Status
Available
Collections
Publication
dtv Verlagsgesellschaft (2002), 272 pages
Description
Rudolf II, king of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, is paranoid, spendthrift, and wayward. In sixteenth-century Prague, seat of Christendom, he rules over an empty treasury and a court of parasites and schemers. Meanwhile in the ghetto, the Great Rabbi, mystic and seer, guides his people in the uneasy cohabitation of Jew and Christian, while the fabulously wealthy financier Mordechai Meisl has a hand in transactions across Europe and is reputed to be sustaining the treasury. His beautiful wife, Esther, forms a link of a different sort between the castle and the ghetto: by night under the stone bridge, she and the emperor entwine in their dreams under the guise of a white rosemary bush and a red rose. Only by severing the two plants can the Great Rabbi break the spell of forbidden love and deliver the city from the wrath of God. Perutz brings Old Prague to life with a cast of characters ranging from alchemists to the angel Asael, and including the likes of Johannes Kepler and the outlaw prince Wallenstein.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member DieFledermaus
This book is a series of linked stories. Each can be read on its own (though there are a couple that would leave you hanging if you didn’t know the previously-described relationships) but together they provide the links connecting the central characters – Rudolf II, the continually broke,
This book has a structure similar to The Swedish Cavalier and The Marquis of Bolibar, though those were continuous narratives. At the beginning – the end of the first story – a major plot point is revealed then the author takes his time in filling in all the details. There’s also a focus on the workings of fate – none of Perutz’s characters can escape their destiny. Sometimes “destiny” is a result of character – Kepler reads Wallenstein’s traits accurately and a series of coincidental events set Wallenstein on the road to his history-altering life. In another story – a sad man with a sad, unsuccessful life meets a sad end – he’s already an alchemist and there’s not much luck in that profession but his end is as unnoticed and pathetic as his life. Fate is other times represented by an impersonal force that can’t be denied. In one story, two eavesdroppers hear the names of the dead for that year read out – and the reader is left with the impression of no escape, no matter how much the characters try to laugh it off. In another, Rudolf has to get rid of a stolen coin and, trusting it to fate, simply drops it and follows it to its inevitable end. The third manifestation of inexorable fate involved malevolent or supernatural forces of some sort. Sometimes this is due to the intervention of the Rabbi, but the intertwined fates of Rudolf and Meisl seem to predate his actions. Later on Meisl engineers his end – seeming to defy his destiny - but the outcome leads to generation of strife and Jarndyce-esque obsession in his family.
I enjoyed this as I did the other Perutz novels – he’s very effective at writing historical stories with modern touches in the form of narrative weirdness that’s not overdone (rather than anachronistic characters that seem more appropriate for the 20th/21st century). The stories are varied, interesting and can be tragic or humorous. Also, after reading them, I want more Perutz.
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sometimes crazy, sometimes sharp King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, Rabbi Loew – the Great Rabbi, he of Golem fame, and Mordechai Meisl, an enigmatic rich Jew. Besides Rudolf and Lowe, other historical characters make an appearance - Johannes Kepler and Wallenstein. The stories vary quite a bit in mood and topic, though they generally stick to the time period of Rudolf’s reign and the period after. This book has a structure similar to The Swedish Cavalier and The Marquis of Bolibar, though those were continuous narratives. At the beginning – the end of the first story – a major plot point is revealed then the author takes his time in filling in all the details. There’s also a focus on the workings of fate – none of Perutz’s characters can escape their destiny. Sometimes “destiny” is a result of character – Kepler reads Wallenstein’s traits accurately and a series of coincidental events set Wallenstein on the road to his history-altering life. In another story – a sad man with a sad, unsuccessful life meets a sad end – he’s already an alchemist and there’s not much luck in that profession but his end is as unnoticed and pathetic as his life. Fate is other times represented by an impersonal force that can’t be denied. In one story, two eavesdroppers hear the names of the dead for that year read out – and the reader is left with the impression of no escape, no matter how much the characters try to laugh it off. In another, Rudolf has to get rid of a stolen coin and, trusting it to fate, simply drops it and follows it to its inevitable end. The third manifestation of inexorable fate involved malevolent or supernatural forces of some sort. Sometimes this is due to the intervention of the Rabbi, but the intertwined fates of Rudolf and Meisl seem to predate his actions. Later on Meisl engineers his end – seeming to defy his destiny - but the outcome leads to generation of strife and Jarndyce-esque obsession in his family.
I enjoyed this as I did the other Perutz novels – he’s very effective at writing historical stories with modern touches in the form of narrative weirdness that’s not overdone (rather than anachronistic characters that seem more appropriate for the 20th/21st century). The stories are varied, interesting and can be tragic or humorous. Also, after reading them, I want more Perutz.
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LibraryThing member jburlinson
A masterwork from an, up until recently, underappreciated author of the mid-20th century. The book is constructed as a series of short stories, each self sufficient independently, that, collectively, slowly piece together an overarching narrative that takes over 3 centuries to play itself out. The
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characters are an amalgam of historical personages, folktale personalities, and fictive inventions. It probably shouldn't be a surprise that the historical characters are the most bizarre (Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emporer; Albrecht von Wallenstein). IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR PLEASURE SPOILED: Do not, under any circumstances, read the note on the dust jacket before reading the novel. This is one of the most unconscionable examples of blurb abuse I've ever encountered. Show Less
LibraryThing member raizel
Surprisingly (to me) this is a book with magic and Rabbi Judah Loew and Rudolf II, but no golem. It is also a translation from the German. Harder to translate are Jewish symbols: I guess that "spicy applesauce" is the Charoset---chopped apples, nuts, wine, cinnamon are some possible
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ingredients---which is served at the Passover seder. Show Less
LibraryThing member Castlelass
Published in 1953, this book is a series of interrelated short stories set in Prague in the late 1500s to early 1600s. The plot revolves around the attempt to cure the ills of the city, avoiding a perceived curse put upon it. There is no single protagonist, and various characters appear in multiple
They include:
- Rudolf II (1552 – 1612), a real person, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor
- the Great Rabbi, leader of the Jewish community
- Mordechai Meisl, a moneylender
- Esther, Meisl’s wife, who has a secret link to the castle
- Koppel-the-Bear and Jäckele-the-Fool, a pair of city dwellers who bring levity to the narrative
The stories are portrayals of Bohemian myths and legends. For me, the highlight of the book is bringing the old city of Prague to life, replete with alchemists, superstitions, religious differences, methods of making a living, and the dissolute state of affairs at the castle. There is even a cameo appearance by Johannes Kepler. The writing is lyrical. It is creative and the stories are nicely knit together.
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stories. They include:
- Rudolf II (1552 – 1612), a real person, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor
- the Great Rabbi, leader of the Jewish community
- Mordechai Meisl, a moneylender
- Esther, Meisl’s wife, who has a secret link to the castle
- Koppel-the-Bear and Jäckele-the-Fool, a pair of city dwellers who bring levity to the narrative
The stories are portrayals of Bohemian myths and legends. For me, the highlight of the book is bringing the old city of Prague to life, replete with alchemists, superstitions, religious differences, methods of making a living, and the dissolute state of affairs at the castle. There is even a cameo appearance by Johannes Kepler. The writing is lyrical. It is creative and the stories are nicely knit together.
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Language
Physical description
272 p.; 7.6 inches
ISBN
3423130253 / 9783423130257