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The Finkler Question: A Novel
by Jacobson, Howard
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Very Good+/Very Good+, Not Price Clipped
- ISBN 10
- 1608196429
- ISBN 13
- 9781608196425
- Seller
-
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Bloomsbury, 2010. Book. Very Good+. Hardcover. Signed by Author(s). American First. First Edition, First Printing as evidenced by a complete number line from 1 to 10; signed by Howard Jacobsen in person with no inscription on the title page at a reading in Vancouver, B.C.; minor edge wear; a solid, clean copy in collectable condition..
Synopsis
Howard Jacobson is a British journalist and author. He is best known for writing comic novels that often revolve around the dilemmas of British Jewish characters. He is the 2010 winner of the Man Booker prize for The Finkler Question. This novel takes on the challenges of love, male friendship and loss as it explores the relationship between a radio producer and philosopher, while questioning what it means to be Jewish today. It’s described as a bright, witty novel with some of the most sharply intelligent writing to date. The book follows the character of Julian Treslove, once of the BBC and now earning a living as a celebrity lookalike. Treslove is not Jewish but, in simple terms, the narrative details his love affair with an intense inquiry into what Jewishness means – politically, socially, economically, romantically, intellectually, emotionally, culturally, musically and so on. He wants to be part of something vast and ageless, something abounding and intense. In short, he is trying to become Jewish.
Reviews
On Nov 20 2013, CloggieDownunder said:
The Finkler Question is the fourteenth book by Howard Jacobson, and winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize. There are three main characters: Julian Treslove, who wants to be a Jew; Sam Finkler, a Jew who is ashamed of Jews; and Libor Sevcik, a Czech Jew who is grieving the loss of his wife. This unlikely trio have known one another for many years, and in the first part, each looks back on events in their lives. The second part concerns the events after Julian is mugged, he believes, for being a Jew, and introduces a new love interest for him, a Jewess names Hephzibah, someone he feels is his destiny. This novel is very slow-moving, there is very little in the way of plot and while some of the dialogue is clever, amusing or even thought-provoking, many of the characters are difficult to relate to. Perhaps to fully appreciate this book, one would need to be a Jewish intellectual, preferably a British one. Lots of Jewish angst, talk of foreskins, anti-Semitic violence and Holocaust denial. This Man Booker Prizewinner fails to impress.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Hourglass Books
(CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 002269
- Title
- The Finkler Question: A Novel
- Author
- Jacobson, Howard
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good+
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good+, Not Price Clipped
- Edition
- American First
- ISBN 10
- 1608196429
- ISBN 13
- 9781608196425
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2010
- Keywords
- British Fiction
- Bookseller catalogs
- High-End Books;
Terms of Sale
Hourglass Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Hourglass Books
Biblio member since 2018
Vancouver, British Columbia
About Hourglass Books
I list a wide range of materials from both modern firsts to antiquarian books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Good+
- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
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