Fantasy, Anthology

"Bringing together 24 contemporary writers from 19 different countries, this anthology captures the exuberant storytelling tradition of the Jewish people that which has been shaped by centuries of legends, folklore, and mysticism. These writers—from Central Asia, Iran, Morocco, Russia, Siberia, Israel, Latin America, Europe, and the United States—show the diverse strains of the Jewish fabulist imagination. Teeming with passion and humor and rooted in the triumphant and tragic history of a people, these stories illustrate the Jewish fascination with the mysteries of the imagination and the endless possibilities of life. Steve Stern, winner of the National Jewish Book Award, tells the humorous tale of a flying rabbi in Memphis, Tennessee. Dina Rubina, twice nominated for the Russian Booker Prize, evokes a heightened state of spiritual consciousness in her story “Apples from Shlitzbutter's Garden.” Moacyr Scliar explores the struggle of a modern man who has been chosen to give living voice to the ancient prophets. Iranian-born Avi Shmuelian, whose work has been compared to that of Gabriel García Márquez, relates the adventures of an Iranian Jew wandering in a magical landscape that could come out of A Thousand and One Nights . "

This collection of books featuring Jewish main characters is decidedly non-comprehensive. As we come across books that are described as having Jewish main characters, we add them to this database. The creators of the Jewish Genre Reading Challenge have not read all (or even most) of the books in this database. We have gathered information from many sources and not all may be accurate. Inclusion of a book in our database does not imply endorsement or approval. There is always the possibility that antisemitism may be present in a book, either written into a character's experience or through malicious or ignorant caricature or stereotypical portrayal of Jewish characters and culture. Please take care of yourselves as you read.

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