Mordecai Richler Boeken

Bloei en verval van een joods zakenimperium op de ijskoude vlakten van het Canadese poolgebied.

Even Barney Panofsky's friends tend to agree that he is 'a wife-abuser, an intellectual fraud, a purveyor of pap, a drunk with a penchant for violence and probably a murderer'.

In 1944, three youth groups were dedicated to the idea of an independent Jewish state: Hashomer Hatza'ir, Young Judaea, and Habonim. Hashomer Hatza'ir was firmly Marxist, with reports suggesting that boys and girls under eighteen showered together on their kibbutzim in Palestine. A notable member in Montreal was Shloime Schneiderman, my high-school classmate, who gained brief fame for leading a demonstration against a price hike in chocolate bars. Members of Hashomer Hatza'ir wore blue uniforms at meetings and conducted court martials, as noted by Marion Magid in her memoir about Habonim in the Bronx. In contrast, the girls from Young Judaea preferred pearls and cashmere, living in affluent neighborhoods with homes featuring heated towel racks and playrooms. I joined Habonim, the youth group of a Zionist political party with socialist roots, shortly after my bar mitzvah and during my first year at Baron Byng High School, having been recruited by a classmate named Jerry Greenfeld.

From his youthful days as a poolroom hustler, playing truant from Baron Byng High School, Mordecai Richler remained a snooker devotee. Here, in his inimitable style, he delves into that eccentric world with pith and perception. Outrageously funny, passionate and thoroughly researched on snooker tables from Montreal to Dublin, On Snooker takes us on an entertaining journey through the story and world of snooker, and introduces us to the game’s great players and bad boy champions. It is a book that lovers of great sports writing will cherish, from a masterful storyteller.

Since the age of 11 Moses Berger has been obsessed withthe Gursky clan, and insanely wealthy, profoundly seductive family of Jewish-Canadian descent. Now a 52-year-old alcoholic biographer, Berger is desperately trying to chronicle the stories of their lives, especially that of the mysterious Solomon Gursky, who may or may not have died in a plane crash.

"Among the wonders of St. Urbain, our St. Urbain, there was a man who ran for alderman on a one-plank platform - provincial speed cops were anti-Semites. There was a semi-pro whore, Cross-Eyed Yetta, and a gifted cripple, Pomerantz, who had a poem published in "transition" before he shriveled and died at the age of twenty-seven. A boxer who once made the "Ring" magazine ratings. Lazar of Best Grade Fruit who raked in twenty-five hundred dollars for being knocked down by a No. 43 streetcar. A woman who actually called herself a divorcee. A man, A.D.'s father, who was bad luck to have in your house. And more, many more."

At just six years old, Jacob Two-Two finds himself imprisoned by The Hooded Fang for the grave offense of insulting an adult. This whimsical tale explores themes of childhood innocence, the absurdity of adult authority, and the power of imagination as Jacob navigates his bizarre predicament. His adventure unfolds in a fantastical world where he must confront challenges and outsmart his captor, ultimately highlighting the resilience and creativity of a young mind facing unjust punishment.

From Mordecai Richler, one of our greatest satirists, comes one of literature's most delightful characters, Duddy Kravitz -- in a novel that belongs in the pantheon of seminal twentieth century books. Duddy -- the third generation of a Jewish immigrant family in Montreal -- is combative, amoral, scheming, a liar, and totally hilarious. From his street days tormenting teachers at the Jewish academy to his time hustling four jobs at once in a grand plan to "be somebody," Duddy learns about living -- and the lesson is an outrageous roller-coaster ride through the human comedy. As Richler turns his blistering commentary on love, money, and politics, The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz becomes a lesson for us all...in laughter and in life.

Humorous account of Quebec's language obsessed separatist movement.