The Messiah of Stockholm [Paperback]

Cynthia Ozick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 1988

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.

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394756940
• ISBN-13: 978-0394756943
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #786,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Starting Point for Reading Ozick, December 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Messiah of Stockholm (Paperback)

Reading The Messiah of Stockholm was my very first encounter with any of Ozick's fiction (I had previously read some of her New Yorker essays). The novel truly is one of the most intense and beautifully-written pieces I have ever read. There were moments when I read passages aloud, wanting to memorize those passages. Harold Bloom, in fact, considers it to be Ozick's best work. I recommend Messiah for anyone who hasn't yet stumbled across any of her fiction--a perfect beginning point, I think, despite that it is relatively fresh in comparison to her other works. Set to classical music, this novel is an aethetically-moving experience.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars intellectually interesting, but narrative is uneven, July 31, 2002

By 

Rebecca Levi (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Messiah of Stockholm (Paperback)

I have read many Cynthia Ozick books, and have found this one to be one of the most memorable, equally for its compelling subject and for its somewhat confounding narrative. It is a slender book, more of a novella than a novel. As other reviewers have pointed out, it's based loosely on the life and works of Bruno Schultz, who has often been compared to Kafka. To have the most rewarding experience with The Messiah of Stockholm, I would strongly recommend starting with Schultz's The Street of Crocodiles, and any other material about Schultz you can get your hands on. Familiarizing yourself with Schultz's fiction as well as at least the rough outline of his life story will be important in understanding Ozick's references in The Messiah. I would also recommend starting with the Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories - another Cynthia Ozick book that might be a more digestible and enjoyable introduction to her intellectually powerful writing and philosophies than this one.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful writing, October 24, 2004

By 

Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Messiah of Stockholm (Paperback)

Ozick's sentences are so wonderfully crafted that I feel like I am in the Louvre of writing when I read her. This is just the second book by her that I have read and I am just delighted. It is true, as one reviewer stated, that she maintains a certain distance from her characters, but that allows them to be less predictable, and a greater level of irony can also then by limned. This small novel about an alienated, sad "Monday reviewer" of books in Stockholm, orphaned, who believes he is the son of a murdered Jewish Pole who wrote surrealistic material is a lovely (but sad) story of self definition, inspiration, success/failure, trust. I recommend it strongly to anyone who loves good writing.