Gimpel the Fool and Other Stories
I.B. Singer
I wasn't completely sure what to make of this collection at first, but after reading the whole thing, I'm finding myself strangely moved and in contemplation about the characters. If there's one thing to be said about Singer's work, it's that it is very real, which is particularly strange given the presence of spirits in many of these stories. What's important, though, is that these spirits aren't kitschy, aren't there simply to lurk about and become an easy way to make bad things happen to good people. The spirits function more as elements of challenge, as a means by which the Jews of Singer's shtetls are forced to look at themselves and their faith and come to a conclusion.
Singer's devils even narrate some of the stories, but they are never overbearing, always just themselves. Singer's exploration of these spirits adds life and a sense of unique perspective to these stories, forcing the reader to think while reading without asking too much of the reader. None of these stories can simply be taken at face value, but the characters don't realize that, for they are as elaborately human as their author and the reader. The characters fall and fail, doubt God and return, much as real people do. Singer's Jews give a good sense of the inner workings of Polish Jewry prior to the Second World War, and his fictional towns engulf the reader, who is in turn lost.
The stories are generally short in length, with the longest standing at only thirty pages, but each is just long enough to accomplish its purpose. Singer's prose is so rich, even in translation, that an elaborate physical setting isn't necessary or even desirable in these stories. Each is a glimpse into the world of its main characters, spirit or human, and each follows the spiritual development of its characters with remarkable depth and layers of complexity.
This collection is coherent and is truly an experience of prewar Jewish life. Singer knows his world and his characters inside and out, and through his work we find that even in modern-day America stories of tried and tested faith are relevant and emotionally moving. We are left to question our own actions and our own lives, our own interactions with the spirit world. But perhaps these spirits aren't physical at all. Perhaps the devils are within us. Singer leaves the reader wondering but completely satisfied.
Grade: A
I.B. Singer
I wasn't completely sure what to make of this collection at first, but after reading the whole thing, I'm finding myself strangely moved and in contemplation about the characters. If there's one thing to be said about Singer's work, it's that it is very real, which is particularly strange given the presence of spirits in many of these stories. What's important, though, is that these spirits aren't kitschy, aren't there simply to lurk about and become an easy way to make bad things happen to good people. The spirits function more as elements of challenge, as a means by which the Jews of Singer's shtetls are forced to look at themselves and their faith and come to a conclusion.
Singer's devils even narrate some of the stories, but they are never overbearing, always just themselves. Singer's exploration of these spirits adds life and a sense of unique perspective to these stories, forcing the reader to think while reading without asking too much of the reader. None of these stories can simply be taken at face value, but the characters don't realize that, for they are as elaborately human as their author and the reader. The characters fall and fail, doubt God and return, much as real people do. Singer's Jews give a good sense of the inner workings of Polish Jewry prior to the Second World War, and his fictional towns engulf the reader, who is in turn lost.
The stories are generally short in length, with the longest standing at only thirty pages, but each is just long enough to accomplish its purpose. Singer's prose is so rich, even in translation, that an elaborate physical setting isn't necessary or even desirable in these stories. Each is a glimpse into the world of its main characters, spirit or human, and each follows the spiritual development of its characters with remarkable depth and layers of complexity.
This collection is coherent and is truly an experience of prewar Jewish life. Singer knows his world and his characters inside and out, and through his work we find that even in modern-day America stories of tried and tested faith are relevant and emotionally moving. We are left to question our own actions and our own lives, our own interactions with the spirit world. But perhaps these spirits aren't physical at all. Perhaps the devils are within us. Singer leaves the reader wondering but completely satisfied.
Grade: A
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