My Glorious Brothers

by Howard Fast

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Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:"Fast is at his best as a storyteller"— Christian Science Monitor

The strength of five brothers will define a nation.
My Glorious Brothers is the epic story of perhaps the most breathtaking chapter in the history of Israel, a stirring tale of courage for those who like to find meaning for today's world in the great events of history.
After witnessing a ransacked and desecrated Jerusalem, Simon and his four brothers — soon to be known and show more revered as the Maccabees — rise to lead an earthshaking rebellion. Their tale has almost no parallel in human history. Theirs was the will, fire, and unbending spirit that inspired the timeless rite of Hanukkah, transforming a society of farmers and scholars into an unconquerable army that would wage the first modern fight for freedom and the first victory for religious freedom.
Master storyteller Howard Fast recounts the story of great battles, brutal atrocities, and undying love and loyalty. But it is also a sensitive and sure picture of a people and an age, in which the mood of a small but spirited segment of humanity two thousand years ago is recreated with gripping authenticity.
PRAISE FOR HOWARD FAST:
"Emotional, exciting, and entertaining."— Philadelphia Inquirer
"Relentless pace of events...real experience leaping full-bodied from Fast's imagination!"— New York Times.
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2 reviews
Este es un magnifico canto a la libertad del pueblo judio, protagonizado por los hijos de matatias, adon del pueblo de Modin. Los cinco 'gloriosos hermanos' encabezan la rebelion contra las tropas sirio-griegas a las ordenes de Antioco IV (175-164 a.e, un monarca que pretendia gobernar Judea segun los esquemas helenisticos, y que habia abolido la tradicional teocracia que permitia a los judios gozar de una relativa autonomia. Una lucha larga y dura que pondra a prueba la unidad de todo un pueblo, y que por primera vez en su larga historia estara a punto de provocar la desaparicion del judaismo.El gran merito de esta obra reside en su autenticidad. Sin pretensiones maniqueas y con una honestidad a toda prueba, Fast plantea la busqueda de show more la libertad como una necesidad vital para la supervivencia de los oprimidos, y analiza minuciosamente las campanas militares, los conflictos personales y politicos de los lideres, la asimilacion del helenismo por parte de los judios ricos de Jerusalen, y el excepcional drama que surge del enfrentamiento entre dos modos tan dispares de entender el mundo, la sociedad y la religion. show less
Este es un magnífico canto a la libertad del pueblo judío, protagonizado por los hijos de Matatías, adón del pueblo de Modín. Los cinco "gloriosos hermanos" encabezan la rebelión contra las tropas sirio-griegas a las órdenes de Antíoco, un monarca que pretendía gobernar Judea según los esquemas helenísticos, y que había abolido la tradicional teocracia que permitía a los judíos gozar de una relativa autonomía. Una lucha larga y dura que pondrá a prueba la unidad de todo un pueblo, y que por primera vez en su larga historia estará a punto de provocar la desaparición del judaísmo.
Opinión: Gran novela histórica, muy bien narrada y de gran belleza. Los personajes están magníficamente retratados, no quedándose en la show more mera narración de las batallas. Profundiza mucho en el aspecto humano, destacando el amor fraternal, y como pueblo. show less

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183+ Works 8,231 Members
Howard Fast was born on November 11, 1914 in Manhattan. At the age of 17, he sold his first story to Amazing Stories magazine. The next year he sold his first novel, Two Villages, to the Dial Press for a $100 advance. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 80 books, including Conceived in Liberty, The Unvanquished, Citizen Tom Paine, Freedom show more Road, April Morning, The Immigrants, Second Generation, The Establishment, The Legacy, and Greenwich. He won the Stalin International Peace Prize in 1953. A member of the Communist party, he served three months in a federal prison in 1950 for refusing to testify about his political activity. Blacklisted as a result, he founded his own publishing house, Blue Heron Press, which released his novel Spartacus in 1951. In 1957, he wrote a book about his political experiences entitled The Naked God. He also wrote a series of detective stories under the name E. V. Cunningham. He died on March 12, 2003 at the age of 88. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title*
Мои прославленные братья
Original title
My Glorious Brothers
Original publication date
1948
Dedication
To all men, Jew and Gentile, who have laid down their lives in that ancient and unfinished struggle for human freedom and dignity.
First words
On an afternoon in the month of Nissan, which is the sweetest time of the year, the bells were sounded; and I, Simon, the least, the most unworthy of all my glorious brothers, sat down for judgement.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Soon, soon enough, I, Simon, the least of all my glorious brothers, would go the way they went, but not so soon would it be forgotten in Israel - and among the nokri too - that there were five sons of the old man, the Adon Mattathias.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
DDC/MDS
813.52Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991900-1945
LCC
PZ3 .F265Language and LiteratureFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction in English
BISAC

Statistics

Members
153
Popularity
214,587
Reviews
2
Rating
½ (4.63)
Languages
Czech, English, Russian, Spanish
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
11
UPCs
1
ASINs
10