The Magician of Lublin
Isaac Bashevis Singer · 1902–1991 · Poland / United States
Originally Der Kuntsnmakher fun Lublin (Yiddish) · translated by Elaine Gottlieb and Joseph Singer
Why it matters
A traveling magician and serial seducer in 1870s Poland stages an escape from every commitment he's made, until his own tricks finally trap him. Singer's novel renders spiritual crisis with the texture of a folktale gone wrong.
At a glance
psychological novelphilosophical novel
Difficulty 5/10medium pace214 pagesA morally slippery protagonist's spiritual crisis complicates a folkloric surface.
Where to go next
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Saul Bellow · 1964HerzogLvl 7Slow burn
Bernard Malamud · 1957The AssistantLvl 5Slow burn
Philip Roth · 1969Portnoy's ComplaintLvl 5Fast paced
Norman Mailer · 1948The Naked and the DeadLvl 6Fast paced