- This extraordinary 980 page novel by Nobel prize winning Polish author Olga Tokarczuk offers a profoundly rich tapestry of culture, religion and society set in Eastern Europe, what is now Eastern Ukraine and Poland, in the mid to late 18th century.
- It tells the story of Jacob Frank, a young charismatic Jew from Turkey whose preaching attracts followers, and who paints himself as the new Messiah who will transport them to 'freedom'. The Jewish tradition has failed them, as has Islam and Christianity. This book is not just about Jacob - it’s about ordinary people and their desperation, always seeking a saviour, a Messiah.
- There are multiple stories of men, women and children in towns, cities and countries, eking out a living. Town squares are bustling with merchants and traders. The narrative is sprinkled with personal scribblings from a range of Jacob's family members, associates, friends, priests and rabbis, all with long unpronounceable names. They offer all sorts of reflections and commentary on their daily lives and beliefs. Many of them are book readers and collectors.
- Poverty and disease is rife, and the ache for messianic salvation is deep and constant. The plague kills thousands, particularly children. They long for salvation. They want miracles, signs, shooting stars, water to become blood. Where does religious zeal come from? Yokarczuk suggest it's a place of profound ignorance.
- Tokarczuk’s knowledge of 18th century trade, commodities, clothing, everyday household items, spells, plants, herbs, potions, etc, is astonishing. She spends a lot of time describing clothes, shoes, hairstyles, beards, faces, and bodies. And the food and wines they consume. This domestic minutia bogs the novel down at times but it's fascinating too.
- Jacob is a mystery. He indulges in a rich sex life, despite his marriage. He's a free man, not captured by belief or tradition. But fundamental doubts arise. Is he just a scammer, a pretender, an actor, a bully, a liar, a conman, or simply delusional? Even his father says: ‘Watch out for Jacob. He really is a thief.’ But he has charisma and authority, and is well built, handsome and extremely charming, with a loud, resonant voice. And the ordinary townsfolk are feeble minded. However as the novel progresses the more unlikable he becomes and we come to realise that what he preaches is nonsense. He favours free sex and doesn’t respect marital fidelity at all. But if there's one saving grace at least he’s not a conservative, reactionary prick, like all the religious leaders at the time. What is life, after all, if not dancing on graves.
- Jacob’s message soon becomes clear and distinct: It is a question of uniting the three religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The ‘faith of Edom. It's his version of the Catholic faith. He demands his followers be baptised.
- The Jewish leaders of course officially curse him. And the Catholic authorities get their revenge on Judaism by banning the Talmud. All Jewish books are burnt by the peasant hordes, and those Jewish communities attracted to converting to Christianity debate and argue about beliefs, baptism, marriage, and ‘freedom’. Ignorance is profound here, even among the leaders. But, interestingly, the belief that persuades them to convert is the mystery of the Holy Trinity, that God was in three persons. Not that they have much idea of what that actually means.
- After his baptism, however, Jacob disappears. He has been apprehended by the Polish authorities and is hauled before a Catholic commission to be interrogated. He is sentenced to life imprisonment for proclaiming himself the Messiah, and ends up ‘interned’ in a monastery for thirteen years. His money, gifted from wealthy supporters and turned into bribes, buys him a comfortable life however.
- After political upheaval in Poland he is freed and he and his surviving family members move to Brunn in Moravia and eventually Vienna. His personal following of pilgrims builds and virtually becomes a cult. He is known as the ‘Lord’, and he lives a life of luxury, incurring debts that can’t be repaid. Vienna in 1784 reflects the changing world as the Enlightenment dawns. Medicine and science are rapidly progressing, Emmanuel Kant, the philosopher, is disrupting the academy, and the young Mozart is delighting concert goers. And there is a popular revolution in France.
- Eventually his cavalcade of family, elders and royalty move to a castle in Offenbach in Germany where Jacob sees out his days. After the burial service Jacob's critics have their say: Turkish; extracting money from naive Jews; amassing arms for an uprising against Poland; close ties with the Freemasons, the Illuminati, the Rosicrucians. The cult dies as opportunists and graspers seek to assume leadership.
- Here's a few quotes from Jacob's homilies:
Christ said that he came to free the world from Satan’s grip. But I came to free it from all the laws and statutes that have been in effect till now.
It’s easier to be stupid and lazy than evil.
The Jews are always afraid.
Equality goes against nature.
The written word lasts forever.
- The book's page count is downwards, possibly reflecting the countdown to the final coming.…in the end times, everything is done in reverse. (But the author’s note on sources at the end of the book says it’s a nod to books written in Hebrew, as well as a reminder that every order, every system, is simply a matter of what you’ve gotten used to.)
(Enormous respect to Text for publishing this huge and densely typeset book in Australia. It won’t get many reviews if any at all, because it’s too difficult and time consuming to read, and it won’t sell well. And only a tiny minority of those who do buy it will finish it. But like me, that minority will treasure it forever. It is also superbly translated by Jennifer Croft, whose crystal clear and lucid English is without any awkward bits. As well there are no typos or misplaced commas in the whole book. So professional.)
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