Richard Zimler

During 1507 Lisbon, Portugal, a kabbalist’s nephew sets out to solve his uncle’s murder & to learn the lessons his uncle tried to teach him even from the grave, all while old Christians were burning alive “new” Christians (Jews who were forced to convert). I loved how much of the mystery involved books (angels, as the main character describes them). A vast number of characters & the ending is told like a documentary: what happened to each character years later, when the main show more character was writing this story. The story is graphic (violence and sex) and brutal. But everything about it is in detail and the descriptions of illuminating books were lovely. I’d read more by this author. show less

This is a loose sequel to the author's Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, the central character being John Zarco Stewart, son of a Scottish man and a Portuguese Jewish woman in Porto at the beginning of the 19th century, and a descendant of the central character in the earlier novel. It's a novel of two halves, the first centring around John growing up in Porto, facing anti-semitism, but surrounded by his loving family and close friends. His father brings back Midnight, a Bushman from Southern Africa show more who is quickly accepted into the family. In the second half, Midnight, has been sold as a slave in South Carolina, in an act of tragic betrayal completely out of character for the person who commits the act, and John hunts for him all over the young United States. It is unclear until near the end whether Midnight is still alive, but he is eventually reunited with John and his family. The novel is powerfully written, with wonderful and memorable characters, with a lot to say about racism, community, the nature of free will and about love, loss and suffering, physical, mental and emotional. A marvellous read. 5/5 show less

Insubmissos é o romance mais recente de Richard Zimler e foi traduzido por Daniela Carvalhal Garcia.

A história gira em torno de um professor de guitarra clássica, a quem morreu um irmão com sida. Também ele homossexual, envolve-se com um aluno, António, um jovem talentoso e irreverente, carente no que se refere à relação familiar com o pai, um homem rígido e pouco dada a afetos. António acaba por se envolver com portadores do VIH, contraindo ele próprio a doença, aos 24 anos. show more Quando percebe que está infetado, António sente que a sua vida acaba ali, nada mais fazendo sentido.

Quando o professor fica a saber disto, decide mostrar a António que ainda tem uma vida pela frente e que não pode desistir pura e simplesmente de viver. Assim, organiza uma viagem de carro com destino a Paris, onde preparara uma surpresa a António, uma audição com um conceituado professor de música, que lhe poderia abrir horizontes e ampliar os seus estudos de música.

Quando Miguel, o pai de António, sabe da viagem, disposto a aproximar-se do filho de quem se distanciara ou nunca chegara mesmo a aproximar-se. Talvez quisesse redimir-se da sua ausência na vida do filho, do seu sentimento de culpa por as coisas terem chegado onde chegaram ou, pura e simplesmente, para se encontrar a si próprio, uma vez que caíra numa vida com que não se identificava, que não o fazia feliz.

Uma viagem a três, cada um carregando um rastilho de emoções prestes a fazer explodir uma bomba a qualquer momento. Uma viagem que representa uma procura de sentido para uma vida que se prevê breve, de encontros, de dúvidas, de conhecimento, de revelações, numa tentativa, por parte de cada personagem, de renascer das cinzas, aceitar a morte, aceitar a velhice, reconciliar-se com o passado e viver o que a vida pode ainda reservar de bom.

Este livro despertou-me emoções contraditórias. Por um lado, a história é muito bem pensada. A forma como Zimler escreve prende, de facto, o leitor do início ao fim, com um ritmo rápido e sem momentos mortos.

Porém, se esta história precisava que se falasse das relações físicas, precisava. O que considero excessivo é que, para se falar de sexo sem tabus, se recorra a uma linguagem que o vulgarize e lhe retire o encanto que tem, seja ele heterossexual ou homossexual. Nem sequer era necessário estar sempre a mencionar as relações físicas e de forma detalhada com uma carga erótica tão grande. Sendo algo natural, era evitável ser abordado com uma obsessão e compulsão tão grande como o faz Zimler.

Talvez esta seja a grande razão por que gosto mais dos outros livros do Zimler. show less

Berekiah Zarco, a young man of about 20, is one of Lisbon's New Christians – Jews forced by the Portuguese to become Christians in 1497. At great risk, Berekiah's family continues to produce Hebrew manuscripts in secret. In addition to training him as an illustrator, Berekiah's Uncle Abraham is also training him in kabbalah. During Passover in 1506, Berekiah's uncle sends him on an errand. Berekiah returns home to find that Lisbon's Old Christians are massacring the “New Christians” show more (i.e., Jews). He is grieved to find his uncle's slain body in the secret cellar where the manuscripts are hidden. After he examines the body, Berekiah realizes that his uncle was not a victim of the massacre. He was murdered by a fellow Jew, one of the handful of people who knew about the hidden cellar and its secrets. Berekiah resolves to hunt down his uncle's killer, but he'll have to escape the massacre in order to have his vengeance on the murderer.

I knew little about kabbalah before reading this book, and I hadn't heard at all of the massacre of the Jews/New Christians in Lisbon. The setting provides plenty of tension. The “New Christians” are in a precarious situation. Berekiah's family as well as other families continue to practice Judaism in secret. Some of the “New Christians” have completely converted to Christianity, while others keep one foot in each camp. It's risky to trust anyone. Berekiah questions his faith during the events of that Passover week, but what he questions seems to be something other than kabbalah. His faith seems to be in himself and in his uncle/mentor rather than in God. Some parts of the book touch on occult matters, and there is one scene describing demon possession. Although I generally avoid books with a strong supernatural/occult element, this one stayed just within my comfort zone.

This would be a good fit for readers who enjoy historical mysteries/thrillers. It has a similar feel to S. J. Parris's Heresy and Iain Pears's An Instance of the Fingerpost. Readers who liked either of those books might want to give this one a try. show less