Solomon Gursky Was Here

As a point of reference, I have read all of Richler's major works and a few of his early novellas. This was written after Richler's sexual obsession or British phase and he tells a broad multi-generational story about rich and poor Jews spread out across Canada in time and space. They are found in places as diverse as the Artic, to Winnipeg, to Montreal, both rich Jews and poor, but most of the characters are related by family ties. Following on from the very liberated Cocksure and the well written St, Urbain's Horseman, we see a much more down to earth and literary Richler. Here he has attempted to create a family epic novel that covers multiple generations going back to 1850 or so. In the opening chapter, Richler demonstrates his literary talent for interesting prose. Modecai Richler (1931 to 2001) grew up in Montreal and that city is the setting for many of his stories - but not all. Many of his novels are about Jews living in Canada and Britain post WWII. He is best known for his tales of life in and around St. Urbain Street. That is an area of three story buildings or walk up row houses located just east of the mountain in Montreal, and north of the commercial center of the city. At one time this was the center of Jewish immigrant life. Many Jews coming to Montreal started there but then moved on to Outrement, Hamstead, and other districts. His father was a scrap dealer and he graduated from a heavily Jewsih high school, Baron Byng High School, which has other famous alumni including William Shatner of Star Trek fame. Some of the local establishments such as Schwartz's Deli on St. Laurent are still in business. He uses much of those biographical experiences in the book. His break out novel is the present novel Duddy Kravitz which is still a great read whether you have seen the movie or not. Also, I like his last book, Barney's Vision, which is probably his most balanced and best written piece of work. That novel lacks the edge and drama of Duddy Kravitz. Along the way, he experimented with different themes and the use of sex in the plots, and usually he did that with a lot of humor as in Cocksure. This book is among his best works but not the best. For the present novel, the story is the story is about a family spread over many generations in Canada. It has a few twists and turns and tentative links with mysterious birds, but in the end it is mostly a conventional story. My only complaint was that he seems to jump around a lot and sometimes the story is a bit hard to follow. In his later novel Barney's Version, he does a better job at presenting a coherent plot. Having said that, the present book does have interesting historical ties to Canadian history, and that will interest some readers. Many of his critics claim that he re-cycles his characters and deals only with one topic, but in general his books are far from the predictable and this book is another example. This is an unusual read. I found it a bit slow going, but 5 stars

In Christian mythology the Wandering Jew is a subject of scorn. Bereft of a homeland, this accursed wraith crosses the landscape again and again, often as not bringing some tragedy or distress in his wake. Seen as the symbol of the Jewish Diaspora, the wanderer is the subject of suspicion, fear and accusation. This solitary and often tragic figure gives rise to repression and becomes the justification for unspeakable acts, of which the 20th Century Holocaust is merely the latest and best known. Mordecai Richler has given us an astonishing and riveting account of one of these wanderers as he might have appeared in North America. As a child, Montrealer Moses Berger encounters the Gursky family. It's the first step in what will become an almost heroic quest for the truth behind the Gursky family's shadowy ancestor, Ephraim Gursky and the grandson, Solomon, who accompanied him on a journey in Canada's North. Ephraim, against all reason, apparently shipped aboard the HMS Erebus with John Franklin's ill-starred expedition into the Arctic. Richler demonstrates the Christian attitude toward the Jews with accounts of the many searchers for Franklin's remains. Those necrophiles uniformly scoffed at the notion a Jew could have been aboard, let alone survived, since "all know" these urban dwellers wouldn't have the fortitude or presumption to attempt such a feat. The evidence, however, suggests . . . Richler has woven a rich tapestry with this mixture of invention and history. He does it so well that separating the threads of fact and fiction becomes an insurmountable task. And why not? He's given us a unique picture of the world's second largest nation. A fresh picture indeed, given that the nation of "two solitudes" conveniently forgets those of its number who are neither English nor French. If Ephraim Gursky sailed with Franklin and initiated a dynasty of Inuit Jews with such names as Gor-ski, Girskee, or Goorski. They wander, like their mentor, into the southern lands wearing, against all reason [again!] Jewish prayer shawls. They seem as homeless as their cantor, fulfilling, even in these outlandish circumstances, the Christian prejudice against wandering Jews. Homeless he may be, but rootless the Wandering Jew is not. No matter where they settled, the Jews brought an endless capacity for adaptation, seizing whatever opportunities emerged to assist in their survival. Wherever they settled, they viewed it as "the next best place". The homeland of Israel remained within their consciousness, but they would do the best they could in whichever land they occupied. In the Gursky's case, circumstances kept opportunity at bay until Americans, in a flush of Protestant fervour, enacted Prohibition, almost certainly one of the least honoured pieces of federal legislation ever enacted. This was the moment the Gursky clan was able to seize, starting from minimal beginnings to emerge as a mighty empire built fro

This book is among my favorites of all time. I have actually re-read it four times and each time I have found something new. Smith the dedicated anti-bootlegger and anti-corruption campaigner, comes through as a complete pain in the neck and don't you hate him. Solomon, the crook is a hero. A reader would hate to be like Moses Berger but is it not a sneaking regard that you are left with. It was great. And I'll read it again.

This is an extraordinary story of a Jewish Canadian family whose fame and wealth were born in the bootlegging era. It focuses on the middle brother - Solomon - and his unconventional life, how it was shaped by the legend of his grandfather Ephraim and how this life has come to haunt writer and habitual alcoholic Moses Berger. The Gurskys are all larger than life, but it is only as the novel progresses that the astounding story of Solomon, his brothers, their children and the quasi-mythical Ephraim are fully understood through the touchingly human eyes of Moses Berger, Solomon's self-appointed biographer and life-giver.

I started reading this book (being an Australian) knowing absolutely nothing about Canada or Canadian history, and having finished it I know a great deal more...though I am at a loss as to whether my new found knowledge is entirely factual!! None the less I thought that it was brilliant and recommend it to any one interested in an engaging, thoroughly enjoyable read!!