''Job'' (german: Hiob) is a 1930 novel by the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

writer

Joseph Roth Moses Joseph Roth (2 September 1894 – 27 May 1939) was an Austrian journalist and novelist, best known for his family saga '' Radetzky March'' (1932), about the decline and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, his novel of Jewish life '' Job'' ...

. It has the subtitle "The Story of a Simple Man" ("Roman eines einfachen Mannes"). It tells the story of an

orthodox Jew Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...

whose faith is weakened when he moves from Tsarist Russia to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. The story is based on the Book of Job.

Reception

When the English translation of the book was reviewed in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' in 1931, the reviewer compared it to the author's previous works: "Roth's development as a novelist has shown a gradual abandonment of problem and political themes such as filled ''Rechts und Links''. ''Flucht Ohne Ende'' (''Flight Without End'') contains evidence of a growing inner life ... Im ic''Job'', finally, he seems to admit that literature must follow upon, not lead, social change; and consequently he has turned his eyes inward upon his spiritual self, and backward upon tradition. He has written a work of the type that literary chroniclers like to call pure." The critic wrote about the book's relation to its source material: "It is the old, familiar book of Job, reworked in modern symbols. As with other great legends, the drama is weakened by modernization, but the lyrical quality of the prose and the innate wisdom of the author help us to forget that." The review ended: "there seldom has appeared a book in which each word is burdened so heavily with music and meaning. For its tenderness and beauty alone, ''Job'' deserves a wide audience." Harriet Porter of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' reviewed the book in 2000: "Roth captures essential truths about faith, hope and despair within his reworking of a Biblical story. His writing is rich without being dense, and has a fable-like directness." The composer

Erich Zeisl Erich Zeisl (May 18, 1905 – February 18, 1959) (often spelled Eric) was an Austrian-born American composer. Life and music Born to a middle class Jewish family in Vienna, then capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Zeisl was the son of Kamilla ...

began work on an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

based on the novel. It was completed by the Polish composer Jan Duszynski and produced as '' Zeisls Hiob'' in Munich in 2014.

References

External links

at Projekt Gutenberg-DE 1930 novels Austrian novels Book of Job German-language novels Novels by Joseph Roth Novels set in New York (state) Novels set in the Russian Empire Novels based on the Bible Novels adapted into operas {{1930s-novel-stub

Reception

See also

References

External links