The Messiah of Stockholm
- Book Review,
by CYNTHIA OZICK
From Publishers Weekly
With extraordinary polish and the attention to detail of a practiced firsthand observer, this excellent debut novel depicts one day during the North African campaign in World War II. Four men in a small tank, remnants of the British Second Armored Division destroyed by Rommel's elite troops, are caught behind enemy lines. Led by an expatriate American named Peter, an embittered veteran of the Spanish Civil War, the isolated tank team begins a treacherous retreat against seemingly impossible odds. Through a series of taut and utterly convincing battles and adventures, Borden graphically captures the feeling of the moment, with a precise sense of dialogue and an instinctive ability to dramatize the conflict. Permeated by a stinging irony, the work is distinguished by the dry, realistic voice of its protagonist, for, in Peter, Borden has created an unscrupulous soldier who has seen war in the least romantic of terms. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Lars Andeming, perhaps overly intellectual and certainly eccentric, is the Monday book reviewer for a Stockholm daily. He is also the self-proclaimed son of Bruno Schulz, a Polish writer who was executed by the Nazis before his last novel, The Messiah, could be published. When a manuscript of The Messiah mysteriously appears in Stockholm, in the possession of Schulz's "daughter," Lars's circumscribed world of paper, apartment, and favorite bookstore turns upside down, catapulting him into a whirlwind of dream, magic, and illusion. Ozick's linguistic agility and inventive imagination, while uniquely her own, remind one of Isaac B. Singer at his inventive best. Enthusiastically recommended for general fiction collections. Marcia G. Fuchs, Guilford Free Lib., Ct.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A truly intriguing mystery...Ozick brings off effects comparable to those of Isaac Bashevis Singer, who can persuade the reader to believe the incredible" -- D. J. Enright, The New York Review of Books
"An arresting, original puzzle of a novel...The orphan desperate to know his father, a familiar theme of fairy tales and myths, is made magical once again." -- People
"A spellbinding novel...The Messiah of Stockholm reaffirms Cynthia Ozick's position as one of the finest and most imaginative writers of our time." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Intrigues and entertains...weaves a tale that is richly, intensely imagined." -- Anne Tyler, The New Republic
"A striking book...Ozick writes with ferocious imaginative drive."
-- Boston Globe
"A magician...a literary alchemist...a brilliant wordsmith."
-- USA Today
Review
"A truly intriguing mystery...Ozick brings off effects comparable to those of Isaac Bashevis Singer, who can persuade the reader to believe the incredible" -- D. J. Enright, The New York Review of Books
"An arresting, original puzzle of a novel...The orphan desperate to know his father, a familiar theme of fairy tales and myths, is made magical once again." -- People
"A spellbinding novel...The Messiah of Stockholm reaffirms Cynthia Ozick's position as one of the finest and most imaginative writers of our time." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Intrigues and entertains...weaves a tale that is richly, intensely imagined." -- Anne Tyler, The New Republic
"A striking book...Ozick writes with ferocious imaginative drive."
-- Boston Globe
"A magician...a literary alchemist...a brilliant wordsmith."
-- USA Today
Book Description
A small group of Jews weave a web of intrigue and fantasy around a book reviewer's contention that he is the son of Borus Schultz, the legendary Polish writer killed by the Nazis before his magnum opus, THE MESSIAH, could be brought to light.
From the Inside Flap
A small group of Jews weave a web of intrigue and fantasy around a book reviewer's contention that he is the son of Borus Schultz, the legendary Polish writer killed by the Nazis before his magnum opus, THE MESSIAH, could be brought to light.
From the Back Cover
"A truly intriguing mystery...Ozick brings off effects comparable to those of Isaac Bashevis Singer, who can persuade the reader to believe the incredible" -- D. J. Enright, The New York Review of Books"An arresting, original puzzle of a novel...The orphan desperate to know his father, a familiar theme of fairy tales and myths, is made magical once again." -- People"A spellbinding novel...The Messiah of Stockholm reaffirms Cynthia Ozick's position as one of the finest and most imaginative writers of our time." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch"Intrigues and entertains...weaves a tale that is richly, intensely imagined." -- Anne Tyler, The New Republic"A striking book...Ozick writes with ferocious imaginative drive."-- Boston Globe"A magician...a literary alchemist...a brilliant wordsmith."-- USA Today
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