History and Religion - A Missed Opportunity

The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon by Richard Zimler

I love to read novels. Novels, to me, are a great escape - a way to leave the worries of my day and escape into another place. Reading novels, I have laughed and cried, I have visited great and mysterious places, and I have learned new things. There are many books that I like, and there are some wonderful books that I truly love, but rarely do I find a book that I can say I really didn't like. Mostly this is because I wouldn't finish reading a novel that I wasn't enjoying or from which I was not, at least, deriving some benefit. With that in mind, I thought long and hard before sitting down to write this negative review about The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, the first book in a long time that I have read and truly can not recommend.

I have a very dear friend in New Jersey who also likes to read. We often found ourselves discussing books, and what we liked or didn't like about them. Eventually, we began our own informal book club. I would mail her a few books that I loved. She would read them and return them to me along with a few books of her own. Postage was much less expensive than buying all of the books ourselves, so we found this arrangement to be both cost effective and enjoyable.

I should have recognized that our reading tastes had started to diverge when she began sending me less impressive authors and more "trashy" novels. Never the less, when she was truly excited about a novel, I figured that there must be something there that was worth my time. For months I heard her go on and on about The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon. Each conversation we had revolved around Kabbalah. I am Jewish, but have never studied Kabbalah, and really don't know much about it. Reading this novel, I thought, would be an opportunity to learn something about Kabbalah and to learn a bit more about the persecution of Jews in Portugal during the early 1500s. I was sorely disappointed.

The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon is a novel by Richard Zimler. Zimler's notes reveal that the novel is based on the historical manuscripts of Berekiah Zarco, who in 16th century Portugal was a young Jewish manuscript illuminator and who is the main character in the novel. Zimler states, "Although The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon is more than a translation, I have stayed rigorously faithful to the content of Berekiah's writing except in two areas: where he includes extended prayer recitation and chants; and where he digresses to substantiate arcane spiritual points relating to Kabbalah." By Zimler's own admission, this book is more than a translation and a discussion of the manuscripts. The words "a novel" clearly printed below the title on the book's cover say, to me, that liberties have been taken with the compilation and construction of the story. While I do not doubt that the story is based on the true and horrific experiences of Berekiah Zarco, his family, and his neighbors, I had some major problems with the way this story was shared in this novel.

In 1497, King Manuel of Portugal ordered the forced conversion of Jews. The "newly converted" Jews were called "new Christians" and were given 20 years to shed all of their Jewish traditions and customs. Many "New Christians" continued to secretly practice Judaism. For this, they were persecuted, and often imprisoned or murdered. In April 1506, there was a terrible massacre of Jews in Lisbon. The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon tells of Berekiah Zarco's story during this massacre. Berekiah's uncle was a well-known Kabbalist who was murdered during the massacre. Unlike many others who were killed in the streets, Berekiah's uncle's death was shrouded in mystery and unanswered questions. The book details Berekiah's search for his uncle's killer.

I will not reveal the details of the story. While I do not recommend this book, I recognize that others may choose to read it, and that they have the right to experience the novel for themselves. What I most object to, is the "commercialism" used in the telling of the story - the use of sex, blood and guts to attract readers. I have no doubt that Berekiah experienced sex. I also recognize that the writing can not come close to describing the brutal and bloody massacre that actually took place. It seems to me, however, that the description of the sex, blood and guts, is given far more attention than the spiritual and historical aspects of this story. Berekiah and his uncle were deeply religious men faced with terrible persecution. While the novel continually talks about Kabbalah, it fails to examine the characters' beliefs. If this novel is based on a true story, if it is based on the manuscripts of a young man who survived a horrible period of history, then it has done a terrible job in sharing any lessons that that black period should have taught. It has also failed to pay tribute to Berekiah and his family. The reader learns nothing of Kabbalah, and very little about faith or religion. While I was certainly horrified by the bloody account of the massacres, I was not given the opportunity to become emotionally or intellectually connected with any of the characters in this story.

This novel should have been a lesson in history. This novel could have taught its readers about Judaism, about Kabbalah, or about faith in the presence of hate and despair. Instead, this novel used a black time in history, and a veil of mysticism and intrigue, to tell a sordid murder mystery. I couldn't have been more disappointed!

The book jacket states that The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon was the "winner of the Historical Mystery Appreciation Society's Herodotus Award for Best First U.S. Historical Mystery of the Year". It also claims that the book was "A Jewish World Review Top Ten Book of the Year". I award it my biggest literary disappointment of the year award.