A surprisingly readable story about Hasidic Jews. Exactly when it takes place is not clear (at least to me) but there is an Austro-Hungarian empire and an emperor of Russia. According to I.B. Singer, Yoshe Kalb was a real person. Forbidden love, agunot, political intrigue within Hasidic rabbinic courts, and scarcely an admirable person to be found; on the other hand, most everyone is doing the best they can, given the difficult circumstances in which they live. Yoshe Kalb, or Yoshe the Loon, is reminiscent of Martin Guerre. ( )

Yoshe Kalb has the feel of a religious parable or mythic oration mixed with a political satire and a dash of romance novel. I still do not completely understand the ending of this book, but I liked it quite a bit. This is really a fun read with wonderfully written characters (none of whom are all that admirable).

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2009/09/yoshe-kalb-1933.html ] ( )