''David Golder'' is a 1929 novel by Ukrainian-French writer

Irène Némirovsky Irène Némirovsky (; born Irina Lvovna Nemirovskaya; 11 February 1903 – 17 August 1942) was a novelist of Ukrainian Jewish origin who was born in Kiev, then in the Russian Empire. She lived more than half her life in France and wrote in Fr ...

. ''David Golder'' was first published in France in December 1929; the novel, Némirovsky's first, won instant acclaim for the 26-year-old author. An English translation by Sylvia Stuart was published by

Horace Liveright Horace Brisbin Liveright (pronounced "LIVE-right," anglicized by Horace's father from the German ''Liebrecht;'' 10 December 1884 – 24 September 1933) was an American publisher and stage producer. With Albert Boni, he founded the Modern Libr ...

in 1930. The book was re-issued in 2004 following the popularity of the Suite Française notebooks discovered in 1998.

Plot summary

The novel opens with David Golder, a Russian émigré, refusing to help his colleague of many years, Marcus. As a result of this, Marcus, bankrupt, commits suicide. Following the funeral, Golder travels to

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...

where he has a huge, opulent house. His wife, Gloria, and daughter, Joyce, reside there in luxury, spending Golder's cash like water. After a night at the casino winning money to buy Joyce a new car, Golder has a heart attack. Gloria, jealous of the attention Joyce receives from Golder, reveals to him that he is not the true father. All the same, Golder, in order to save Joyce from marrying a rich man that she does not love, returns to Russia to win enough money for Joyce, but dies on the return trip home.

Major themes

The Golder family was based on Némirovsky's own family: David Golder is Némirovsky's father, Léon; Gloria is her mother, Fanny; and Joyce resembles Némirovsky herself in her teenage years. David Golder is a

self-made man A self-made man is a person whose success is of their own making. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, has been described as the greatest exemplar of the self-made man. Inspired by Franklin's autobiography, Fr ...

. From humble beginnings as a Jew in Ukraine selling rags, he is now a cold, ruthless businessman. It is suggested by his wife, Gloria, that Marcus is not the only casualty of Golder's brutal dealings. However he has an Achilles heel, well hidden: his feckless daughter, Joyce. It is this weakness that eventually ruins him. Now 68 and dying, he realises that his wealth has not brought him happiness; simply a grim satisfaction that, as "a good Jew" he has provided for his uncaring family. Gloria and Joyce are portrayed as grasping and selfish, barely showing concern or interest in Golder except when they need more money for jewellery, furs, cars and cash for their lovers. The novel is an astonishing portrayal of a businessman and his family in the years leading up to the Great Depression. It also introduces characters of great depth, like Soifer, the old German Jew who "walks on tiptoe" to save shoe leather; he is Golder's only connection with the old world from which he himself came. His wife, Gloria, is as beautiful, cold and hard as the jewels she so treasures. But it is Joyce, Golder's 18-year-old daughter, who is central to the story. It is she who ultimately causes his ruin.

Reception

The novel met with success from the French public; Jewish critics criticized it for its stereotypical depiction of Jewish people. In 1930 the novel was made into a film '' David Golder'' directed by

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

and starring

Harry Baur Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor, famous for his titular role in ''Beethoven's Great Love'' and as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (1934 film), the 1934 version of ''Les Misérables''. Life Initially a stage actor ...

as the title character. In March 2010 the book was dramatised in five episodes on BBC Radio 4, with

David Suchet Sir David Courtney Suchet ( ; born 2 May 1946) is an English actor. He is known for his work on stage and in television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial '' Oppenheimer'' (1980) and received the RTS and BPG awards for his pe ...

as David Golder. It was directed by Peter Farago.

Autobiographical

Nemirovsky's mother, "Fanny," whom Irene loathed, had two things in her safe when she died in 1972, copies of her daughter's novels ''Jezebel'' and ''David Golder''.

References

External links