The Magician of Lublin

By: Isaac Bashevis Singer

Narrated by: Larry Keith

The Magician can dazzle the crowds with his sleight of hand, climb to any height, open any lock. Fearlessly, he does death-defying tricks in theaters all over Poland. At home, his sweet Jewish wife waits for him to return from the city. In the city, his adoring mistresses wait for him to return from home. He holds the key to all hearts, but his own is beset with confusion.©1988 Isaac Bashevis Singer (P)2000 Jewish Contemporary Classics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Great story ☺️

what a great story! no wonder he won a Nobel prize for his amazing books.❤️❤️❤️❤️

באהבה ליצחק בן שבע חכם גדול יותר כתביו מאיר חיי

אנשי פולין. טוב שעני פתוח לחיי משפחה וכולנו לומדים דרך שלו. תודה וכל הכבוד. בשלום.

Singer at his best

He's always at his best, so my title is misleading and true at the same time, which is a way of saying Magician is filled with ambiguity and paradox.

When the Magician Can’t Escape Himself and the Human Condition

Singer’s Magician of Lublin is about a man who can slip out of any lock except the one inside himself. Yasha juggles a wife, lovers, big dreams, and a Catholic faith he almost — but not quite — adopts for love. Then his own body trips him up, ending his career and sending him into a penance worthy of saints and stylites. It’s darkly funny, tragic, and a little cruel — mostly to the women, who never stood a chance. Only flaw: the narrator’s squeaky “female voices” made me wish for subtitles.

Loved it.

Loved this book. Loved everything about this book. Loved Yasha. Such a subtle and unique exploration of Jewish identity. Mazel Tov!!!! Must, must read. Yes recording was old, but Larry Keith was superb in all respects.