L'homme de Kiev
A classic that won Malamud both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award
"The Fixer (1966) is Bernard Malamud's best-known and most acclaimed novel -- one that makes manifest his roots in Russian fiction, especially that of Isaac Babel.
Set inMore A classic that won Malamud both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award
"The Fixer (1966) is Bernard Malamud's best-known and most acclaimed novel -- one that makes manifest his roots in Russian fiction, especially that of Isaac Babel.
Set in Kiev in 1911 during a period of heightened anti-Semitism, the novel tells the story of Yakov Bok, a Jewish handyman blamed for the brutal murder of a young Russian boy. Bok leaves his village to try his luck in Kiev, and after denying his Jewish identity, finds himself working for a member of the anti-Semitic Black Hundreds Society. When the boy is found nearly drained of blood in a cave, the Black Hundreds accuse the Jews of ritual murder. Arrested and imprisoned, Bok refuses to confess to a crime that he did not commit.
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William1 rated it really liked it
After reading over a hundred pages in Norman Cohn's The Pursuit of the Millennium. which is in large part about the horrid pogroms unleashed on Europe's Jews in the Middle Ages, I thought The Fixer would be a compatible co-read. The novel is set in Russia between the end. Read full review
Elizabeth rated it it was ok
about 10 years ago
A huge disappointment as I’d briefly christened Malamud My Favorite Author after having recently read The Assistant and several short stories (“The Angel Levineâ€!). This is the book that won Malamud the Nobel, and I had to wonder why. It’s ideological, heavy handed, a ham. Read full review
Marvin rated it it was amazing
about 4 years ago
Yakov Bok is non-religious and apolitical. He simply wants a better life. He is slightly bitter that life gives him lemons but no sugar to make lemonade but that does not keep him from trying to improve. He reads Spinoza to educate himself and moves to Kiev to start a bet. Read full review
Celeste rated it it was amazing
"Dio non ci vede e se ne infischia di noi. Io il mio pezzo di pane lo voglio oggi, non in paradiso."
Una storia claustrofobica e interminabile di schiavitù e ingiustizia, che decide di raccontare attraverso la porta sul retro il dramma della sopravvivenza ebraica. Malamu. Read full review
Josh rated it it was amazing
"In chains all that was left of freedom was life, just existence; but to exist without choice was the same as death."
Vishal rated it it was amazing
over 1 year ago
What is victory, but a victory in the heart? What is the greatest freedom, but the freedom of the mind?
In the Fixer, Yakov Bok is a man accused of a brutal crime, and is forced to see new depths of human degradation every day during his imprisonment. His suffering hasn’t. Read full review
Cosimo rated it it was amazing
Tu sei ciò che vuoi essere
L'uomo di Kiev vinse il Pulitzer e il National Book Award, il secondo per Malamud dopo quello ottenuto per i racconti superlativi de Il Barile Magico. Ed è un romanzo eccezionale, rappresenta una vetta sublime e inimitabile nel mondo della letter. Read full review
Karyn rated it it was amazing
over 1 year ago
"If I have any philosophy, it's that life could be better than it is."
"What suffering has taught me is the uselessness of suffering."
What can I possibly add to this? Read it for yourself. I highly recommend it, but it may not be for the faint of heart.
Simona rated it really liked it
I personaggi dei romanzi di Malamud portano con sé sempre un velo di malinconia e "L'uomo di Kiev" non fa eccezione. A differenza de "Il commesso" o "Una nuova vita" dove i protagonisti si muovevano nei sobborghi delle metropoli, qui le vicende si svolgono in Russia. La R. Read full review
Ted rated it really liked it
about 2 years ago
kissing this book goodbye from my real book-shelves. probably my fault that I didn't quite see the artistic depths of the novel.
The is a Pulitzer prize winning novel. I found it a very depressing read. It tells a story that, in its historical setting, is believable. Th. Read full review