The Finkler Question
by Howard Jacobson
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used; Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 1408818469
- ISBN 13
- 9781408818466
- Seller
-
Milton Keynes , Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
2 Copies Available from This Seller
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
Howard Jacobson is a British journalist and author. He is best known for writing comic novels that often revolve around the dilemmas of British Jewish characters. He is the 2010 winner of the Man Booker prize for The Finkler Question. This novel takes on the challenges of love, male friendship and loss as it explores the relationship between a radio producer and philosopher, while questioning what it means to be Jewish today. It’s described as a bright, witty novel with some of the most sharply intelligent writing to date. The book follows the character of Julian Treslove, once of the BBC and now earning a living as a celebrity lookalike. Treslove is not Jewish but, in simple terms, the narrative details his love affair with an intense inquiry into what Jewishness means – politically, socially, economically, romantically, intellectually, emotionally, culturally, musically and so on. He wants to be part of something vast and ageless, something abounding and intense. In short, he is trying to become Jewish.
Reviews
The Finkler Question is the fourteenth book by Howard Jacobson, and winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize. There are three main characters: Julian Treslove, who wants to be a Jew; Sam Finkler, a Jew who is ashamed of Jews; and Libor Sevcik, a Czech Jew who is grieving the loss of his wife. This unlikely trio have known one another for many years, and in the first part, each looks back on events in their lives. The second part concerns the events after Julian is mugged, he believes, for being a Jew, and introduces a new love interest for him, a Jewess names Hephzibah, someone he feels is his destiny. This novel is very slow-moving, there is very little in the way of plot and while some of the dialogue is clever, amusing or even thought-provoking, many of the characters are difficult to relate to. Perhaps to fully appreciate this book, one would need to be a Jewish intellectual, preferably a British one. Lots of Jewish angst, talk of foreskins, anti-Semitic violence and Holocaust denial. This Man Booker Prizewinner fails to impress.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Brit Books Ltd (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3715386
- Title
- The Finkler Question
- Author
- Howard Jacobson
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used; Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 2
- ISBN 10
- 1408818469
- ISBN 13
- 9781408818466
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Place of Publication
- London
- This edition first published
- 2011
Terms of Sale
Brit Books Ltd
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