Customer Reviews

David Golder, The Ball, Snow in Autumn, The Courilof Affair (Everyman's Library (Cloth))

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There are many reasons for loving a book ... of course content, the manner in which the author has painted a picture for the reader, a love for the time period in which a story is set, perhaps a specific character - heaven knows - I have fallen in love with a protagonist in my younger days. With this book, aside from all the talent that the words spread on the pages, I love the book.

The paper is heavy weight - not glossy - not harsh. The ribbon bookmark reminds me of days when books were made this way ... I enjoyed reading this book because of the quality of the construction .... now on to the inside.

Nemirovsky has a way of developing the ghosts of one's past. Regardless of how well her characters do in life there seem to be parts of their beginnings that they cannot shed ... a genetic tattoo, a social ingraining that continues to come through regardless of how they change over the years.

I felt the pain of David Golder; I wanted to throw Mrs. Kampf to the dogs and delighted in the vision of little pieces of paper floating down the river; I could feel the heat of the wood burning stove and the cold of the chilling Russian wind in Snow in Autumn. Brilliantly written in simple language, if you are looking for paperback literature - this is NOT the book to read.

I am hypnotized by Nemirovsky's work and hope that you are too!

You get immersed right away into Nemirovskys' world. Right away with "The Ball" you get the discomfort rapport the mother and daughter have. "The Ball" is an absolute terrible tale and well rendered. Opening sentences are crucial, with "David Golder" you want to know what happens to this fellow, he is firm and refuses yet has remorse and is weak at the same time he manipulates and is manipulated. Once you let go the story about the author, we all know Irenes' terrible fate how she perished in the concentration camps, you are able to isolate and focus on her ability to write, she was not just an author, yes she published, she was a writer with a capital W. Words seem to land perfectly. A few sentences are absolutely beautiful. I stop and read again, several times over and over the same sentence to decorticate and learn to read again. How she describes lovers in bed, the intertwined legs and bodies, their shadow shown on the ceiling reveals the image of a bouquet of flowers. There is more, four short stories in this volume, but much more in her complete oeuvre, I urge any curious and avid prose lover to read and discover Irène Némirovsky.

While not as consistently good as "Suite Francais," this volume has as its best selections David Golder and The Courilof Affair. "Golder" is intriguing in that it was used by her husband in an attempt to free her from the concentration camp. An unflattering portrait of its title character, it begins with a scene that reminded me of the opening of "Citizen Cane." The closing story will please those fond of Kafka. It is rife with issues of ethics and government. The Everyman edition is also a very handsome volume.

I have almost finished this book and so far it is quite a compelling, interesting,with unusually fresh and insightful glimpses into many psychological facets of the characters portrayed. Her insight and portrayal of their psyche's is one that will be forever memorable to me. I particularly liked The Ball. I can readily see a teenage girl feeling and wanting to act the way that Antoinette did to avenge her mother's cruel treatment of her. The Snow In Autumn evokes feelings of sad longing for home and the past for a refugee.All in all, a remarkable and unforgettable book.

Irene Nemirovsky became a well-known author in the United States in 2006 with the posthumous publication of her novel "Suite Francaise," the last work she wrote before her untimely death in Auschwitz. The publication of the first two parts of "Suite Francaise" showcased a remarkable talent from a writer capable of capturing human nature in its most complex and conflicted forms. Yet while Nemirovsky may be a new name in today's publishing world, she was a recognized author in her day. Everyman's Library has published a collection of four short works into one volume, a brilliant testament of the talent and far-reaching scope Nemirovsky masterfully handled as an author.

"David Golder" was the novel that first established Nemirovsky's reputation in France when it was published in 1929. It is the tale of a wealthy old Jewish man, who, now that he is nearing the end of his life, is coming to terms with the greed of the world around him. He begins to realize that for all his wealth, he has always had to work to maintain a standard of living for his wife and daughter and those they entertain. Yet it has never made him happy. Before he dies, David Golder must examine his life and see if he has time to change course and fix the things he's done wrong.

Following "David Golder" are two short novellas, "The Ball" and "Snow in Autumn." "The Ball" is a quick paced gem of a story about the nouveau riche, a married couple who have raised themselves in society, but have not fully forgotten where they have come from. The mother is beastly towards her fourteen-year-old daughter and her servants, all as a means to show how far they have climbed in social stature. The mother wants to throw a ball to prove that they belong in society, but some unexpected and all too fitting events play out to put this family in its place. "Snow in Autumn" is about a wealthy Russian family forced to flee to France during the revolution, learning how to start over from nothing in a new world. It is told through the perspective of the children's nanny, who is unable to adapt to the new country and its strange weather. "Snow in Autumn" is a plaintive and sad story, its ending elegant and miserable at the same time.

The collection is capped off with "The Courilof Affair." This is another story of the Russian revolution, but told throw the eyes of a young revolutionary who has been trained to assassinate the Minister of Education. Masquerading as a doctor, the young assassin soon learns that everything is not cut and dried between who is good or bad and what is right or wrong. "The Courilof Affair" reads a bit like an espionage novel, and although its ending seems a bit rushed, it is an intriguing look at what people will do to fight for what they believe in.

The short novels collected in this edition are disparate stories, yet Nemirovsky deftly handled each as only a truly great writer could. It is a shame such a wonderful talent was destroyed, but Irene Nemirovsky's works still exist and are being rediscovered by a new generation. Besides the beauty of her words, the remarkable thing about Nemirovsky's works is their ability to speak to life in this present day. That is the mark of a master writer.

this collection of short stories by irene nemirovsky once again reveals her astute observations of humanity. all the stories are excellent,but SNOW IN AUTUMN stands out.this story of a servant of an aristocratic russian family at the time of the czar nicholas and the first world war,is absolutely beautiful and hearbreaking.i highly recommend this boook, and the beautiful edition by everyman's library,with a ribbon marker,is an added plus. don't hesitate to add this wonderful book to your collection.

After having been enchanted with Suite Francaise, I was hungry for more of her work. Though I enjoyed this collection of novellas, I found the Irene reflected in them not as winsome a character as the one I imagined in the author (and subject) of the novel. These stories seem too derivative, too much experiments in the style of Maupassant or O. Henry. I'm still glad I read them, and I regret that Nemirovsky did not live to write the rest of her amazing novel trilogy.

Let me start with one main point which is repeatedly mentioned by those who hate Nerirovsky:her so-called "anti-semitism".
The novel is based on true events and facts as she saw them.Her father was a banker and she witnessed the way this murky world was/is conducted.So was her husband's world.
Second,one has to be totally ignorant of the fact that there were many Jewish bankers and businessmen who were swindlers and crooks. Let me mention the case of Serge Stavisky who came from Russia and whose machinations,lies and fraudulent acts brought hundreds of thousands to the point of financial ruin,causing 250 million francs to disappear from their lives.The final result was his suicidde.
In addition,are you familiar with the name of Alfred Loewinstein who was also a conman?
Theses are but two examples and the list can go on and on.
The world of David Golder is not just a Jewish one but a satire on the unscrupulous world of financiers.
His world is limited,everyone hates him and he hates everyone- with the exception of his(?)daughter,Joyce.The other characters live in a secluded, gilded and false world where Mammon is their idol or God,like Soyfer who was hated and despised by everybody.His wife's world,the wife of Golder,Gloria(or Havke, as she was called in Russia)is a vain one,in which she lives, like her husband, for the sake of money and jewellry.
If you are still unconvinced,please read the marvellous biography by Philiponnat on Nemirovsky(see my review) and you will understand that Nemirovsky was describing the world as she saw it,in the naturalistic tradition of Zola or other great French writers.She was indeed critical of the behaviour of some Jews and she had all the right to do so.Is Balzac a French hater because he dared to criticize the world of his people?
This novel is extremely good and even if things repeat themselves,it has the literary purpose to make you sick of what you read,namely:the spiritual emptiness of her characters.
It is a pity that such a great talent was murdered at such a young age by the barbaric hordes of the Nazis.One can only surmise that if she had lived some more years, we would have wirnessed the birth of some additional masterspieces,such as "The French Suite".

That Irene Nemirovsky was a complicated, and probably conflicted, woman there seems little doubt. That she was a writer of astounding talent, there is no question at all. This wonderfully printed collection of four of her early writings by Everyman's Library is proof of just how elegant and knowing her prose was. The stories often reflect Nemirovsky's own striving background--a Russian Jew emigre with ambition to succeed at the highest levels of the French cultural and social scenes. This was a France that wasn't so far from the anti-semitic past of the Dreyfuss Affair. Nemirovsky's ambivalence about her Jewish roots is arguably a strong driving force in her stories.

The collection's first story, "David Golder", is a grim but poignant and eloquent tale of an aging banker (David Golder), who started life in an East European ghetto and climbed to great wealth and an haut bougeouis lifestyle that has become a pleasureless treadmill. Terrified of dying as his health fails rapidly, he breaks with his vapid and faithless wife and struggles to find some meaning in his life as well as some reason to go on living. Part and parcel of the man's inner turmoil is reflexive antagonism and scorn toward his fellow Jews, particularly if they are less well off financially or less French-assimilated. Ultimately, he sacrifices his health and future for his daughter, who is among literature's least deserving young women, in her unyielding self-absorption and demands for money. Author Nemirovsky somehow makes David Golder a quasi sympathetic figure despite the thinness of his humanity and blindness toward his daughter's failings. His inevitable death is presented in telling detail but not as a just outcome. It's a painful, but remarkable story.

"The Ball" is a short story that is meant to skewer the worst behavior of the Paris arriviste bourgeoisie and ends with a delicious irony. There is more than a little anti-semitism in the tone of the story, but it is even more a general condemnation of social climbing and lack of respect for one's roots.

"Snow in Autumn" is the story of an aristocratic Russian family that flees the Russian Revolution and tries to start life again in Paris. It is the loyal nanny, deeply religious family rock and center of this story, who proves unable to adapt to the new situation and suffers the consequences. The privileged members of the family somehow find their way in the new place.

Finally, "The Courilof Affair" is an amazing account of a Russian revolutionary who becomes part of the household of the aristocratic Tsarist government official he has been assigned to assassinate. This is a brilliant story with highly developed characters and a certain tension that makes it a kind of unexpected page-turner.

This book is a true showcase of Irene Nemirovsky's talents as a writer. There were aspects of her character that are still troubling to many, but her skill in observing and commenting on human behavior and in creating realistic character portraits is indisputable.

It is hard to fathom that David Golder, which established Irène Némirovsky's reputation when it was published in Paris in 1929, is by the same author as Suite Française, Némirovsky's brilliant, unfinished novel about the Nazi's invasion and occupation of France in 1940-41. Suite Française is a tour de force of scrutiny of complex human behavior amidst different levels of society, nationalities, and ages; by comparison, David Golder is insistently shallow because of its mono-dimensional characters. If the painful story of Suite Française, which Némirovsky began in 1940 while the events it relates were still unfolding, makes the author's death at Auschwitz in 1942 (aged 39) appear all the more tragic, the tone of David Golder suggests a wholly different reading of Némirovsky's death as that ironic twist of fate called poetic justice.

That is a harsh judgment, but so is the harsh anti-Semitism that pervades David Golder. All of its characters are paper-thin caricatures of unscrupulous, money-grubbing Jews. The only sympathy that David Golder might occasionally elicit results from the contrast between him and his utterly selfish, faithless, bejeweled wife, or his brainless, spoiled, cynical daughter, the least probable figure in this cast of implausible creatures.

The plot is no more subtle: a relentless account of a rich broker's Yiddish greed, and its consequences on those he had ruthlessly trampled, as he himself is dying. Repeatedly, Némirovsky introduces her Jews with unmistakable markers of disparagement: they have hooked noses; they are dirty; they are sweaty; Golder's tightfisted Jewish friend Soifer "rubbed his trembling hands together in an expression of sheer delight as he reeled off... the names of the ruined shareholders" he destroyed. An unflagging litany of derision permeates this and other early books by Némirovsky, whose language aims to belittle Jews: just as she labels the youth with Golder while he dies "the little Jew," so in The Ball (1930) Alfred Kampf is "a dry little Jew;" in The Courilof Affair (1933) an anonymous American journalist is "a rosy-cheeked little Jew" and Fanny Zart's uncle is a "little Jewish banker with his fat stomach."

Apologists for Némirovsky, herself a Russian Jew who led a privileged life in a banker's family in Kiev and Paris, stress that she told Les Nouvelles Litteraires she "would have greatly toned down" David Golder after Hitler's ascent to power -- as if her scathing portraits of Jews somehow were acceptable in the 1920s, and as if it didn't matter that her book was rich fodder for the Nazis and French Jew haters. Her apologists also aim to justify Némirovsky's Yids as claiming they are presented as pathetic products of their repressive culture, overlooking evidence to the contrary. Consider how Némirovsky frames Golder's response when he is accused of wasting his own life on making money and of ruining the lives of others through his devious dealings: "I have always done what I wanted to do on this earth."

Astonishingly, Sandra Smith, Némirovsky's skilful translator who must be too close to her subject to see the proverbial forest, reportedly declared, "I'm Jewish and I don't find [David Golder] anti-Semitic." Step back from the trees, Ms. Smith and your co-apologists, and you might see Némirovsky more clearly: as an author affiliated with right-wing, anti-Semitic journals in Paris, and as an assimilationist convert to Catholicism who wrote to the head of the Vichy government, Marshall Pétain, that although she was Jewish by birth, she deserved special status because she disliked Jews. She might have enclosed a copy of David Golder to prove her point.