The books of Jacob : or: A fantastic journey across seven borders, five languages, and three major religions, not counting the minor sects. Told by the dead, supplemented by the author, drawing from a range of books, and aided by imagination, the which being the greatest natural gift of any person. That the wise might have it for a record, that my compatriots reflect, laypersons gain some understanding, and melancholy souls obtain some slight enjoyment / Olga Tokarczuk ; translated by Jennifer Croft.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tokarczuk, Olga, 1962- author.

Contributor:

Croft, Jennifer (Translator), translator.

Standardized Title:

Księgi Jakubowe. English

Language:

English

Polish

Subjects (All):

Poland--History--18th century--Fiction.

Poland.

Europe.

Frank, Jacob, approximately 1726-1791--Fiction.

Frank, Jacob.

Jewish messianic movements--Europe--History--18th century--Fiction.

Jewish messianic movements.

Frank, Jacob, approximately 1726-1791.

Polish fiction ǂv Translations into English.

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Biographical fiction.

Fiction.

History.

Novels.

Physical Description:

[964] pages : illustrations, map ; 25 cm

Edition:

First American edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Riverhead Books, 2022.

Language Note:

Translated from the Polish.

Summary:

"In the mid-eighteenth century, as new ideas -- and a new unrest -- begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following. In the decade to come, Frank will traverse the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires with throngs of disciples in his thrall as he reinvents himself again and again, converts to Islam and then Catholicism, is pilloried as a heretic and revered as the Messiah, and wreaks havoc on the conventional order, Jewish and Christian alike, with scandalous rumors of his sect's secret rituals and the spread of his increasingly iconoclastic beliefs. The story of Frank -- a real historical figure around whom mystery and controversy swirl to this day -- is the perfect canvas for the genius and unparalleled reach of Olga Tokarczuk. Narrated through the perspectives of his contemporaries -- those who revere him, those who revile him, the friend who betrays him, the lone woman who sees him for what he is -- "The Books of Jacob" captures a world on the cusp of precipitous change, searching for certainty and longing for transcendence"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Prologue

I. The book of fog

II. The book of sand

III. The book of the road

IV. The book of the comet

V. The book of metal and sulfur

VI. The book of the distant country

VII. The book of names.

Notes:

Noble Prize in Literature, 2018

Pages are numbered backward starting with 964 and ending with 2.

Originally published in Poland as Księgi Jakubowe by Wydawnictwo Literackie, Kraków, in 2014. English language edition first published in Great Britain by Fitzcarraldo Editions, London, in 2021.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 7-5).

Nobel Prize in Literature, 2018

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Green fund bookplate.

Athenaeum copy: Original copy Green fund bookplate; replacement copy Schneidman Fund bookplate.

Other Edition:

Reproduction of: 9781922330680 Tokarczuk, Olga, 1962- Melbourne, Vic. : Text Publishing, 2021

Other Format:

Online version: Tokarczuk, Olga, 1962- Books of Jacob.

ISBN:

9780593087480

0593087488

9780593332528

0593332520

OCLC:

1249712027

Publisher Number:

99989646249