
Romanzo che fin dalle prime pagine sa attrarre il lettore in una serie di acrobatiche avventure del protagonista che fa dell’indecisione e dell’irresolutezza il suo vivere quotidiano, forse il suo unico modo di sentirsi di nuovo libero e vitale.
Protagonista del romanzo Herman Broder, un ebreo che salvatosi dell’olocausto grazie alla pietà di una ragazza polacca che lo ha tenuto nascosto durante tutta la durata del conflitto in un pagliaio, adesso si ritrova con lei, che ha sposato di nascosto per riconoscenza, a New York dove ancora non riesce a sentirsi integrato, dove si arrabatta a sbarcare il lunario con lavoretti saltuari per conto di un rabbino e si destreggia tra la difficile convivenza con la moglie che non ama e una giovane ebrea emancipata che ha promesso di sposare secondo la legge di Mosé.
Herman, protagonista scapestrato e funambolo di questo romanzo non sa che lo aspetta un duro confronto col suo passato, con la precarietà del suo presente e l’illusorietà di un futuro vagheggiato ma mai realmente scelto.
Romanzo che fin dalle prime pagine sa attrarre il lettore in una serie di acrobatiche avventure del protagonista che fa dell’indecisione e dell’irresolutezza il suo vivere quotidiano, forse il suo unico modo di sentirsi di nuovo libero e vitale.
June 2, 2019
I found this book in Antikvariaatti Hagelstam in Helsinki. I had no introduction to this author but for a few reviews here on GR.
Turned out to be a great choice.
The main character in the story appears to have resigned himself to somewhere between destined depression and suicidal actions.
The Wife
Herman is separated from his family during the Holocaust. He believes his children and wife Tamara were shot dead.
The Maid
He is hidden in a hayloft by Yadwiga their maid. Yadwiga is Polish and hence escapes suspicion and is able to keep him there for three years - feeding and taking care of him while keeping him out of the enemy’s sight. And she was their maid when life was normal. Three years later the war ends and they get married. And move to America ( New York).
The Mistress ( second wife )
Herman is not in control of himself ( throughout the book I felt ). He falls in love with Masha. She pushes him to get married as her husband has given her a divorce.
The Wife Redux ( possible third wife )
Meanwhile Tamara re appears -she was not shot but managed to escape and come to America.
The rest of the story goes on to an unexpected ending.
At every interaction with each - wife, maid and mistress - it appears that Herman will end up choosing one of them and dropping the other two. And in each instance something happens that prevents it.
I found the story very detailed and well written. The characters were created to possibly show circumstances people found themselves in during and after the Holocaust.
While I liked the writing style though the conversations appeared abrupt and not realistic given the situations described. The three women who gave themselves yo him despite so many seeming infidelities from Herman appear surprisingly cheerful and sprightly to him and do not want to leave him. I found this odd. Does this really happen ? Maybe. This is from another era. And possibly this is how things happened.
I got this for one Euro in a used book store and that’s possibly why it was so interesting too.
Turned out to be a great choice.
The main character in the story appears to have resigned himself to somewhere between destined depression and suicidal actions.
The Wife
Herman is separated from his family during the Holocaust. He believes his children and wife Tamara were shot dead.
The Maid
He is hidden in a hayloft by Yadwiga their maid. Yadwiga is Polish and hence escapes suspicion and is able to keep him there for three years - feeding and taking care of him while keeping him out of the enemy’s sight. And she was their maid when life was normal. Three years later the war ends and they get married. And move to America ( New York).
The Mistress ( second wife )
Herman is not in control of himself ( throughout the book I felt ). He falls in love with Masha. She pushes him to get married as her husband has given her a divorce.
The Wife Redux ( possible third wife )
Meanwhile Tamara re appears -she was not shot but managed to escape and come to America.
The rest of the story goes on to an unexpected ending.
At every interaction with each - wife, maid and mistress - it appears that Herman will end up choosing one of them and dropping the other two. And in each instance something happens that prevents it.
I found the story very detailed and well written. The characters were created to possibly show circumstances people found themselves in during and after the Holocaust.
While I liked the writing style though the conversations appeared abrupt and not realistic given the situations described. The three women who gave themselves yo him despite so many seeming infidelities from Herman appear surprisingly cheerful and sprightly to him and do not want to leave him. I found this odd. Does this really happen ? Maybe. This is from another era. And possibly this is how things happened.
I got this for one Euro in a used book store and that’s possibly why it was so interesting too.
March 23, 2011
I loved this book because it scared the apathy out of me about living as only still being there, and letting anything that happens happen (que sera, sera gone horribly wrong). I've done nothing as the shit hits the fan. Unfortunately, wake-up calls don't last long before I hit the snooze button once again...
I loved this book because it made me laugh. (It's scary that I can view my own hopelessly absurd mistakes as, "Oh, yeah, I'm quite a character," with an affectionate head shake. See, lack of reality again. Then the overwhelming self-hatred comes back to play. It's that not-real feeling that nothing is gonna matter anyway.) Laugh about one of the worst fates that could lie ahead: dying inside. I'm not laughing, I'm crying.
Why care about anything? You can die tomorrow. I have no idea why anybody else should care. The answers aren't coming, not to the best of my star-gazing ability (is that an asteroid readying to destroy everything?) or shoe-gazing (the ground is opening up to swallow me whole). I still do and yet I could still understand Herman's inability to move forward. Because feeling something isn't the same as planning for the future.
I loved this book because it made me laugh. (It's scary that I can view my own hopelessly absurd mistakes as, "Oh, yeah, I'm quite a character," with an affectionate head shake. See, lack of reality again. Then the overwhelming self-hatred comes back to play. It's that not-real feeling that nothing is gonna matter anyway.) Laugh about one of the worst fates that could lie ahead: dying inside. I'm not laughing, I'm crying.
Why care about anything? You can die tomorrow. I have no idea why anybody else should care. The answers aren't coming, not to the best of my star-gazing ability (is that an asteroid readying to destroy everything?) or shoe-gazing (the ground is opening up to swallow me whole). I still do and yet I could still understand Herman's inability to move forward. Because feeling something isn't the same as planning for the future.
August 13, 2018
عشرة أعداء لا يمكنهم أن يؤذوا إنسان قدر ما يؤذي هو نفسه
،
إن القارئ لما وصل إلينا حتي الأن من إبداعات باشيفيس منذ العبد ويعقوبه مروراً بشوشا وتوستكها وصولاً لهرماننا ، يستشعر أننا أمام نسل واحد لأسرة واحدة الجد يعقوب وهم أحفاده فإن الشخصيات لتتشابه كثيراً لدرجة انك تشعر أنهم يتناسخون في أزمنة مختلفة ، ولكن يبرع إسحق في إظهار الشخصية تحت الظروف المختلفة من مذبحة القوزاق إلي ما قبل الحرب العالمية الثانية إلي ما بعد مذبحة اليهود من النازيين
يجعلنا إسحق سنجر نلقي نظرة علي اليهودي في كل زمن وما يؤثر فيه هذا الزمن
،
حتي لو إرتاب المرء في وجود الأكسجين ، فإنه يظل يتنفس ، وقد ينكر المرء الجاذبية ، لكنه يسير علي الأرض
وبما أنه يختنق بدون الإله والتوراة ، فإن عليه أن يطيع الإله ويدرس التوراة
اليهود ، المشتت عقلياً قبل أن يكون مشتت جغرافياً
هؤلاء يهود سنجر ، تري دائماً أنهم أشخاص أرهقتهم الفلسفة والتفكير في دين منغلق ومجتمع متشدد
فأما أن يكون الشخص مؤمن أو متزندق .. فتري منهم الشتات العقلي والإنحرافات الخلقية دائماً من بطل رواية سنجر
الذي يضع شخوصه تحت المجهر منتظراً منهم تصرفاتهم وردود أفعالهم ، ماذا تفعل الإبادة بأشخاص ؟
هل يظل الإيمان بداخل أشخاص رأوا الموت أمامهم وفي أولادهم وأهلهم ، أما كما نري يرون الإله مجرد إله سادي متعالي يغض النظر عن ما يحدث ، ومن هنا تتبلور أفكار هرمان التشاؤمية البعيدة عن الدين القريبة إلي الجحود ، فهو يعيش في مجتمع حيواني يظنه بدون إله ، ولكنه لا يري هذا أيضاً فهو دائماً في نفسه يشعر بوجود الدين والإله ويلجأ لهم
في قصة طريفة ، قصة شتات رجل في بلاد أمريكا بين ثلاث نساء تبدو القصة مسلسل أو فيلم رومانسي جميل
ولكن حذار أن تقع في الشرك ، فإن سنحر ليس بهذه السذاجة والمراهقة ، أن دائماً سنجر في قصصه يكتب كل ما يريد ، يطعمها بكل أفكاره الفلسفية والسياسية والدينية واللادينية في غطاؤها الرومانسي وهي أبعد من تكون عن قصة رومانسية ، نحن نري هنا الفقر والموت والغربة والشتات
يبرع سنجر دائماً في توظيف المرأة في قصته ، ومثل أن يعقوب يلازمنا ثلاث مرات بثلاث شخصيات وأسماء في أماكن وأزمنة مختلفة
تلازمنا أيضاً سارة وشوشيل ويادفيجا في ثلاث أزمنة بثلاث أسماء مختلفة - وأنا أتحدث عن شخصيات رواياته الثلاثة وليست تلك الرواية فقط - فدائماً ما لعبت المرأة وفي تلك القصة دور الفلاحة البسيطة التي تحب بإخلاص وببراءة ، والتي يستعجب هرمان كيف لإمرأة بهذه البساطة أن تعيش في تلك الحياة
وعندنا هنا أيضاً - تامارا - الشخصية الجديدة في رواية سنجر والتي لم تخربها المذبحة ولم تقتل الدين بداخلها فلا زالت يهودية بالرغم ما مرت به من مأساة
ولدينا ماشا تلك المرأة التي جعلتها المذبحة ساخطة علي الواقع والدين ومتخبطة الرأي والفكر ، تلك هي ملاك موت هرمان ، وشيطانه الذي لا يكف عن إغوائه والذي لا يستطيع أن يستغني عنه ، الرواية من الناحية الإجتماعية تستعرض لنا حياة اليهود في امريكا بعد الهجرة واللجوء وأيضاً تجعلنا نلقي الأسئلة بدون اجوبة كعادة سنجر ، وأن أكثر ما يعجبني في إسحق أنه يري أن الكل مذنب وأن الكل حيوان ، وأن الشر كامن بداخلنا ، وأننا ضحايا لأنفسنا قبل أن نكون ضحايا للغير .. وقد جاءت النهاية كعادته مفتوحة .. سؤال بدون إجابة ، ومصير مجهول
،
كل البشر نازيون في سلوكهم تجاه المخلوقات ، إذ يمثل الغرور الذي يتعامل به الإنسان مع الأنواع الأخري أشد النظريات العنصرية تطرفاً ، ويجسد المبدا الفائل بأن الحق للقوة
،
إن القارئ لما وصل إلينا حتي الأن من إبداعات باشيفيس منذ العبد ويعقوبه مروراً بشوشا وتوستكها وصولاً لهرماننا ، يستشعر أننا أمام نسل واحد لأسرة واحدة الجد يعقوب وهم أحفاده فإن الشخصيات لتتشابه كثيراً لدرجة انك تشعر أنهم يتناسخون في أزمنة مختلفة ، ولكن يبرع إسحق في إظهار الشخصية تحت الظروف المختلفة من مذبحة القوزاق إلي ما قبل الحرب العالمية الثانية إلي ما بعد مذبحة اليهود من النازيين
يجعلنا إسحق سنجر نلقي نظرة علي اليهودي في كل زمن وما يؤثر فيه هذا الزمن
،
حتي لو إرتاب المرء في وجود الأكسجين ، فإنه يظل يتنفس ، وقد ينكر المرء الجاذبية ، لكنه يسير علي الأرض
وبما أنه يختنق بدون الإله والتوراة ، فإن عليه أن يطيع الإله ويدرس التوراة
اليهود ، المشتت عقلياً قبل أن يكون مشتت جغرافياً
هؤلاء يهود سنجر ، تري دائماً أنهم أشخاص أرهقتهم الفلسفة والتفكير في دين منغلق ومجتمع متشدد
فأما أن يكون الشخص مؤمن أو متزندق .. فتري منهم الشتات العقلي والإنحرافات الخلقية دائماً من بطل رواية سنجر
الذي يضع شخوصه تحت المجهر منتظراً منهم تصرفاتهم وردود أفعالهم ، ماذا تفعل الإبادة بأشخاص ؟
هل يظل الإيمان بداخل أشخاص رأوا الموت أمامهم وفي أولادهم وأهلهم ، أما كما نري يرون الإله مجرد إله سادي متعالي يغض النظر عن ما يحدث ، ومن هنا تتبلور أفكار هرمان التشاؤمية البعيدة عن الدين القريبة إلي الجحود ، فهو يعيش في مجتمع حيواني يظنه بدون إله ، ولكنه لا يري هذا أيضاً فهو دائماً في نفسه يشعر بوجود الدين والإله ويلجأ لهم
في قصة طريفة ، قصة شتات رجل في بلاد أمريكا بين ثلاث نساء تبدو القصة مسلسل أو فيلم رومانسي جميل
ولكن حذار أن تقع في الشرك ، فإن سنحر ليس بهذه السذاجة والمراهقة ، أن دائماً سنجر في قصصه يكتب كل ما يريد ، يطعمها بكل أفكاره الفلسفية والسياسية والدينية واللادينية في غطاؤها الرومانسي وهي أبعد من تكون عن قصة رومانسية ، نحن نري هنا الفقر والموت والغربة والشتات
يبرع سنجر دائماً في توظيف المرأة في قصته ، ومثل أن يعقوب يلازمنا ثلاث مرات بثلاث شخصيات وأسماء في أماكن وأزمنة مختلفة
تلازمنا أيضاً سارة وشوشيل ويادفيجا في ثلاث أزمنة بثلاث أسماء مختلفة - وأنا أتحدث عن شخصيات رواياته الثلاثة وليست تلك الرواية فقط - فدائماً ما لعبت المرأة وفي تلك القصة دور الفلاحة البسيطة التي تحب بإخلاص وببراءة ، والتي يستعجب هرمان كيف لإمرأة بهذه البساطة أن تعيش في تلك الحياة
وعندنا هنا أيضاً - تامارا - الشخصية الجديدة في رواية سنجر والتي لم تخربها المذبحة ولم تقتل الدين بداخلها فلا زالت يهودية بالرغم ما مرت به من مأساة
ولدينا ماشا تلك المرأة التي جعلتها المذبحة ساخطة علي الواقع والدين ومتخبطة الرأي والفكر ، تلك هي ملاك موت هرمان ، وشيطانه الذي لا يكف عن إغوائه والذي لا يستطيع أن يستغني عنه ، الرواية من الناحية الإجتماعية تستعرض لنا حياة اليهود في امريكا بعد الهجرة واللجوء وأيضاً تجعلنا نلقي الأسئلة بدون اجوبة كعادة سنجر ، وأن أكثر ما يعجبني في إسحق أنه يري أن الكل مذنب وأن الكل حيوان ، وأن الشر كامن بداخلنا ، وأننا ضحايا لأنفسنا قبل أن نكون ضحايا للغير .. وقد جاءت النهاية كعادته مفتوحة .. سؤال بدون إجابة ، ومصير مجهول
،
كل البشر نازيون في سلوكهم تجاه المخلوقات ، إذ يمثل الغرور الذي يتعامل به الإنسان مع الأنواع الأخري أشد النظريات العنصرية تطرفاً ، ويجسد المبدا الفائل بأن الحق للقوة
March 10, 2018
إن تامارا علي حق...إننا لم نعد أحياء منذ زمن طويل.
رواية صعبة ...مرهقة ومربكة..بشخصيات عبثية حكم عليها بالتيه..شخصيات تدمرت وتحطمت منذ زمن طويل. لم يتبق منها سوي أشباح علي قيد الحياة.
رواية صعبة ...مرهقة ومربكة..بشخصيات عبثية حكم عليها بالتيه..شخصيات تدمرت وتحطمت منذ زمن طويل. لم يتبق منها سوي أشباح علي قيد الحياة.
January 30, 2025
“Cosa c’è scritto sul giornale?”
“Oh, hanno dichiarato una tregua, ma non durerà. Ricominceranno presto a combattere, quelle bestie. Non ne hanno mai abbastanza.”
“E dove succede?”
“In Corea, in Cina, non hai che da scegliere.”
“La radio ha detto che Hitler è ancora vivo.”
“Se un Hitler è morto, un milione di altri è pronto a prendere il suo posto.”
Fuggito a New York dopo la guerra, l’antieroe Herman Broder, polacco senza qualità, inquieto, timoroso, pessimista, codardo, tormentato da sensi di colpa, scrittore di sermoni per un sedicente rabbino, sempre senza soldi e impegnato a lottare tenacemente per la sopravvivenza, si ritrova ficcato in un ginepraio senza via d’uscita, conteso da tre donne: la nuova moglie, l’amante, la ex moglie che credeva morta e che invece riappare. È l’espediente per raccontarci le vite di alcuni ebrei scampati all’olocausto e avventurosamente riparati in America, un’America dura, gelida, sporca, inospitale, apparentemente popolata solo da moltitudini di profughi ebrei. Tutti i personaggi, ossessionati dalle persecuzioni subite, sono straordinari: sia quelli tormentati da interrogativi esistenziali e votati al suicidio, sia quelli ancora pieni di vitalità e passione, di voglia di amare, di litigare, di combattere, di concepire figli, di raccontare barzellette, di sperare nel comunismo. Sono meravigliose storie di sopravvivenza che si intrecciano, monologhi e dialoghi pieni di disperazione, eppure sempre venati di ironia, perfino, qua e là, di umorismo. Un perfetto compendio del cosiddetto stile ebraico, e una scrittura che è come un fiume in piena, un torrente che travolge il lettore, come travolge Broder, fino al rush che porta allo splendido finale.
Leggendo queste pagine non si può fare a meno di amare i protagonisti; poi ascolti certe voci di oggi, ebrei importanti, intellettuali, stimati, non solo israeliani, che non vogliono saperne di concedere la pace e la vita ai palestinesi, e non capisci più nulla di cosa sono gli esseri umani.
“Oh, hanno dichiarato una tregua, ma non durerà. Ricominceranno presto a combattere, quelle bestie. Non ne hanno mai abbastanza.”
“E dove succede?”
“In Corea, in Cina, non hai che da scegliere.”
“La radio ha detto che Hitler è ancora vivo.”
“Se un Hitler è morto, un milione di altri è pronto a prendere il suo posto.”
Fuggito a New York dopo la guerra, l’antieroe Herman Broder, polacco senza qualità, inquieto, timoroso, pessimista, codardo, tormentato da sensi di colpa, scrittore di sermoni per un sedicente rabbino, sempre senza soldi e impegnato a lottare tenacemente per la sopravvivenza, si ritrova ficcato in un ginepraio senza via d’uscita, conteso da tre donne: la nuova moglie, l’amante, la ex moglie che credeva morta e che invece riappare. È l’espediente per raccontarci le vite di alcuni ebrei scampati all’olocausto e avventurosamente riparati in America, un’America dura, gelida, sporca, inospitale, apparentemente popolata solo da moltitudini di profughi ebrei. Tutti i personaggi, ossessionati dalle persecuzioni subite, sono straordinari: sia quelli tormentati da interrogativi esistenziali e votati al suicidio, sia quelli ancora pieni di vitalità e passione, di voglia di amare, di litigare, di combattere, di concepire figli, di raccontare barzellette, di sperare nel comunismo. Sono meravigliose storie di sopravvivenza che si intrecciano, monologhi e dialoghi pieni di disperazione, eppure sempre venati di ironia, perfino, qua e là, di umorismo. Un perfetto compendio del cosiddetto stile ebraico, e una scrittura che è come un fiume in piena, un torrente che travolge il lettore, come travolge Broder, fino al rush che porta allo splendido finale.
Leggendo queste pagine non si può fare a meno di amare i protagonisti; poi ascolti certe voci di oggi, ebrei importanti, intellettuali, stimati, non solo israeliani, che non vogliono saperne di concedere la pace e la vita ai palestinesi, e non capisci più nulla di cosa sono gli esseri umani.
February 5, 2017
كان فيه مشهد في فيلم Fury
بين Brad pitt
و
Shia LaBeouf
المشهد كالتالي:
Brad: لو أحب الفرد الحياة، فحب الرب ليس بداخله؛ لأن كل ما في الحياة شهوة، شهوة الجسد، وشهوة العيون، وشهوة مجد الحياة ليس لحب الرب، بل لحب الدنيا..
Shia: الدنيا ملذاتها تزول، لكن من يؤدي إرادة الرب سيعيش للأبد.
Brad: للأبد.
دا يعتبر مشهد عن بعض الأسئلة الوجودية التي يسألها كل فرد لنفسه عندما يمر ببعض الظروف الصعبة والقاسية، وهنا في هذا الفيلم كانوا يمرون بنفس ظروف بطل الرواية وهي الحرب..
البطل هنا كان يهودي وتعرض للظلم النازي وقد أثر عليه باقي حياته
فقد عاش ثلاث سنين في مخزن تبن، والتي كانت تطعمه هي خادمة له من قبل...
الرواية تدور عن البطل وقد تزوج من البنت التي أطعمته وعاملته معاملة حسنة وكانت تفضله على نفسها
ولكنه أحب أخرى العشيقة وكانت سيئة للغاية فقد كرهتها
ولكن في ظروف غامضة اكتشف البطل أن زوجته الأولى على قيد الحياة
فأصبح يملك زوجتين وعشيقة وهذا مخالف في الدين اليهودي
فالزوجة الأولى يهودية والثانية ليست على الديانة اليهودية ولكنها دخلت فيها من أجل أن تملك طفل من البطل
والثاثلة العشيقة تزوجها أيضًا
قصة حب مثل أي قصة تحتوي على الحيرة في الاختيار
بين الزوجتين والعشيقة ولكن النهاية تليق بالجميع
وإذا تحدثنا عن الطرف الآخر بالرواية وهم عم وزوجة عم الزوجة الأولى الذين رضوا بما حدث وتخطوا هذه العقبة وهي الحرب ونتائجها
حيث كان يتسأل البطل عن كيف لهؤلاء الناس الذين عاشوا حياتهم في دمار أن يؤمنوا باالإله ورحمته؟
من الممكن أن نجد الإجابة في هذا الفيلم
وهو فيلم Life of Pie
I've lost my family!
I've lost everything!
I surrender!
What more do you want?
God, thank you for giving me my life.
رواية جميلة جدًا وقد أحببتها كثيرًا
والترجمة رائعة
وتحتوي على كثير من الأسئلة الوجودية.
بين Brad pitt
و
Shia LaBeouf
المشهد كالتالي:
Brad: لو أحب الفرد الحياة، فحب الرب ليس بداخله؛ لأن كل ما في الحياة شهوة، شهوة الجسد، وشهوة العيون، وشهوة مجد الحياة ليس لحب الرب، بل لحب الدنيا..
Shia: الدنيا ملذاتها تزول، لكن من يؤدي إرادة الرب سيعيش للأبد.
Brad: للأبد.
دا يعتبر مشهد عن بعض الأسئلة الوجودية التي يسألها كل فرد لنفسه عندما يمر ببعض الظروف الصعبة والقاسية، وهنا في هذا الفيلم كانوا يمرون بنفس ظروف بطل الرواية وهي الحرب..
البطل هنا كان يهودي وتعرض للظلم النازي وقد أثر عليه باقي حياته
فقد عاش ثلاث سنين في مخزن تبن، والتي كانت تطعمه هي خادمة له من قبل...
الرواية تدور عن البطل وقد تزوج من البنت التي أطعمته وعاملته معاملة حسنة وكانت تفضله على نفسها
ولكنه أحب أخرى العشيقة وكانت سيئة للغاية فقد كرهتها
ولكن في ظروف غامضة اكتشف البطل أن زوجته الأولى على قيد الحياة
فأصبح يملك زوجتين وعشيقة وهذا مخالف في الدين اليهودي
فالزوجة الأولى يهودية والثانية ليست على الديانة اليهودية ولكنها دخلت فيها من أجل أن تملك طفل من البطل
والثاثلة العشيقة تزوجها أيضًا
قصة حب مثل أي قصة تحتوي على الحيرة في الاختيار
بين الزوجتين والعشيقة ولكن النهاية تليق بالجميع
وإذا تحدثنا عن الطرف الآخر بالرواية وهم عم وزوجة عم الزوجة الأولى الذين رضوا بما حدث وتخطوا هذه العقبة وهي الحرب ونتائجها
حيث كان يتسأل البطل عن كيف لهؤلاء الناس الذين عاشوا حياتهم في دمار أن يؤمنوا باالإله ورحمته؟
من الممكن أن نجد الإجابة في هذا الفيلم
وهو فيلم Life of Pie
I've lost my family!
I've lost everything!
I surrender!
What more do you want?
God, thank you for giving me my life.
رواية جميلة جدًا وقد أحببتها كثيرًا
والترجمة رائعة
وتحتوي على كثير من الأسئلة الوجودية.
March 29, 2025
Titulo: Enemigos: Una historia de amor
Autor: Isaac Bashevis Singer
Motivo de lectura: #PopSugarReadingChallenge2025
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Físico / Electrónico: Electrónico
Mi edición: —
Puntuación: 3/5
Estos libros son difíciles de calificar, por que básicamente es la miseria humana en todo su esplendor.
Los personajes son todos desagradables, en distinta medida, ya sea desde la posición de victimario y hasta la posición de victimización.
Pero si tuviera que decir, el protagonista se lleva el premio de mayor desagradable. Herman es un hipócrita religioso, en el sentido de las acciones moralistas, cuando algo involucra placer, no tiene problemas en involucrarse hasta en situaciones que traspasan todo límite, pero cuando llega el momento de ser responsable con sus acciones, recuerda a Dios y se escuda en eso.
Si alguien es religioso genuinamente..perfecto, pero ser religioso cuando te conviene...ahí ya estamos hablando de otra cosa, de la utilización de la religión como método de escape a la responsabilidad.
La trama es básicamente girar en un loop de tristeza, de desazón, de desesperanza.
El libro está bien escrito, yo no logre conectar con la historia.
Autor: Isaac Bashevis Singer
Motivo de lectura: #PopSugarReadingChallenge2025
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Físico / Electrónico: Electrónico
Mi edición: —
Puntuación: 3/5
Estos libros son difíciles de calificar, por que básicamente es la miseria humana en todo su esplendor.
Los personajes son todos desagradables, en distinta medida, ya sea desde la posición de victimario y hasta la posición de victimización.
Pero si tuviera que decir, el protagonista se lleva el premio de mayor desagradable. Herman es un hipócrita religioso, en el sentido de las acciones moralistas, cuando algo involucra placer, no tiene problemas en involucrarse hasta en situaciones que traspasan todo límite, pero cuando llega el momento de ser responsable con sus acciones, recuerda a Dios y se escuda en eso.
Si alguien es religioso genuinamente..perfecto, pero ser religioso cuando te conviene...ahí ya estamos hablando de otra cosa, de la utilización de la religión como método de escape a la responsabilidad.
La trama es básicamente girar en un loop de tristeza, de desazón, de desesperanza.
El libro está bien escrito, yo no logre conectar con la historia.
March 25, 2024
As for love, these professionals used the word as if it were capable of clear definition - when no one had yet discovered its true meaning.
I do not know how I felt about this book, is it three stars? Five stars? No stars? I am still not sure.
Enemies, A Love Story has a really compelling premise -- Herman is a Jewish WWII refugee living in New York. He spent the war hidden away in the hay barn of his once housemaid Yadwiga. After the war, the two marry and immigrate to America, where he works doing research for a Rabbi. Unsurprisingly, Herman is still very much effected by the war. Everywhere he goes he is planning an escape route, picking out potential weapons, plotting out how he would survive, where he would hide.
But Herman also has Masha, his mistress, who lives with her devout mother in the Bronx. Like Herman, Masha is experiencing post-war PTSD. When the German's invaded Poland, Masha was separated from her mother and sent to live in a Jewish Ghetto. She cannot sleep, she is smoking constantly, she drinks heavily, she talks of death.
But Herman also had a life before the invasion of Poland, one in which he was already married and had two children. Herman had heard that his wife, Tamara, and their two children had been killed, shot by a German bullet, but when Tamara unexpectedly turns up in New York looking for him, things get very complicated.
This is truly a story about Herman trying to find himself after the atrocities of the war. In each woman, we see a different possible version of Herman. Yadwiga represents duty -- she saved Herman's life and kept him alive during the war, and for that he owes her a life debt. Yadwiga converts to Judaism, she focuses on becoming a devout honorable wife to Herman. After the war she turns to religion.
Masha represents assimilation and love (or at least lust -- because despite what the blurb reads I do not believe Herman actually loves any of these women). Masha is a modern woman, she wants to live her life as the American's do, she wants to forget about the war and the horrors that still haunt her. After the war she turns to the future.
Finally Tamara. Throughout the book she is referred to as Herman's 'angel'. She is, perhaps, not a representation of a different version of Herman, but rather a personification of Herman's own guilt, and his voice of reason.
It is clear which path Herman thinks he should take, time and again he swears off his earthly pleasures (including his affair with the captivating Masha) and tries to focus on his work and his wife, but time and again he returns to Masha. Herman clearly has no desire to live a life rooted in the past -- this is made evident by the fact that he never attempted to find Tamara after the war, and perhaps also why he cannot fully commit to Yadwiga- she reminds him too much of those years spent in hiding.
Herman is constantly blaming his flaws on the women in his life -- He cannot be faithful to Yadwiga because Masha does not leave him alone. He was not a good husband to Tamara because Tamara was too unwieldy. He cannot remain with Yadwiga because Yadwiga suffocates him. Never does Herman acknowledge his own role in the lives of these women. He spends the entirety of the book running from any concrete decisions, trying to placate everyone.
Herman's philosophical struggles were thought provoking, his attempt to find meaning in a life that felt meaningless; why did he survive, how would he fit into this new world?
Singer is a talented writer, the characters were vivid, the prose beautiful and yet also digestible. I did not like Herman -- I am not sure you are meant to like Herman -- but regardless this was an interesting read and I did enjoy myself. 3 stars.
I do not know how I felt about this book, is it three stars? Five stars? No stars? I am still not sure.
Enemies, A Love Story has a really compelling premise -- Herman is a Jewish WWII refugee living in New York. He spent the war hidden away in the hay barn of his once housemaid Yadwiga. After the war, the two marry and immigrate to America, where he works doing research for a Rabbi. Unsurprisingly, Herman is still very much effected by the war. Everywhere he goes he is planning an escape route, picking out potential weapons, plotting out how he would survive, where he would hide.
But Herman also has Masha, his mistress, who lives with her devout mother in the Bronx. Like Herman, Masha is experiencing post-war PTSD. When the German's invaded Poland, Masha was separated from her mother and sent to live in a Jewish Ghetto. She cannot sleep, she is smoking constantly, she drinks heavily, she talks of death.
But Herman also had a life before the invasion of Poland, one in which he was already married and had two children. Herman had heard that his wife, Tamara, and their two children had been killed, shot by a German bullet, but when Tamara unexpectedly turns up in New York looking for him, things get very complicated.
This is truly a story about Herman trying to find himself after the atrocities of the war. In each woman, we see a different possible version of Herman. Yadwiga represents duty -- she saved Herman's life and kept him alive during the war, and for that he owes her a life debt. Yadwiga converts to Judaism, she focuses on becoming a devout honorable wife to Herman. After the war she turns to religion.
Masha represents assimilation and love (or at least lust -- because despite what the blurb reads I do not believe Herman actually loves any of these women). Masha is a modern woman, she wants to live her life as the American's do, she wants to forget about the war and the horrors that still haunt her. After the war she turns to the future.
Finally Tamara. Throughout the book she is referred to as Herman's 'angel'. She is, perhaps, not a representation of a different version of Herman, but rather a personification of Herman's own guilt, and his voice of reason.
It is clear which path Herman thinks he should take, time and again he swears off his earthly pleasures (including his affair with the captivating Masha) and tries to focus on his work and his wife, but time and again he returns to Masha. Herman clearly has no desire to live a life rooted in the past -- this is made evident by the fact that he never attempted to find Tamara after the war, and perhaps also why he cannot fully commit to Yadwiga- she reminds him too much of those years spent in hiding.
Herman is constantly blaming his flaws on the women in his life -- He cannot be faithful to Yadwiga because Masha does not leave him alone. He was not a good husband to Tamara because Tamara was too unwieldy. He cannot remain with Yadwiga because Yadwiga suffocates him. Never does Herman acknowledge his own role in the lives of these women. He spends the entirety of the book running from any concrete decisions, trying to placate everyone.
Herman's philosophical struggles were thought provoking, his attempt to find meaning in a life that felt meaningless; why did he survive, how would he fit into this new world?
Singer is a talented writer, the characters were vivid, the prose beautiful and yet also digestible. I did not like Herman -- I am not sure you are meant to like Herman -- but regardless this was an interesting read and I did enjoy myself. 3 stars.
October 6, 2014
This is a deeply uncomfortable book. The story is a mix between Holocaust tragedy and 70`s bedroom farce delivered in a unblemished package of beautiful prose. The book goes from a discussion of ones children being shot to how do you make sure your mistress doesnt find out about your first wife coming back into your life while you placate your second wife. Actually I am not entirely sure if it is meant to be a comedy so I am really just going off the blurb on the back on this one. I found the juxtaposition of three deeply traumatized women stumbling around the equally traumatized Broder, whose magnetic attraction for all these women is never really explained, in a love square that alternated between the mundane and the grotesque pretty awful.
Perhaps this was the very point Singer was making that those who survived were not saints and led lives as imperfect and mundane as any human in the aftermath.
Perhaps this was the very point Singer was making that those who survived were not saints and led lives as imperfect and mundane as any human in the aftermath.
December 6, 2019
کتاب دشمنان با محوریت زندگی هرمان برودر؛ یک لهستانی فراری به نیویورک، داستان یهودیان پناهنده به جامعه آمریکا را شرح می دهد.
یهودیانی که هنوز خاطرات شکنجه و روزهای اسارت به وسیله نازی ها و کشت و کشتار، دست از سر آنها برنداشته و گاه باعت فروپاشی روانی و احساس پوچی در آنها می شود و...
گرچه بخش اعظم کتاب به خاطر بیان مسائل و مشکلات یهودیان در گدشته و حال، کمي تلخ و دردناک است. اما در عین حال نحوه برخورد هرمان با اتفاقاتی که رخ می دهند، باعث مضحک شدن فضای داستان می شود.
کتاب دشمنان با اینکه دارای ترجمه روان و دلنشینی است، ولی نیاز به ویرایش هم دارد.
دشمنان، آیساک باشویس سینگر، احمد پوری، نشر باغ نو، چاپ اول 1393
یهودیانی که هنوز خاطرات شکنجه و روزهای اسارت به وسیله نازی ها و کشت و کشتار، دست از سر آنها برنداشته و گاه باعت فروپاشی روانی و احساس پوچی در آنها می شود و...
گرچه بخش اعظم کتاب به خاطر بیان مسائل و مشکلات یهودیان در گدشته و حال، کمي تلخ و دردناک است. اما در عین حال نحوه برخورد هرمان با اتفاقاتی که رخ می دهند، باعث مضحک شدن فضای داستان می شود.
کتاب دشمنان با اینکه دارای ترجمه روان و دلنشینی است، ولی نیاز به ویرایش هم دارد.
دشمنان، آیساک باشویس سینگر، احمد پوری، نشر باغ نو، چاپ اول 1393
August 4, 2020
Veoma volim Singera, njegov način pisanja. Blaga ironija, teške teme protkane humorom i optimističnim pogledom na tematiku koja bi, da nije pisana njegovim perom, vjerovatno bacala u depresiju. Ovo njegovo djelo doživjela sam veoma posebno. Iako je roman u pitanju, sve vrijeme imam utisak da čitam dramu ili da posmatram pozorišnu predstavu. Svakako preporučujem ovo književno djelo sa likovima koji se urezuju u pamćenje.
January 10, 2019
« Nemici », ultima pubblicazione di casa Adelphi relativa alla riscoperta dell’opera di Isaac Bashevis Singer, è stata una lettura che mi ha davvero sorpresa.
Il sottotitolo vuole dare una precisa indicazione al lettore: «Una storia d’amore». Eppure quella che mi sono trovata davanti è una storia che declina l’amore in maniera del tutto particolare, nella maniera più bella, forse.
L’amore per la libertà, o meglio, la libertà attraverso l’amore.
Ma andiamo con ordine.
Herman, il protagonista, si è salvato dallo sterminio nazista grazie a Jadwiga, la cameriera della sua famiglia, che per tre anni lo ha nascosto nel fienile di casa sua nutrendolo, lavandolo e curandolo.
Dopo la guerra,sposatala quasi per gratitudine, si è trasferito a New York insieme a lei.
Eppure Herman non è mai davvero uscito da quel fienile, da allora non è mai più stato libero.
La cattività e la paura sono diventati parti integranti del suo essere e l’unica cura possibile sembra quella di evadere attraverso le bugie.
Tutte le relazioni di Herman, sia amorose che lavorative, sono basate sulla menzogna.
Solo nel fuggire da una situazione spiacevole, ricorrendo all’ennesima bugia, sembra provare una momentanea sensazione di libertà e vittoria, l’unica possibile.
E mentre la storia procede verso la resa dei conti finale, il ritmo della narrazione diventa sempre più incalzante, trascinando il lettore in un vortice dal quale non vorrebbe mai liberarsi.
Altro elemento interessante è, poi, il fatto che in questo romanzo si apre una finestra sulla quotidianità della vita degli ebrei sopravvissuti.
Le difficoltà di convivere con un trauma indelebile, infatti, sono solitamente poco indagate dalla letteratura.
Unico -bellissimo- esempio riscontrato fin’ora è Maus di Art Spiegelman.
Il sottotitolo vuole dare una precisa indicazione al lettore: «Una storia d’amore». Eppure quella che mi sono trovata davanti è una storia che declina l’amore in maniera del tutto particolare, nella maniera più bella, forse.
L’amore per la libertà, o meglio, la libertà attraverso l’amore.
Ma andiamo con ordine.
Herman, il protagonista, si è salvato dallo sterminio nazista grazie a Jadwiga, la cameriera della sua famiglia, che per tre anni lo ha nascosto nel fienile di casa sua nutrendolo, lavandolo e curandolo.
Dopo la guerra,sposatala quasi per gratitudine, si è trasferito a New York insieme a lei.
Eppure Herman non è mai davvero uscito da quel fienile, da allora non è mai più stato libero.
La cattività e la paura sono diventati parti integranti del suo essere e l’unica cura possibile sembra quella di evadere attraverso le bugie.
Tutte le relazioni di Herman, sia amorose che lavorative, sono basate sulla menzogna.
Solo nel fuggire da una situazione spiacevole, ricorrendo all’ennesima bugia, sembra provare una momentanea sensazione di libertà e vittoria, l’unica possibile.
E mentre la storia procede verso la resa dei conti finale, il ritmo della narrazione diventa sempre più incalzante, trascinando il lettore in un vortice dal quale non vorrebbe mai liberarsi.
Altro elemento interessante è, poi, il fatto che in questo romanzo si apre una finestra sulla quotidianità della vita degli ebrei sopravvissuti.
Le difficoltà di convivere con un trauma indelebile, infatti, sono solitamente poco indagate dalla letteratura.
Unico -bellissimo- esempio riscontrato fin’ora è Maus di Art Spiegelman.
February 7, 2009
I read this because a respected columnist in the WSJ said is was one of the books every American interested in the history and development of this country should read.
This was copyrighted in 1972 and at that time it probably was considered to be "cutting edge" writing. Frankly, I was bored and occasionally irritated.
This is the story of a small group of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust trying to adapt and make their way in America -- a country so vastly different from the European countries and cultures they came from that it's no wonder they became delusional, pathetic and just plain weird.
Or, maybe, they were just plain weird to start with.
I did not like (actually I think I came close to hating) the main character -- a man who through all sorts of schemes, but mostly his own stupidity and lack of control came to be married to three women at once.
I did not like the three women either. They were either dumb, dull or manipulative to the point of making me want to scream at them.
The story was actually interesting but the characterizations and constant Yiddish dialogue and manner of speaking kept bringing me out of the story to try to make sense of it all. The constant back-and-forth made for irritating reading.
This is a quick read so if you're interested in American history after World War II, it might be worth your time. The book is long out of print so you'll have to find it through a rare book dealer. The paperback I found cost about $10 so it wasn't a huge investment.
This was copyrighted in 1972 and at that time it probably was considered to be "cutting edge" writing. Frankly, I was bored and occasionally irritated.
This is the story of a small group of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust trying to adapt and make their way in America -- a country so vastly different from the European countries and cultures they came from that it's no wonder they became delusional, pathetic and just plain weird.
Or, maybe, they were just plain weird to start with.
I did not like (actually I think I came close to hating) the main character -- a man who through all sorts of schemes, but mostly his own stupidity and lack of control came to be married to three women at once.
I did not like the three women either. They were either dumb, dull or manipulative to the point of making me want to scream at them.
The story was actually interesting but the characterizations and constant Yiddish dialogue and manner of speaking kept bringing me out of the story to try to make sense of it all. The constant back-and-forth made for irritating reading.
This is a quick read so if you're interested in American history after World War II, it might be worth your time. The book is long out of print so you'll have to find it through a rare book dealer. The paperback I found cost about $10 so it wasn't a huge investment.
April 25, 2019
“Abbandonerò tutti!”
E’ un “topos” frequente, nella narrativa e nelle sceneggiature cinematografiche (Martin Guerre, Sommersby e altri), quello del reduce presunto morto che rientra dalla guerra e scopre una condizione familiare rivoluzionata e poco o nulla propensa a riaccoglierlo. Nel romanzo di Isaac B. Singer la situazione è capovolta: è la moglie, sfuggita all’Olocausto, che a Brooklyn ricompare d’improvviso allo sciagurato protagonista che, tanto per non farsi mancare nulla, nel frattempo si è rifatto non solo una famiglia, ma addirittura due! Con le conseguenze immaginabili ma anche quelle imprevedibili…
La cifra distintiva di Nemici, una storia d’amore è il contrasto fra la situazione grottesca e paradossale sopra descritta, quasi il canovaccio per una pochade, e la profonda lacerazione interiore da cui tutti i personaggi del romanzo sono afflitti a causa delle ferite, i lutti, le privazioni della guerra, i campi di concentramento, gli anni vissuti da braccati e imboscati.
Herman Broder il protagonista, ma non solo lui, continua a vedere nazisti dappertutto, è ossessionato dal nascondersi, dall’essere catturato e riportato in Polonia, dall’impossibilità di condurre un’esistenza che non sia concepita in fuga e “alla giornata” e questa è la radice psicologica del suo procedere ondivago fra mogli, lavori, case, strade senza mai trovare soddisfazione né pace, preda degli impulsi momentanei e contraddittori che si accavallano nella sua mente tormentata, fino alla decisione finale, tanto inattesa quanto logica (vedi titolo di questo commento…).
E’ un “topos” frequente, nella narrativa e nelle sceneggiature cinematografiche (Martin Guerre, Sommersby e altri), quello del reduce presunto morto che rientra dalla guerra e scopre una condizione familiare rivoluzionata e poco o nulla propensa a riaccoglierlo. Nel romanzo di Isaac B. Singer la situazione è capovolta: è la moglie, sfuggita all’Olocausto, che a Brooklyn ricompare d’improvviso allo sciagurato protagonista che, tanto per non farsi mancare nulla, nel frattempo si è rifatto non solo una famiglia, ma addirittura due! Con le conseguenze immaginabili ma anche quelle imprevedibili…
La cifra distintiva di Nemici, una storia d’amore è il contrasto fra la situazione grottesca e paradossale sopra descritta, quasi il canovaccio per una pochade, e la profonda lacerazione interiore da cui tutti i personaggi del romanzo sono afflitti a causa delle ferite, i lutti, le privazioni della guerra, i campi di concentramento, gli anni vissuti da braccati e imboscati.
Herman Broder il protagonista, ma non solo lui, continua a vedere nazisti dappertutto, è ossessionato dal nascondersi, dall’essere catturato e riportato in Polonia, dall’impossibilità di condurre un’esistenza che non sia concepita in fuga e “alla giornata” e questa è la radice psicologica del suo procedere ondivago fra mogli, lavori, case, strade senza mai trovare soddisfazione né pace, preda degli impulsi momentanei e contraddittori che si accavallano nella sua mente tormentata, fino alla decisione finale, tanto inattesa quanto logica (vedi titolo di questo commento…).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this witty tale of a man caught between two wives and a neurotic mistress; as well of a man paranoid that the Nazis are constantly following him. Bordering on the verge of camp, and a witty and satirical look at marriage and the absurdity of American convention and religious tradition, it's a definite must read for those who enjoy comedy of the human condition. The characters, Herman; his two wives, Tamara and Yadwiga, and the neurotic mistress, Masha are all fully formed, funny, sad and tragic human beings we all could relate to. I especially loved his first wife, Tamara who starts out by all accounts a shrill and vile harridan in the tradition of early Bette Davis roles; but transforms quietly into a pragmatic and strong survivor of wills.
August 27, 2016
لعل تلك الرواية من أكثر الروايات المعقدة عاطفيا التي قرأتها في حياتي . قصة البولندي الذي يهاجر ويترك بلده هربا من النازية وهتلر بعد اقتناعة بان زوجته واولاده قد ماتوا واثناء حياتة في أمريكا يجد نفسة في وضع عاطفي غاية في الغرابة : ف هو يعيش بصحبة امرأه بولندية غير يهودية لانها انقذت حياته ويجد نفسة مدينا لها بالبقاء معها لانها لاتستطيع العيش بمفردها في أمريكا .
ويتخذ لنفسة عشيقة يهودية غريبة الطباع ويقع في حبها ويقرر الزواج منها .
قبل أن تكتمل الأحداث بأكتشافة بان زوجته علي قيد الحياه وانها موجوده كذلك في امريكا !!
رواية مميزة ولا أخفي إعجابي باسحق سنجر الذي كانت دوما كل رواياته في المستوي المطلوب
ويتخذ لنفسة عشيقة يهودية غريبة الطباع ويقع في حبها ويقرر الزواج منها .
قبل أن تكتمل الأحداث بأكتشافة بان زوجته علي قيد الحياه وانها موجوده كذلك في امريكا !!
رواية مميزة ولا أخفي إعجابي باسحق سنجر الذي كانت دوما كل رواياته في المستوي المطلوب
June 19, 2019
شایعه شده که نفسهای آخر این برنامه برای ایرانیهاست؛ گفتم آخرین کتابی را که این اواخر خواندهام اینجا بگذارم.
دشمنان دومین کاری بود که از سینگر خواندهام. سینگر روایتگر قَدَریست. ساختمان داستانهایش براساس روابط بین انسانهاست. داستانْ عاشقانه است. مردی یهودی که زن و بچههایش را نازیها میکشند و خودش سه سال در انبار کاهی پنهان میشود. زنده میماند، همراه منجیاش که زمانی خدمتکارشان بود به آمریکا سفر میکنند. در پی زندگی جدید. اما هر چهقدری که از گذشته فرار میکند، گذشته اصلا او را رها نمیکند. تا آخرش آن خوف و ترس مرگی که در آن انبار کاه داشت با او میماند.
دشمنان دومین کاری بود که از سینگر خواندهام. سینگر روایتگر قَدَریست. ساختمان داستانهایش براساس روابط بین انسانهاست. داستانْ عاشقانه است. مردی یهودی که زن و بچههایش را نازیها میکشند و خودش سه سال در انبار کاهی پنهان میشود. زنده میماند، همراه منجیاش که زمانی خدمتکارشان بود به آمریکا سفر میکنند. در پی زندگی جدید. اما هر چهقدری که از گذشته فرار میکند، گذشته اصلا او را رها نمیکند. تا آخرش آن خوف و ترس مرگی که در آن انبار کاه داشت با او میماند.
July 3, 2008
A fascinating read. The idea that the best and most pious Jews died in the Holocaust and the unscrupulous and dishonest were the natural survivors is fascinating. It seems somewhat blashphemous, but Singer pulls it off by having these broken, half-dead-by their-own-admissions characters wracked with survivors' guilt and trying to make sense of their lives. My only complaint is the over-emoting, purple prose that slips in and makes the narrative overblown at times.
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