Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

The Fixer is a novel by Bernard Malamud published in 1966. It won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction (his second) and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

The Fixer provides a fictionalized version of the Beilis case. Menahem Mendel Beilis was a Jew unjustly imprisoned in Tsarist Russia. The "Beilis trial" of 1913 caused an international uproar and Beilis was acquitted by a jury.

The book was adapted into a 1968 film of the same name starring Alan Bates (Yakov Bok) who received an Oscar nomination.

The novel is about Yakov Bok, a Jewish handyman or "fixer". In 1911, while living in Kiev without official papers, Bok is arrested on suspicion of murder when a Christian boy is killed during Passover. Jailed without being officially charged and denied visitors or legal counsel, Bok is treated poorly and interrogated repeatedly in the hopes he will confess to killing the boy as part of a Jewish religious ritual. Among other things, he is asked about his political views, and replies that he is apolitical. Bok also tries to explain to his captors that though he was born Jewish, he is not a religious man. During his many months in prison, he has time to contemplate his sad life and human nature in general. 335 pages

This is going to be a hard month for me to miss out on!
I ordered 3 books for this months reads and so want to read and enjoy with everyone!

I hope you get to read this one.

I'm in. I just bought it on Audible 🙂

Wonderful Anne! I glad you are joining in :)

I have started reading this a bit early. This is an intense book!

Rosemarie, Im glad you have taken this one on. I am trying to figure out how to fit it in somehow.

Just going to haul it around with me everywhere I go for a start. Even if I just steal 10 minutes here and there. I really want to join in on this one.

The chapters are divided into sections; some are quite short.

So I've reached the end of chapter 3 now and I really like the book thus far, although I must say I find it quite horrific and scary around the fact of laws against a certain group of people, how certain areas are forbidden for that group, how the prosecutor seem to interpret evidence very onesided and so on. I'm curious to hear what happens next.

One thing that struck me as a bit odd is how he is accused of a murder, but so far the investigating and prosecuting magistrates have not asked him about what he did that night, whether he knew the kid and so on. But I think it underlines the above mentioned idea that their only focus is him being a jew.

What do you think?

I think so too. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and really has rotten luck too.

I have started, but just reading a few pages at a time.

This is an interesting read for those wanting to add one more to their Pulitzer Challenge from 1967.

I didn't think it could get any worse, but the part in chapter 5 about (view spoiler)[his time in prison (hide spoiler)] was absolutely heartbreaking. I have a feeling (view spoiler)[the other jew might be a spy for the prosecution (hide spoiler)].

It is a brutal read, for sure, but the writing is outstanding.

I agree!

I finished the book today and give it 4 stars. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, although I see what Malamud is trying to say. Won't spoil anything, so I'll wait for your comments before I discuss the book any further 🙂

I first read this when I was 15. What an amazing book. And thus began a long and loving relationship with classic Jewish authors.