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Recommended Reading: Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English, by Natasha Solomons

by Erika Dreifus on
3

MR. ROSENBLUM DREAMS IN ENGLISH
Natasha Solomons
Reagan Arthur Books, 2010. 368 pp. $23.99
ISBN: 978-0-316-07758-3
Review by Erika Dreifus

By now, we are familiar with literature penned by “2G”-ers, children of the second generation, whose Jewish parents survived Nazi persecution. With time’s passage, it was inevitable that we’d begin to see writings from the next generation: the grandchildren.

British writer Natasha Solomons is one such grandchild. The “About the Author” section at this debut novel’s end reveals that Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English is based “on her own grandparents’ experience.” The novel focuses on Jack (né Jakob) Rosenblum, who emigrates from Germany with his wife, Sadie, and their baby daughter in the summer of 1937. Upon arrival, Jack receives a “dusky blue pamphlet entitled While you are in England: Helpful Information and Friendly Guidance for every Refugee.” If Jack cherishes a Bible, this pamphlet is it: “He obeyed the list with more fervour than the most ardent Bar Mitzvah boy did the laws of Kashrut….” Over time, he expands and adds to the list based on his own observations.

Sadie Rosenblum does not share her husband’s enthusiasm for throwing off their past (or for his “verdammt list”). She is haunted by the family left behind—and lost—in Germany. This domestic conflict underlies the novel. But the challenge that actively propels the plot is Jack’s quest to build a golf course in Dorset, which results from his being denied golf-club membership—the final list item, “the quintessential characteristic of the true English gentleman.”

This is a gorgeous book, with setting, scenes, and dialogue all artfully managed (an aside: the cover art is equally lovely, although I can’t help wishing that this American edition had preserved the British title, Mr. Rosenblum’s List: Or Friendly Guidance for the Aspiring Englishman). It is no surprise to discover that Solomons is a screenwriter. Let us hope that she will soon script this story for film.

(This review was published in Jewish Book World, Winter 5771/2010.)

Notes from Around the Web

by Erika Dreifus on
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  • The new issue of Jewish Book World is hot off the press. Here are some of the reviews within its pages, and here are all of the books discussed in this issue.
  • Cannot wait to dig in to The Jewish Week‘s fall literary guide.
  • David Kaufmann considers the Jewishness of poet C.K. Williams as reflected in Williams’s latest book, Wait.
  • IntheMoment, Moment Magazine‘s blog, has launched a weekly book feature.
  • From Fiction Writers Review: this excellent interview with author Janice Eidus, who “is particularly passionate about Jewish identity, contemporary culture, and women’s issues.”
  • It was nice to learn this week that Lilith has added my short story, “Polar Region,” which was published in the magazine several years ago, to its online Adoption Anthology.
  • Some important reminders about Holocaust books from Jewish Literary Review.
  • Inspiring article about student journalists at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America.
  • Less inspiring, but still important to acknowledge: Jewish Ideas Daily shares an analysis of the anti-Israel record of the influential London Review of Books.
  • On a more positive note, and as mentioned a couple of days ago, the November Jewish Book Carnival went live earlier this week. Next month, the itinerant Carnival will be hosted right here.

    • Shabbat shalom!

    Notes from Around the Web

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • Robert Lee Brewer’s interview with poet (and former Hebrew school teacher) Erika Meitner–and Meitner’s poem, “1944,” that Brewer included with the interview material–persuaded me to order a copy of Meitner’s latest book, Ideal Cities.
  • Speaking of poetry, I am very grateful for “Cut the Challah, but Slice it Slant: A Response to the ZEEK Poetry Manifesto.” Thank you, Zackary Sholem Berger!
  • Over on HTMLGIANT, “a literature blog that isn’t always about literature,” author Kyle Minor, raised as a self-described fundamentalist Christian, explains why he is “Jealous of the Jews.” Hint: Roth, Bellow, Malamud, Ozick, and at least one of the Singers have something to do with it.
  • Chanukah is coming! And the Jewish Literary Review prepares us with some poetry.
  • My latest pre-publication post about my forthcoming story collection, Quiet Americans, takes this week’s anniversary of the Kristallnacht to reflect on that event in my own poetry and prose.

    • Notes from Around the Web

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • The latest Tablet column from Josh Lambert lists a number of new Holocaust-related book releases.
  • Also on Tablet: an interview with Janis Bellow on the occasion of the publication of Saul Bellow: Letters.
  • Bill Clinton calls for Yitzhak Rabin’s work to be completed.
  • I probably won’t be revisiting any of Jean-Luc Godard’s films anytime soon.
  • On a similarly depressing note: This Jewish Ideas Daily article presents the dismal situation Israel faces within the United Nations.
  • Some personal reflections on the latest Jewish Book Council Twitter Book Club, and connections between Julie Orringer’s The Invisible Bridge and my own forthcoming story collection, Quiet Americans.
  • The Association of Jewish Libraries has issued a Call for Applicants for a seat on the Sydney Taylor Book Awards Committee. Deadline: December 1, 2010.
  • Linda K. Wertheimer shares two thoughtful essays on the motivations behind her writing over on the Jewish Muse blog.
  • Sherri Mandell is the most recent first-prize winner of the Moment/Karma Foundation Short Fiction Contest. Her winning story is “Jerusalem Stone.”

    • Shabbat shalom, everyone!