The Red Magician [Library Binding]

Lisa Goldstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2009

The hidden world of Eastern European Jews during the 1940s turns into a world of wonders in an American Book Award-winning fantasy tale that transcends the Holocaust with magical optimism. Originally in paperback.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lisa Goldstein's The Red Magician...turns the hidden world of Eastern European Jews during the 1940s into a world of wonders, then transcends the Holocaust with a magical optimism." -The New York Times Book Review

"She has given us the kind of magic and adventure that once upon a time made us look for secret panels in the walls of wardrobes, or brush our teeth with a book held in front of our eyes, because we couldn't bear to put it down." -The New Yorker

"A beautifully told, richly textured fantasty." -Publishers Weekly

"This touching novel is an effortless repast, nourishment for the mind and soul....I applaud the intent; I applaud even more the results." -Philip K. Dick

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Lisa Goldstein is the author of seven widely acclaimed novels, including The Dream Years, A Mask for the General, Strange Devices of the Sun and Moon, Tourists, Summer King, Winter Fool, and Dark Cities Underground, as well as numerous works of short fiction, recently collected in the anthology Travellers in Magic. Goldstein lives in Oakland, California.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 205 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439587132
• ISBN-13: 978-1439587133
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,510,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My second read 20 years later was much better ...., January 16, 2005

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: RED MAGICIAN (Paperback)

Can you believe it? I'm actually giving 5 stars to a book I used to hate. When I first read "The Red Magician" 20 years ago (it was first published in 1982) I was deeply offended by the harsh way in which the rabbi is portrayed. In the very first chapter he curses the Jewish school for teaching Hebrew as a secular language, because "Hebrew will only be spoken when the Messiah comes and we return to the Holy Land." OK, there were (and still are) Jews who believe that way about Hebrew. To this day, the Satmar Hasidim do not speak Hebrew as a secular language. But to curse a Jewish school and all the children in it? Not likely.

Not long after that, the rabbi threatens Voros, the Red Magician, with death if he ever enters the village again. This didn't strike me as authentic, either. Jews do not kill Jews, at least, not in pre-Holocaust Eastern Europe. Excommunicate, banish, shun -- maybe. But to actually kill somebody?

Because these events occurred in the very beginning of the book, they colored my whole negative reaction to it. I found myself thinking that this was going to be some sort of polemic against "backward" religious Jews who didn't fight against the Nazis, or didn't support Zionism, yada, yada, yada. Had I reviewed this book back then, I would have trashed it for orthodox-bashing.

Upon re-reading it this weekend, I had a different reaction. Oh, the rabbi still comes across as harsh, but I was able to see that this was his own problem, rooted in his own lack of faith (to say more would be a spoiler.) The book is not a polemic against religious Jews per se. Rather, it is a fantasy exploration of the themes of guilt, revenge, misuse of power, letting go of anger, moving on with one's life, etc. The rabbi has genuine mystical powers, but he had become harsh and unforgiving because he has allowed his own desire for vengeance to destroy his sanity. This places him in the genre of black magicians everywhere, in every culture, real or imagined.

The magical details in this book are very accurate in terms of Jewish mysticism. Lisa Goldstein really did her homework. I could not find a single blooper -- and readers of my reviews know how much I just LOVE to nitpick mistakes in Judaica! In this case, however, the rules of magic and the details for using it are perfectly in accord with kabbalistic legend(s). Yashar koach -- well done!

Readers should keep in mind that all the main characters are Jewish: Kicsi, Imri, Voros, Erzebet -- all are Jews, not just the rabbi. The names they use, however, are Hungarian, rather than the Hebrew/Yiddish names that usually appear in stories about Eastern European Jews. This use of secular names fits with the way magic works in the plot. The point is very clearly made that to know a person's true name is to have power over that person. Voros will not give his true (Hebrew) name to the rabbi for that very reason. We can safely assume that everyone is using their Hungarian names as nicknames to protect against bad magic. "Kicsi" means "Little One," and "Voros" means "Red," referring to his red hair. (Is this a literary reference to King David, who, according to Jewish tradition, also had red hair? Is he a descendant of David and therefore a possibility for the Messiah? Or is he a lamedvavnik, one of the 36 hidden saints in Jewish tradition?)

When the rabbi does learn the Red Magician's real name, he finally has the power to kill the one he believes to be his arch enemy -- but will he? Read for yourself and find out.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderous novel of a horrific time., January 5, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Lake Charles, Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Red Magician (Paperback)

Lisa Goldstein's first novel came out of nowhere and won the American Book Award. Compelling and heartrending, with beautiful prose and a wonderous, magical story, *The Red Magician* captures readers into the life of a Jewish girl, Kisci, coming to adulthood in preWWII Poland, detailing her friendship with the Red Magician--the truly magic magician--who tries to warn those around him about the coming horror he has forseen. The novel follows Kisci through the Camps and to the point where, as a DP, she embarks for America. This novel is possibly the best realization of Magical Realism I have ever read, blending Jewish Kabbala mysticism with the events of the time with the intimate story of Kisci with such a grievous beauty that even after many readings I cannot pick up the book just for a moment: the novel almost forces me to finish it in one sitting.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical and wonderful, December 22, 2000

By 

"camlyndc" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Red Magician (Paperback)

I picked up a copy of this book from our employee book swap for something to read on the train home and, in the process, have discovered a new "favorite author". This is a compelling tale of a young girl (Kisci) coming of age during the Holocaust. Her life intersects with that of a mysterious red-haired stranger (Voros)who seems to have the ability to predict the future. Although her relationship with the stranger creates turmoil within her family and town, the bond between Kisci and Voros eventually saves both of them from death. Laced with magic, this tale can also be seen as an allegory for the importance of finding strength within yourself and going on with life even when it seems impossible.