The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon

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 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.

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” (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 show more 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

During the Lisbon massacre of April 1506, illuminator Berekiah Zarco finds his uncle, a renowned kabbalist, murdered in the cellar and Berekiah must scour the streets of Lisbon for suspects among the very few New Christians who knew Abraham Zarco's secrets. This is part locked-room mystery, part history of New Christians in 1500s Portugal, with a lot of religious mysticism weaved into the plot to add an extra layer of meaning to the story (and to allow for the main character to have "visions" that carry the story forward). I enjoyed Zimler's descriptions of time and place, especially the living conditions for Jews in Portugal during this period. Occasionally, the mystery portions were also satisfactory, but most of the time there were show more too many characters and much too much running back and forth across Lisbon and surrounding areas without any real result or progress. I appreciate Zimler's role in researching Jewish history and wish he had told a more straight-forward story of his characters' fates. As a plotter of mysteries he has a ways to go. Trivia: Zimler originally failed to find a publisher for his book, so he translated it into Portuguese and it became a bestseller in Portugal before the English edition found its way into print. show less

45. The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon by Richard Zimler (1996, 318 page Kindle e-book, Read August 4-13)

Read for my book club. I'm kind of surprised how little this is criticized. It's a readable and somewhat fun mystery. It can be lyrical, and has higher aspirations, but there are gaping flaws make it hard to take seriously on any level.

The mystery is set in the Lisbon massacre of 1506, an unusual and quite interesting setting. The story behind the massacre involves Portugal’s response to the Spanish inquisition. In 1497 Portugal forced all its Jews to convert to Christianity, en mass. These Jews became “New Christians”, or, marranos. Their conversion in doubt, the marranos were not trusted by the general population. However, the show more inquisition did not begin in Portugal until about 1536. During Easter/Passover in 1506 an anti-marrano mob, led and incited by Dominican friars, gathered hundreds of marranos throughout Lisbon and then tortured, burned or otherwise massacred them.

Zimler’s narrator is a young marrano manuscript illuminator in Lisbon who studies under his uncle, a master Kabbalist, and member of a small secret Kabbalist group that includes a priest. When someone close to the narrator is murdered early in the massacre, he sets out to find out who did it. As the book progresses, he becomes more obsessed, emotionally insulated from everything around him, abusive and more adaptable to other people’s repulsive activities. This is interesting.

The book wholly fails in creating an authentic a sense of experience. The initial setting simply doesn’t make sense. The reader is introduced to a group of secret “Kabbalists” who would fit better in the Blues Brothers movie than in any type of spiritual environment. At no point in the book do any of these characters pause to read, study or pray or anything of the like. Then, as the massacre takes place, none of the characters makes any emotional expression consistent with it. There is no sense of fear or confusion, desperation, uncertainty, or even discomfort. Life goes on. One almost gets the sense that the massacre was a late, and awkward, addition to the story. There are other oddities, but these two were the most glaring to me.

I did not exactly mind reading this, but I’m not sure I took much away, other than an awareness of odd history of Portuguese antisemitism.

2014
https://www.librarything.com/topic/172769#4810094 show less

The last Kabbalist of Lisbon is not so much about Kabbalah as it is a locked room murder mystery set amid the riots against the Jews of Portugal in the early part of the 16th century. During this time, which actually spanned the late 15th century to almost mid-16th century, many Jews were forced to publically give up their faith and convert to Christianity; the only other option was death at the hands of a mob.

Despite the dangers, many Jews still practiced their religion in secret. Kabbalah is the mystic branch of Judaism and because of its mysticism, it was usually practiced in secret by a closed group of initiates. Enter the primary protagonist, Berekiah (Pedro) Zarco, who arrives at home after running an extended errand for his show more Kabbalist uncle, Abraham, to find his neighborhood engulfed in a riot, his uncle Abraham murdered in his locked, secret “library” of holy books (genizah) along with an unknown, dead naked woman.

The detective work Berekiah undertakes with a trusted companion, a mute Sufi scholar named Farid is slow, but persistent and methodical. What will keep the reader’s attention is the backdrop of narrow escapes the duo endures as they keep encountering mob violence going on all around them. The duo, separately and together, finds respite in some unlikely places and meet some characters that are not always what they seem to be.

I particularly liked the pairing of a Sufi Scholar, the mystic side of the Islamic faith, with a Kabbalist. Adding to the historical background of the story, this shows that two faiths have a shared heritage and that in the past, the two people commonly aided each other.

The author makes use of the “found manuscript” as an opening gambit to get the reader hooked into the story. This succeeds to the point that an Internet search for the name “Berekiah Zarco” will yield some discussion if such a person actually existed. While this is a work of fiction, the history that serves as a backdrop is well documented. While you do not have to be Jewish, and certainly not a Kabbalist, to enjoy the book, if you are Jewish you may find yourself more involved in the story on a more personal level.

While very original and well narrated, the story does drag on in parts. Some of the deception is predictable as well. I was fully engaged throughout and really did care about finding out the truth, so I still have to award this novel four stars. For those that enjoy historical fiction and wish to gain an insight to mob behavior, this is a must read. show less

The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon by Richard Zimler is a treasure box of a book, filled with gems of beautiful writing, philosophical questions, and contemplations on right and wrong, love and betrayal. The story begins with the author renting an old house in Istanbul, and discovering a hidden room containing rare, beautifully illuminated Jewish manuscripts from the 1500's written by an illuminator, Berekiah Zarco. The author translates the books, and Zarco's story unfolds:

He was a young Jew boy caught up in the Lisbon during the infamous massacre of the Jewish in 1506. During these horrific events, when the world is turned upside down for him, someone kills his beloved uncle. It falls to him to solve the mystery of his uncle's murder show more against the backdrop of the pogrom taking place around him.

The story is captivating, the setting is atmospheric & authentic, the myriad characters are all complex, real characters, and the writing is exquisite. If that is not enough, the story raises questions about human nature, good and evil, religion, tolerance, love and hate -- everything that is important is discussed in this book in a thoughtful, thought-provoking way. So highly recommended that I went out and got a second copy of the book so that I could lend it without giving up my own copy. show less

It's difficult for me to express just how much I adored this book. I picked it up intending to read a couple chapters in the tub before going to bed early. I ended reading until the water was cold and my room mates banged on the door. When I finally finished I immediately wanted to reread it to get more of the details.

It's captivating and exciting, making you want to devour the text in big gulps. Putting this down is painful because you want to know more. The loose ends are not neatly tied up at the end of each chapter, nor at the end, which is wonderful. I hate it when an author ties up the story with a neat little bow.

The book operates on several levels. It's a historical novel about Jews in Portugal, anti-semitism, forced conversion, show more reactions to the plague, kabbalah, and bonds of friendship and blood. It also deals with the masks that people wear in varying social situations, and losing yourself in those masks. Jewish religious practice and the Kaballah are, not surpisingly, very important to how the mystery plays itself out. Then there is the murder mystery, friends and family lost and feared dead, and stolen property. I'm making this sound ponderous, but Zimler keeps all those balls in the air, and doesn't ram his opinions down our throat.

This novel isn't only for Jews or mystery fans. It's a brilliant work of fiction that most anyone would love. Buy a copy for yourself, and a copy to give away. show less