''The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon'' is a novel by American-Portuguese author

Richard Zimler Richard Zimler (born 1 January 1956 in Roslyn Heights, New York) is a best-selling author. His books, which have earned him a 1994 National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Fiction and the 1998 Herodotus Award, have been published in many cou ...

. It was first published in Portuguese translation in 1996, after having been rejected by many American publishers. After reaching No. 1 on the Portuguese bestseller list, the book found success in other countries and has been a bestseller in 13, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil and Australia. It has been published in 23 languages. Based closely on the events of the Lisbon Massacre of 1506, ''The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon'' is – at its most accessible level – a

locked room mystery The "locked-room" or "impossible crime" mystery is a type of crime seen in crime and detective fiction. The crime in question, typically murder ("locked-room murder"), is committed in circumstances under which it appeared impossible for the perpetr ...

crossed with historical fiction regarding

Jews in Portugal The history of the Jews in Portugal reaches back over two thousand years and is directly related to Sephardi history, a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities that originated in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain). Before P ...

Plot

The novel is narrated by Berekiah Zarco, a 20-year-old kabbalist and

manuscript illuminator An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

. During the clandestine

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...

celebrations held by the secret Jews of Lisbon, an anti-Semitic

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...

breaks out and Berekiah returns home to find the door to the family cellar (and secret

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

) locked. Inside, he discovers the naked and bloody body of his Uncle Abraham, his spiritual master. Berekiah endeavors to identify the murderer with the help of his Islamic friend and soul-mate Farid, although, as a kabbalist interested in the symbolic nature of the world, he grows more interested in learning the underlying meaning of his uncle’s murder for his family, the Jews of Lisbon and all humanity – and even for God. Berekiah's family lives in one of Lisbon's oldest quarters, the

Alfama The Alfama () is the oldest neighborhood of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the São Jorge Castle and the Tagus river. Its name comes from the Arabic ''al-ḥamma'' (), meaning "hot fountains" or "baths," akin to "hammam" (). The district i ...

, and much of the action of the book takes place there. One of the novels key themes is

self-sacrifice in Jewish law Although rare, there are instances within Jewish law that mandate a Jew to sacrifice their own life rather than violate a religious prohibition. One of these prohibitions is that no life should be taken, including one's own. Many more ritual pro ...

, known as mesirat nefesh in Hebrew.

Sequel

Zimler has published four other novels about different branches and generations of the Zarco family: ''Hunting Midnight'', ''Guardian of the Dawn'', ''The Seventh Gate'' and ''The Incandescent Threads'' (as yet, published only in Portugal). The five books constitute the author’s

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

Cycle. They are meant to be read in any order. These works explore such themes as Jewish mysticism; slavery; the devastating effect of the Inquisition on Portugal and its colonies; and the psychological conflict created in people who are forced to hide their faith. Two of the novels in the Sephardic Cycle have been nominated for the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

: ''Hunting Midnight'' and ''The Seventh Gate''. All five books were Number 1 bestsellers in Portugal.

References

External links

Review in ''The New York Times''

Article in ''Stanford Magazine'' about the book's unusual and unexpected success
{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Kabbalist of Lisbon Novels set in Lisbon Historical mystery novels 1996 novels Jews and Judaism in Lisbon Jewish novels 20th-century Portuguese novels