The memoir explores Shalom Auslander's journey to break free from the biblical narratives of his upbringing while grappling with the challenges of forging a new identity for himself and his family. It delves into themes of faith, personal conflict, and the quest for self-definition amidst the weight of tradition. Through his reflections, Auslander's struggle highlights the complexities of leaving behind a deeply ingrained belief system in search of personal truth and meaning.
Shalom Auslander Ordre des livres (chronologique)
Shalom Auslander est un auteur et essayiste américain dont l'œuvre s'inspire souvent de son éducation au sein d'une communauté juive orthodoxe. Son style d'écriture se distingue par une perspective juive marquée et une vision du monde délibérément sombre. Auslander confronte ses origines religieuses dans ses créations, explorant leur impact sur la vie et l'identité. Ses observations pénétrantes et son humour singulier séduisent les lecteurs en quête de profonde contemplation littéraire.







FEH
- 368pages
- 13 heures de lecture
A memoir of Shalom Auslander's attempt to escape the biblical story he'd been raised on and his struggle to construct a new story for himself and his family.
Maman pour le dîner
- 312pages
- 11 heures de lecture
Le retour fracassant et drôle de l'auteur de La lamentation du prépuce. À New York, Septième Seltzer mène une vie tranquille avec sa femme et sa fille, jusqu'à l'appel de son frère annonçant la mort de leur mère, qu'il n'a pas vue depuis des années. Bien qu'il ne ressente pas de tristesse, car sa mère était égoïste et méchante, il est confronté à une tradition de leur communauté Cannibale : les enfants doivent manger leur mère lors d'un repas de fête. Septième refuse de céder à ces coutumes archaïques, surtout pour honorer une mère qu'il déteste. Cependant, la culpabilité et le doute s'installent. Si lui et ses frères ne respectent pas ce rituel, que restera-t-il de leur histoire et de leur héritage ? Au-delà de l'humour et du mauvais goût, le récit propose une réflexion profonde sur le poids de l'histoire, les obligations familiales et l'individualité. "Shalom Auslander cible des questions brûlantes. Magistral." - ELLE. "Toujours aussi désopilant." - Le Figaro Littéraire. "Une satire mordante." - Libération.
Solomon Kugel has had enough of the past and its burdens. So, in the hope of starting afresh, he moved his family to a small rural town where nothing of import has ever happened. Sadly, Kugel's life isn't that simple. His family soon find themselves threatened by a local arsonist and his ailing mother won't stop reminiscing about the Nazi concentration camps she didn't actually suffer through. And when, one night, Kugel discovers a living, breathing, thought-to-be-dead specimen of history hiding in his attic, bad very quickly becomes worse.
Foreskin's Lament
- 320pages
- 12 heures de lecture
Foreskin's Lament reveals Auslander's youth in a strict, socially isolated Orthodox community, and recounts his rebellion and efforts to make a new life apart from it. Auslander remembers his youthful attempt to win the ‘blessing bee’ (the Orthodox version of a spelling bee), his exile to reform school in Israel after being caught shoplifting a cassette tape of West Side Story, and his twenty-five-mile hike to watch the New York Rangers play in Madison Square Garden without violating the Sabbath. Throughout, Auslander struggles to understand God and His complicated, often contradictory laws. But ultimately, he settles for a ceasefire with God, accepting the very slim remaining hope that his newborn son might live free of guilt, doubt, and struggle. Auslander’s combination of unrelenting humour and anger – a voice that compares to those of David Sedaris and Dave Eggers – delivers a rich and fascinating self-portrait of a man grappling with his faith, family, and community. Praise for Shalom Auslander 'There is a serious point to Auslander's fictional games. He wants us to be careful of taking any figure of authority too seriously; God is just the prime example . . . Its real heroes are literary: writers such as James Joyce and Samuel Beckett who use prose to get at something more mysterious and mystical than any religion - our love of and trust in language, to amuse and distract us from death' Times Literary Supplement
Beware Of God
- 208pages
- 8 heures de lecture
Violent rabbis, lovelorn wives, a busy Grim Reaper, shame-filled simians, and one seriously angry deity populate this humorous and disquieting collection.