Traducidos ya a muchos idiomas, estos relatos de Nathan Englander nos descubren a un autor que, a sus veintiocho años, la crítica ha comparado con escritores de la talla de Isaac b. Singer. Traducidos ya a muchos idiomas, estos relatos de Nathan Englander nos descubren a un autor que, a sus veintiocho años, la crítica ha comparado con escritores de la talla de Isaac B. Singer, Saul Bellow, Bernard Malamud o John Cheever. los nueve relatos están impregnados del peso de la historia judía, y exploran, en gran diversidad de escenarios y situaciones, el choque de su ley y tradiciones con el mundo circundante. pero lo que consolida su unidad es el tono (que nos recuerda en parte el humor irreverente de Woody Allen y la sutileza de Chéjov), con el cual desdramatiza las situaciones y explora al máximo lo paradójico y lo absurdo. historias disparatadas (como la del ejecutivo norteamericano que, en un taxi, y para desesperación de su esposa y su psicoanalista, siente que ha reencarnado en él un alma judía; o la de los hasidim que intentan burlar la persecución nazi confundiéndose entre una troupe de circo) donde la naturaleza humana se muestra en su plenitud, porque, en palabras de Englander, a él no le interesa una narrativa que no sea universal.

This is a very strong collection of well-crafted stories, using religious Jewish individuals as the main characters. A little bit funny, but mostly overflowing with pathos, the stories work well together because each is different enough to stand out on its own.

"Reb Kringle" tell of a devoutly Jewish man who must work as a department store Santa to augment his income. "The Tumblers" is about Jews headed for a concentration camp who pretend to be traveling tumblers (acrobats) to save their lives. "In This Way We Are Wise" is about a couple who live in Jerusalem during the bombing of their local café.

I finished this book being terribly depressed because "In This Way We Ate Wise" was the last story. I guess this could be considered either good or bad. It could be good in that the story is very precise and moving and demonstrates how well Englander writes. It could also be bad because this is the ongoing state of precariousness for my beloved city of Jerusalem. ( )

I found many of these stories funny or poignant, but I didn't feel that any of them concluded strongly. ( )

For the relief of unbearable urges is a collection of nine short stories, which are all very well-written, but a trifle boring. Placing the author on an equal footing as Philip Roth or Saul Bellow is really rather premature.

Jewish people are not by definition more interesting than other people. A short story must be infused with some inspiration. It is here where Englander's stories are wanting.

The first two stories are excellent. They are recognizable, very well-written, and deal with some of the major themes in the literature of Jewish writers on the Twentieth century. The first story in the collection "The Twenty-seventh Man" is reminiscent of Kafka, descrbing the fate of Jewish intellectuals under Stalin, while the second story, "The Tumblers" deals with the holocaust. Both stories are original, and immediately accessible. To some extent that is also true of the title story (number eight in the collection), "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges", which end with on a "funny" note. The other stories miss the characteristic accessibility through familiarity with the stories as belonging to the genre of Jewish (-American) literature. ( )

This is the 3rd book that I have read by Englander. It was interesting to compare this first effort with his latest publication of short stories. I was very impressed with these short stories. Having been raised in a reasonably religious Jewish home, I usually don't read this subject matter, but because I have read previous Englander books, I decided to read it. It really illustrates the problems with deeply religious groups who seem to adhere more to ritual than to the spirit of the religion. Englander captures this in his stories. He also shows great creativity in many of the stories while bringing out his message. Although this book might resonate more with people of the Jewish faith, I think it has something for everyone. An excellent writer who I will continue to read. ( )