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Una merce molto pregiata
Questa è una favola, e come tutte le favole inizia con C’era una volta. C’era una volta un bosco, in cui vivevano un povero boscaiolo e sua moglie. I due non avevano figli, e se l’uomo era contento, perché questo significava bocche in meno da sfamare, per sua moglie il desiderio di un bambino da amare era quasi doloroso.
Dopo lo scoppio della guerra, perché nelle favole ci sono le guerre, un treno attraversava spesso il bosco. La moglie del boscaiolo era contenta di veder passare quel treno, il marito le aveva spiegato che era un treno merci. Strane merci, più che altro sembravano persone, a giudicare dalle mani che a volte uscivano tra le sbarre per lanciare bigliettini. Poi un giorno quel treno che la donna ormai crede magico le regala una merce molto pregiata, come a voler esaudire il suo desiderio più grande… Perché la cosa che più merita di esistere, nelle favole come nella vita vera, è l’amore donato ai bambini.
Da uno dei più applauditi scrittori francesi, vincitore di premi prestigiosi, un intenso romanzo-favola che racconta la Shoah con voce lieve e commovente.
Dopo lo scoppio della guerra, perché nelle favole ci sono le guerre, un treno attraversava spesso il bosco. La moglie del boscaiolo era contenta di veder passare quel treno, il marito le aveva spiegato che era un treno merci. Strane merci, più che altro sembravano persone, a giudicare dalle mani che a volte uscivano tra le sbarre per lanciare bigliettini. Poi un giorno quel treno che la donna ormai crede magico le regala una merce molto pregiata, come a voler esaudire il suo desiderio più grande… Perché la cosa che più merita di esistere, nelle favole come nella vita vera, è l’amore donato ai bambini.
Da uno dei più applauditi scrittori francesi, vincitore di premi prestigiosi, un intenso romanzo-favola che racconta la Shoah con voce lieve e commovente.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 10, 2019
105 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 707 reviews
May 25, 2020
I struggled at first with this review. What could I possibly say about a fairytale that at its core is about the Holocaust ? I thought I might just say what I usually say at the end a review of a Holocaust story - how very important these stories are and how we need to keep reading them so we never forget. I decided that I couldn’t leave it at that because the story is so uniquely told and this author and his grandfather and father who were, it’s safe to say the inspiration for this story, deserve a few more words.
In just under one hundred pages, this story is filled with grief and death and violence around the most precious cargo, a baby girl, wrapped in a prayer shawl, tossed off a train by a desperate Jewish father. She becomes the most precious gift to the poor woodcutter’s wife who prayed and yearned to be a mother. The moment she holds the baby, loves her, and feels that she is a mother are so moving. The poor woodcutter does not immediately feel anything but fear and disdain for these “heartless people “, until he feels her heartbeat and from that point forward, the tender moments of the love that he has for the baby are beautifully written. In alternating chapters, the baby’s father tells the story of his own personal heartbreak, loss, and suffering at a camp. Through his narrative we get glimpses of the horrific things that happened to millions of Jews, all precious cargo.
Like most stories about the Holocaust, this is beyond horribly sad and horrific. It will gut you and yet at the same time fill your heart with the beautiful moments reflecting the unconditional, unwavering love of the baby’s father as well as the woodcutter and the woodcutter’s wife and the goodness of an old man with a goat. This is a fairytale and “none of this is true”, the author says, as he challenges us in the epilogue. This is a fairytale, but then in an appendix, we see the personal loss that no doubt inspired the author to write this story and the fairytale is not true until... well it is. This is a book that I will remember because of the depth of love here and because we can never forget.
I received an advanced copy of this book HarperVia through Edelweiss.
In just under one hundred pages, this story is filled with grief and death and violence around the most precious cargo, a baby girl, wrapped in a prayer shawl, tossed off a train by a desperate Jewish father. She becomes the most precious gift to the poor woodcutter’s wife who prayed and yearned to be a mother. The moment she holds the baby, loves her, and feels that she is a mother are so moving. The poor woodcutter does not immediately feel anything but fear and disdain for these “heartless people “, until he feels her heartbeat and from that point forward, the tender moments of the love that he has for the baby are beautifully written. In alternating chapters, the baby’s father tells the story of his own personal heartbreak, loss, and suffering at a camp. Through his narrative we get glimpses of the horrific things that happened to millions of Jews, all precious cargo.
Like most stories about the Holocaust, this is beyond horribly sad and horrific. It will gut you and yet at the same time fill your heart with the beautiful moments reflecting the unconditional, unwavering love of the baby’s father as well as the woodcutter and the woodcutter’s wife and the goodness of an old man with a goat. This is a fairytale and “none of this is true”, the author says, as he challenges us in the epilogue. This is a fairytale, but then in an appendix, we see the personal loss that no doubt inspired the author to write this story and the fairytale is not true until... well it is. This is a book that I will remember because of the depth of love here and because we can never forget.
I received an advanced copy of this book HarperVia through Edelweiss.
July 15, 2020
"Once upon a time, in a great forest....." So, is this a fairytale? Well, it does have a woodcutter and a woodcutters wife and they are poor and cold. The cold changes, but never the hunger. Are fairytaes even real? Mmmmmm, many are created among true events and most of these takes contain good and evil.
The woodcutters wife dearest wish is to have a child, but her husband, who both works and drinks hard, is glad not to have another mouth to feed. The war has effected much in her woods, and train tracks have been laid. Now, a train passes daily and the wife has much time on her hands. She times her day to be present when the train passes. She is convinced that one day the train will give her a gift. And then one day........
You see the war is on and there is much evil, but also much love. The evil will do anything to complete their dark and horrific plans. But those that can love, will make many sacrifices for those they love as will those who will risk much to help others.
This is a both a heartbreaking tale and a beautiful one. Beauty and light can sometimes be found in darkness, not often enough, but it does. We see it and hear about it some of the time. So, is this a fairy tale? Read it and decide for yourself.
ARC from Edelweiss
The woodcutters wife dearest wish is to have a child, but her husband, who both works and drinks hard, is glad not to have another mouth to feed. The war has effected much in her woods, and train tracks have been laid. Now, a train passes daily and the wife has much time on her hands. She times her day to be present when the train passes. She is convinced that one day the train will give her a gift. And then one day........
You see the war is on and there is much evil, but also much love. The evil will do anything to complete their dark and horrific plans. But those that can love, will make many sacrifices for those they love as will those who will risk much to help others.
This is a both a heartbreaking tale and a beautiful one. Beauty and light can sometimes be found in darkness, not often enough, but it does. We see it and hear about it some of the time. So, is this a fairy tale? Read it and decide for yourself.
ARC from Edelweiss
January 23, 2022
This is a beautiful fable .. just around 100 pages.
Translated from French.
It’s about the Holocaust horror ..and a Jewish man’s act of desperation to save one of his children (a twin) by tossing her off a transport train.. an old woodcutters wife who is childless … picks her up and takes her home.
I liked a quote that was at the end of the book:
“Theodor Adorno famously said, “There can be no poetry after Auschwitz,” but out of his own grief Jean-Claude Grumberg has fashioned something lyrical and beautiful from the ashes.
”
Excerpt From
The Most Precious of Cargoes
Jean-Claude Grumberg
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-m...
This material may be protected by copyright.
Translated from French.
It’s about the Holocaust horror ..and a Jewish man’s act of desperation to save one of his children (a twin) by tossing her off a transport train.. an old woodcutters wife who is childless … picks her up and takes her home.
I liked a quote that was at the end of the book:
“Theodor Adorno famously said, “There can be no poetry after Auschwitz,” but out of his own grief Jean-Claude Grumberg has fashioned something lyrical and beautiful from the ashes.
”
Excerpt From
The Most Precious of Cargoes
Jean-Claude Grumberg
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-m...
This material may be protected by copyright.
January 5, 2022
Note: I received a free copy of this book. Below is my honest review.
A very short WWII story, so, heart wrenching, of course 💔 But it reads like poetry and is lovely. 😍 I didn’t get the epilogue though… it felt snarky 😬 perhaps that’s due to the translation though? 🤷🏼♀️
Thank you @goodreads and @harperviabooks #goodreadsgiveaway
A very short WWII story, so, heart wrenching, of course 💔 But it reads like poetry and is lovely. 😍 I didn’t get the epilogue though… it felt snarky 😬 perhaps that’s due to the translation though? 🤷🏼♀️
Thank you @goodreads and @harperviabooks #goodreadsgiveaway
September 29, 2020
This fable begins with a husband and wife, and a baby girl, but first there are the years of hunger from the World War, and the poverty, the lack of food, the bitter winters. They had no children, and while the wife grieved over this, but the husband considered it a blessing. And then, almost a miracle, as a train passes, a baby girl falls from the train, thrown by her father who has wrapped her in a beautiful prayer shawl, knowing where he, his wife, and their boy, the twin of this girl, were headed. He watches, as the woman drops to her knees for the gift he has given her.
The wife believes this is a sign that her prayers have been fulfilled; but the dangers it could bring them cause her husband alarm.
There’s much more to this story, but it deserves to be read, and not just read about.
Others have said that this is shared like a fairy tale, which seems especially true if you’ve ever read the real versions and not the ones who have been Disneyfied. There is a small element of this that reminded me a bit of Ivey Eowyn’s The Snow Child, the mother desperate for a child, the fairy tale aura of the story, the lovely prose, and the background of a brutal setting.
It was well worth my time to read to read this 96-page fable, and, after, the appendix, which includes a note about the real story that motivated the author to write this.
To me, stories about the Holocaust seem even more important these days, with the news of late being filled with unnecessary violence, criminal acts, murders, are being committed by those holding power, and not enough being done to prevent it from happening again.
Published: 29 Sept 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by HarperVia and Edelweiss
The wife believes this is a sign that her prayers have been fulfilled; but the dangers it could bring them cause her husband alarm.
There’s much more to this story, but it deserves to be read, and not just read about.
Others have said that this is shared like a fairy tale, which seems especially true if you’ve ever read the real versions and not the ones who have been Disneyfied. There is a small element of this that reminded me a bit of Ivey Eowyn’s The Snow Child, the mother desperate for a child, the fairy tale aura of the story, the lovely prose, and the background of a brutal setting.
It was well worth my time to read to read this 96-page fable, and, after, the appendix, which includes a note about the real story that motivated the author to write this.
To me, stories about the Holocaust seem even more important these days, with the news of late being filled with unnecessary violence, criminal acts, murders, are being committed by those holding power, and not enough being done to prevent it from happening again.
Published: 29 Sept 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by HarperVia and Edelweiss
January 7, 2021
"In this mortal world, to gain something is to lose a little something in the process, be it the life of a loved one, or one's own." -- the hermit-like 'man in the woods,' on page 89
Unique novella - which combines the aura of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale with the actual horrors of war-torn Europe during WWII - that is probably unlike just about anything else that I've read this calendar year. Grunberg's The Most Precious of Cargoes begins with a nightmarish scene, as a Jewish father tosses one of his twin babies from a train (en route to the Drancy internment camp) while it is rumbling through a peaceful snow-covered countryside. Fortunately for all involved, this harrowing moment is witnessed by a childless woman who has lived a simple life for decades as the dutiful wife of a lumberjack. This Polish couple raise the child as their own and seem almost blissfully unaware of the on-going drama occurring on their continent, but the misguided evil that exists in the hearts of some people soon comes calling with a brutal fury. This seemed like a very unusual mixture of genres (fable, religion, war) for a story, but the subtle message - that goodness, even from some unexpected sources, will help deliver this 'precious cargo' to safety - was still a reassuring one.
Unique novella - which combines the aura of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale with the actual horrors of war-torn Europe during WWII - that is probably unlike just about anything else that I've read this calendar year. Grunberg's The Most Precious of Cargoes begins with a nightmarish scene, as a Jewish father tosses one of his twin babies from a train (en route to the Drancy internment camp) while it is rumbling through a peaceful snow-covered countryside. Fortunately for all involved, this harrowing moment is witnessed by a childless woman who has lived a simple life for decades as the dutiful wife of a lumberjack. This Polish couple raise the child as their own and seem almost blissfully unaware of the on-going drama occurring on their continent, but the misguided evil that exists in the hearts of some people soon comes calling with a brutal fury. This seemed like a very unusual mixture of genres (fable, religion, war) for a story, but the subtle message - that goodness, even from some unexpected sources, will help deliver this 'precious cargo' to safety - was still a reassuring one.
December 23, 2020
Βαθιά συγκινητικό, ανθρώπινο και διδακτικό. Παραμύθι που το διαβάζεις και το ξαναδιαβάζεις δυνατά μέχρι να το ακούσουν όλοι.
September 22, 2021
…επειδή οι λέξεις άνθρωπος κι αγάπη ξεκινούν από το ίδιο γράμμα! Από το γράμμα «Α», το άλφα, το πρώτο γράμμα της αλφαβήτου. Η αρχή, η αφετηρία, η αναγέννηση.
Αληθινό αριστούργημα!
Αληθινό αριστούργημα!
January 1, 2021
«η αγάπη που κάνει τη ζωή να συνεχίζεται» σε όλες τις εκφάνσεις της...
Καλή χρόνια σε όλους και όλες! Καλές αναγνώσεις!
Καλή χρόνια σε όλους και όλες! Καλές αναγνώσεις!
October 23, 2020
Ένα παιδί πετιέται από ένα τρένο που οδεύει για τα στρατόπεδα συγκέντρωσης και γίνεται η έκφραση της ελπίδας μέσα στο ζόφο και την απανθρωπιά του πολέμου.
December 18, 2024
O povestioară delicată, plină de substanță,care te farmecă precum un basm.
Nașterea e o binecuvâtare, nu stă sub semnul păcatului cum erau învățați oamenii acelor timpuri privindu-i pe evrei.
Sărmana nevastă a tăietorului de lemne, preabuna căpriță și micuța marfă au fost minunate, mi-ar fi plăcut să stau mai mult alături de ele.
Iubirea salvează!
"Cei fără inimă au inimă. Cei fără inimă au o inimă, la fel ca tine și ca mine."
"În lumea asta nimeni nu poate să câștige fără să și piardă ceva, fie că-i vorba de viața unei ființe dragi, fie de propria viață."
Nașterea e o binecuvâtare, nu stă sub semnul păcatului cum erau învățați oamenii acelor timpuri privindu-i pe evrei.
Sărmana nevastă a tăietorului de lemne, preabuna căpriță și micuța marfă au fost minunate, mi-ar fi plăcut să stau mai mult alături de ele.
Iubirea salvează!
"Cei fără inimă au inimă. Cei fără inimă au o inimă, la fel ca tine și ca mine."
"În lumea asta nimeni nu poate să câștige fără să și piardă ceva, fie că-i vorba de viața unei ființe dragi, fie de propria viață."
January 3, 2022
Μια φορά κι έναν καιρό, σ'ένα μεγάλο δάσος ζούσε ένας φτωχός ξυλοκόπος με τη γυναίκα του.
Με αυτή τη φράση ξεκινά το βιβλίο μας, που δεν είναι παρά ένα παραμύθι.
Ένα παραμύθι για τον πόλεμο, την αγριότητα, τον εξευτελισμό μα και την ελπίδα, την καλοσύνη, την αγάπη.
Για τον πόλεμο που διχάζει, που στοχοποιεί ανθρώπους, κάστες, αντιλήψεις.
Που ταπεινώνει, ισοπεδώνει, εκμηδενίζει την ανθρώπινη υπόσταση..
Όμως, όσο σκληρά κι αν προσπαθεί, κάπου είναι κρυμμένη η ελπίδα, η αγάπη, η ανθρωπιά σαν την πιο πολύτιμη πραμάτεια που μπορεί ποτέ να αποκτήσει ο άνθρωπος.
"Μέσα στα διπλοσφραγισμένα βαγόνια, ψυχοραγούσε η ανθρωπότητα. Και η ανθρωπότητα έκανε πως δεν το ξέρει...."
"Ορίστε, αυτό είναι το μόνο πράγμα που αξίζει να υπάρχει στις ιστορίες και στην αληθινή ζωή. Η αγάπη, η αγάπη που δίνουμε στα παιδιά, τα δικά μας και των άλλων. Η αγάπη που κάνει, παρ'όλα όσα υπάρχουν και δεν υπάρχουν, η αγάπη που κάνει τη ζωή να συνεχίζεται."4,5 αστέρια
Με αυτή τη φράση ξεκινά το βιβλίο μας, που δεν είναι παρά ένα παραμύθι.
Ένα παραμύθι για τον πόλεμο, την αγριότητα, τον εξευτελισμό μα και την ελπίδα, την καλοσύνη, την αγάπη.
Για τον πόλεμο που διχάζει, που στοχοποιεί ανθρώπους, κάστες, αντιλήψεις.
Που ταπεινώνει, ισοπεδώνει, εκμηδενίζει την ανθρώπινη υπόσταση..
Όμως, όσο σκληρά κι αν προσπαθεί, κάπου είναι κρυμμένη η ελπίδα, η αγάπη, η ανθρωπιά σαν την πιο πολύτιμη πραμάτεια που μπορεί ποτέ να αποκτήσει ο άνθρωπος.
"Μέσα στα διπλοσφραγισμένα βαγόνια, ψυχοραγούσε η ανθρωπότητα. Και η ανθρωπότητα έκανε πως δεν το ξέρει...."
"Ορίστε, αυτό είναι το μόνο πράγμα που αξίζει να υπάρχει στις ιστορίες και στην αληθινή ζωή. Η αγάπη, η αγάπη που δίνουμε στα παιδιά, τα δικά μας και των άλλων. Η αγάπη που κάνει, παρ'όλα όσα υπάρχουν και δεν υπάρχουν, η αγάπη που κάνει τη ζωή να συνεχίζεται."4,5 αστέρια
February 6, 2021
Μεσα από ένα παραμύθι δίνεται όλη η φρίκη του Ολοκαυτώματος,την περιοδο που η ανθρωπότητα ψυχορραγούσε μέσα στα τρένα και το μόνο που έκανε την ζωή να κυλάει ήταν η αγάπη των ανθρώπων που έχουν καρδιά.
December 3, 2024
O carte ca un basm, în care personajele sunt descrise minunat. O poveste tristă, dar prezentată atât de frumos, încât chiar te simți acolo.
Este vorba despre Holocaust și despre sacrificiul suprem pe care îl făceau părinții pentru copiii lor în acele vremuri tulburi, când unii dintre ei erau obligați chiar să aleagă între copiii lor.
Devastator, dar foarte frumos. Mi-aș fi dorit parcă să nu se termine atât de repede.
Este vorba despre Holocaust și despre sacrificiul suprem pe care îl făceau părinții pentru copiii lor în acele vremuri tulburi, când unii dintre ei erau obligați chiar să aleagă între copiii lor.
Devastator, dar foarte frumos. Mi-aș fi dorit parcă să nu se termine atât de repede.
December 11, 2021
OMG - such a wondrous... what? Fable? Fairy tale? True story? As the epilogue so beautifully states:
None of this, none of this is true. The one thing that is true, genuinely true—or deserves to be in the context of this story, because there must be a grain of truth in any story, otherwise why sweat blood to tell it—the one true thing, truly true, is that a little girl—who did not exist—was thrown from the window of a cargo train, out of love and out of despair, was thrown from a train, wrapped in a fringed prayer shawl embroidered with gold and silver thread—a prayer shawl that did not exist—was tossed into the snow at the feet of a poor woodcutter’s wife with no children to treasure, and that this poor woodcutter’s wife—who did not exist—gathered her up, fed her, treasured her, and loved her more than anything. More than life itself. There.It takes place between 1942 and 1945—during WWII—in France and then Poland (Auschwitz). The beauty and the sadness of the story (aka the truth) will break your heart, as it did mine.
January 1, 2021
Una historia que imita un cuento de hadas para contarnos un drama centrado en el Holocausto. Así, utilizando personajes que en principio parecen clichés pero se sienten muy humanos, Grumberg cuenta una historia ficticia y al mismo tiempo muy relacionada con su propia familia.
Es asombrosamente simple pero poético y emotivo al mismo tiempo. Es un poco "La decisión de Sophie", pero en cierta manera en un tono más amable, menos dramático. Aunque solo porque, de nuevo, imita el estilo de un cuento de hadas.
Me ha aprecido una novela corta preciosa y llena de corazón.
Es asombrosamente simple pero poético y emotivo al mismo tiempo. Es un poco "La decisión de Sophie", pero en cierta manera en un tono más amable, menos dramático. Aunque solo porque, de nuevo, imita el estilo de un cuento de hadas.
Me ha aprecido una novela corta preciosa y llena de corazón.
February 3, 2022
"É isso a única coisa que merece existir nas histórias como na vida real. O amor, o amor oferecido às crianças, às suas como às dos outros. O amor que faz com que, apesar de tudo o que existe e de tudo o que não existe, o amor que faz com que a vida continue."
Oitenta páginas de beleza e ternura, que superaram a barbaridade da guerra e dos homens.
Oitenta páginas de beleza e ternura, que superaram a barbaridade da guerra e dos homens.
June 6, 2020
THE MOST PRECIOUS OF CARGOES
BY JEAN-CLAUDE GRUMBERG
This fable that was really about the Holocaust needed to be written and deserves a wide audience of reader's everywhere is a story that I will try my hardest to do justice. It had the same vibe that resonated with me as Eowen Ivey's "The Snow Child," except this dream-like magical realism is written with the real history of horror.
A young father, married with two twin babies--both a girl and a boy has to make the unimaginable choice of throwing one of his twin babies out of a train window in between the bars. He does this out of anguish and at the same time he harbors some kind of hope that this unfathomable action that he is saving both beloved babies. His wife's milk has dried up and just maybe by some miracle the baby that he throws out the window will be found by someone with the means to feed it hence keeping both babies alive. But what a haunting and harrowing ordeal this is for him because he cannot choose...but is forced to just pick up one of the twin's so quickly that choice never enters his mind. Ever.
He faces the admonishment of his disbelieving wife who can never understand must agree with his action. He doesn't even agree with his action. Some self survival mode kicks in from his reptilian brain--his most primitive part of his brain for a hope of survival for all four of them. He prays that he is doing what is best for his wife and both twin's. Perhaps the both twin's will survive...
Watching this train pass by this most dense forest is the waiting, loving arms of a woodcutter's wife. She cannot believe her good fortune. Her greatest wish has just been answered by God. She has just received the greatest gift that she has spent her adult year's wishing for. A baby to love fiercely and cherish. How will she feed it? At first her husband the woodcutter is angry. Why has his wife burdened him with the worry of another mouth to feed? Once he hears this female baby's heartbeat--with the same synchronicity of his own it is love at first sight for him all of a sudden.
The woodcutter's wife strikes up a bargain with a man in this densely treed forest for an armload of wood in exchange for a cup of milk from his goat. This is a labor of love. Then one night the heartless and soulless come for the baby. They mean to do it harm. "Run!!!" The woodcutter gives his own life for this toddler by distracting those who plan to do it harm by giving up his own life in order to save his wife and his adopted daughter.
After the war the biological father happens to recognize his daughter with a woman selling goat cheese at a market. His heart overflows with love when he sees that not only has his daughter survived but has thrived. At the same time his grateful heart is filled with the sorrow of the loss of his only daughter, he knows he must love her from afar and leave her with her adopted mother because they both look so happy. He can see the love between them and it is deep. He moves on.
Sometimes the greatest losses we face we are able to bear them knowing that our loved ones are happy and leave them where they are. It is with both a light and heavy heart that this father is able to walk away and let his daughter believe that she is right where she needs to be.
Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Thank you to Net Galley, Jean-Claude Grumberg and HarperCollins Publishing for gifting me this ARC of this gem of a story that is both heartbreaking and beautiful in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
#NetGalley #TheMostPreciousofCargoes #HarperCollinsPublishing #JeanClaudeGrumberg
BY JEAN-CLAUDE GRUMBERG
This fable that was really about the Holocaust needed to be written and deserves a wide audience of reader's everywhere is a story that I will try my hardest to do justice. It had the same vibe that resonated with me as Eowen Ivey's "The Snow Child," except this dream-like magical realism is written with the real history of horror.
A young father, married with two twin babies--both a girl and a boy has to make the unimaginable choice of throwing one of his twin babies out of a train window in between the bars. He does this out of anguish and at the same time he harbors some kind of hope that this unfathomable action that he is saving both beloved babies. His wife's milk has dried up and just maybe by some miracle the baby that he throws out the window will be found by someone with the means to feed it hence keeping both babies alive. But what a haunting and harrowing ordeal this is for him because he cannot choose...but is forced to just pick up one of the twin's so quickly that choice never enters his mind. Ever.
He faces the admonishment of his disbelieving wife who can never understand must agree with his action. He doesn't even agree with his action. Some self survival mode kicks in from his reptilian brain--his most primitive part of his brain for a hope of survival for all four of them. He prays that he is doing what is best for his wife and both twin's. Perhaps the both twin's will survive...
Watching this train pass by this most dense forest is the waiting, loving arms of a woodcutter's wife. She cannot believe her good fortune. Her greatest wish has just been answered by God. She has just received the greatest gift that she has spent her adult year's wishing for. A baby to love fiercely and cherish. How will she feed it? At first her husband the woodcutter is angry. Why has his wife burdened him with the worry of another mouth to feed? Once he hears this female baby's heartbeat--with the same synchronicity of his own it is love at first sight for him all of a sudden.
The woodcutter's wife strikes up a bargain with a man in this densely treed forest for an armload of wood in exchange for a cup of milk from his goat. This is a labor of love. Then one night the heartless and soulless come for the baby. They mean to do it harm. "Run!!!" The woodcutter gives his own life for this toddler by distracting those who plan to do it harm by giving up his own life in order to save his wife and his adopted daughter.
After the war the biological father happens to recognize his daughter with a woman selling goat cheese at a market. His heart overflows with love when he sees that not only has his daughter survived but has thrived. At the same time his grateful heart is filled with the sorrow of the loss of his only daughter, he knows he must love her from afar and leave her with her adopted mother because they both look so happy. He can see the love between them and it is deep. He moves on.
Sometimes the greatest losses we face we are able to bear them knowing that our loved ones are happy and leave them where they are. It is with both a light and heavy heart that this father is able to walk away and let his daughter believe that she is right where she needs to be.
Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Thank you to Net Galley, Jean-Claude Grumberg and HarperCollins Publishing for gifting me this ARC of this gem of a story that is both heartbreaking and beautiful in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
#NetGalley #TheMostPreciousofCargoes #HarperCollinsPublishing #JeanClaudeGrumberg
January 22, 2021
THE MOST PRECIOUS OF CARGOES by Jean-Claude Grumberg and translated from French by Frank Wynne is unlike all previous books I have read this century.
When I was a young child I enjoyed listening to fairy tales, and when I was older I loved reading Grimm's Fairy Tales. I wasn't "put off" by the flat characters without names. Studying children's literature, I learned that many fairy tales were more than simple stories with violence, trickery, wickedness, magic, kindness and love. They were also teaching morals and some were making jabs at the government or royalty. Some stories are allegories.
"Once upon a time, in a great forest, there lived a poor woodcutter and the poor woodcutter's wife....In many fairy tails - and this is indeed a fairy tale – there is a forest."
Though the woodcutter is glad they are childless, the wife prays everyday for a baby. Then one cold winter day she finds wrapped in a beautiful prayer shawl a baby thrown from a passing cargo train.
In this tale the man with the goat says, "In this mortal world, to gain something is to lose a little something in the process, be it the life of a loved one, or one's own."
Set against the horrors of the Holocaust and told with a fairytale-like lyricism, The Most Precious of Cargoes is a fable about family and redemption which reminds us that humanity can be found in the most inhumane of places.
It is difficult for me to think about the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah. Humans can be so horrible to each other.
The author's grandfather and father were deported from Drancy to the death camps and never returned. I wonder if Jean-Claude Grumberg wrote this story as a memorial to them and because he wanted people to know that this happened and that the Shoah is real and NOT 'make believe'.
"In a few years, the witnesses of the Shoah, those who know the camps and returned, will no longer be there to tell what happened... To put into words what "negates all literature", the writer and playwright Jean-Claude Grumberg has chosen the form of a tale."
Quote from L'Obs
I cannot say that I enjoyed reading this story, but I will remember it. It is important for us to remember the Holocaust and to prevent it from ever happening again.
Special thanks to Cathrine and Carmel for reading and discussing this book with me.
When I was a young child I enjoyed listening to fairy tales, and when I was older I loved reading Grimm's Fairy Tales. I wasn't "put off" by the flat characters without names. Studying children's literature, I learned that many fairy tales were more than simple stories with violence, trickery, wickedness, magic, kindness and love. They were also teaching morals and some were making jabs at the government or royalty. Some stories are allegories.
"Once upon a time, in a great forest, there lived a poor woodcutter and the poor woodcutter's wife....In many fairy tails - and this is indeed a fairy tale – there is a forest."
Though the woodcutter is glad they are childless, the wife prays everyday for a baby. Then one cold winter day she finds wrapped in a beautiful prayer shawl a baby thrown from a passing cargo train.
In this tale the man with the goat says, "In this mortal world, to gain something is to lose a little something in the process, be it the life of a loved one, or one's own."
Set against the horrors of the Holocaust and told with a fairytale-like lyricism, The Most Precious of Cargoes is a fable about family and redemption which reminds us that humanity can be found in the most inhumane of places.
It is difficult for me to think about the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah. Humans can be so horrible to each other.
The author's grandfather and father were deported from Drancy to the death camps and never returned. I wonder if Jean-Claude Grumberg wrote this story as a memorial to them and because he wanted people to know that this happened and that the Shoah is real and NOT 'make believe'.
"In a few years, the witnesses of the Shoah, those who know the camps and returned, will no longer be there to tell what happened... To put into words what "negates all literature", the writer and playwright Jean-Claude Grumberg has chosen the form of a tale."
Quote from L'Obs
I cannot say that I enjoyed reading this story, but I will remember it. It is important for us to remember the Holocaust and to prevent it from ever happening again.
Special thanks to Cathrine and Carmel for reading and discussing this book with me.
December 1, 2020
Escrever, em 2020, uma obra de ficção original sobre o Holocausto será uma tarefa bem difícil. O trabalho de Grumberg em A mais preciosa mercadoria tem um sucesso a que muitos se propuseram e, a meu ver, não o conseguiram. Não me refiro ao sucesso comercial. Esse muitos alcançaram-no, embora sem o “alcance” deste pequeno (118 páginas) grande livro.
Com subtileza, intenção e abordado de uma forma única, este pequeno grande livro fala-nos sobre até onde estarão os pais disponíveis ir pelo bem dos seus filhos, fala-nos sobre como para salvar uma vida poderá colocar outra em perigo,...
É uma história (improvável) de sobrevivência durante o Holocausto. Palavra que em nenhum momento é mencionado…
Em jeito de conto de fadas, mas com um forte piscar de olhos, deixando em aberto a possibilidade (certeza) de se basear num caso verídico. Este trabalho de autoconsciência tem o seu apogeu no epílogo, que aborda diretamente a ideia de “história verdadeira”, fazendo-nos a nós leitores um convite, para que questionemos as suas suposições sobre a ficção histórica e sobre a relação entre o mito, o ficcionado e a realidade.
Um conto que evoca, alternadamente, o horror e a admiração. Da tristeza, do horror até aos belos momentos de preencher o coração.
O que nos pode parecer ser apenas uma história sobre o poder do amor, uma história de redenção, afigura-se como uma história do Holocausto, uma história de esperança, um conto de fadas pós-moderno que examina a relação entre mito e história.
Um pequeno grande livro, comovente, para todas as idades, que li em pouco mais de uma hora, que me deu bastante prazer ler.
Uma bela mensagem. Por vezes, da escuridão resplandece a mais bela luz.
Único, belo e devastador. A parte da História que jamais deverá ser esquecida.
Será este pequeno grande livro um conto de fadas? Leiam-no e formulem a vossa opinião!
Soube a pouco, definitivamente muito parco, escasso. Queria mais...
Com subtileza, intenção e abordado de uma forma única, este pequeno grande livro fala-nos sobre até onde estarão os pais disponíveis ir pelo bem dos seus filhos, fala-nos sobre como para salvar uma vida poderá colocar outra em perigo,...
É uma história (improvável) de sobrevivência durante o Holocausto. Palavra que em nenhum momento é mencionado…
Em jeito de conto de fadas, mas com um forte piscar de olhos, deixando em aberto a possibilidade (certeza) de se basear num caso verídico. Este trabalho de autoconsciência tem o seu apogeu no epílogo, que aborda diretamente a ideia de “história verdadeira”, fazendo-nos a nós leitores um convite, para que questionemos as suas suposições sobre a ficção histórica e sobre a relação entre o mito, o ficcionado e a realidade.
Um conto que evoca, alternadamente, o horror e a admiração. Da tristeza, do horror até aos belos momentos de preencher o coração.
O que nos pode parecer ser apenas uma história sobre o poder do amor, uma história de redenção, afigura-se como uma história do Holocausto, uma história de esperança, um conto de fadas pós-moderno que examina a relação entre mito e história.
Um pequeno grande livro, comovente, para todas as idades, que li em pouco mais de uma hora, que me deu bastante prazer ler.
Uma bela mensagem. Por vezes, da escuridão resplandece a mais bela luz.
Único, belo e devastador. A parte da História que jamais deverá ser esquecida.
Será este pequeno grande livro um conto de fadas? Leiam-no e formulem a vossa opinião!
Soube a pouco, definitivamente muito parco, escasso. Queria mais...
December 15, 2020
Τι κανεις αλήθεια οταν βλέπεις να πετιέται στον αέρα ένα παιδί, από τρένο που κατευθύνεται σε στρατόπεδο συγκέντρωσης, βλέποντάς το να προσγειώνεται στο κάτασπρο χιόνι. Αυτή είναι η πρώτη ερώτηση που γεννήθηκε στο μυαλό μου όταν ξεκίνησα το διήγημα του Γκρούμπεργκ με την έννοια οτι καθημερινά προσπερνάμε στο δρόμο μας σκηνές δυστυχίας που μας έχουν γίνει μία κοινότυπη πραγματικότητα. Γιατί η προφανής απάντηση είναι το «ναι, τρέχω να το βοηθήσω να κρατηθεί στη ζωή» αλλά σε μία χώρα που καταδυναστεύεται από Ναζί, όντας Εβραίος, και μην έχοντας ��ρόπο να γεμίσεις το μεσημεριανό σου τραπέζι, το ερώτημα χάνει κάθε είδους λογική να απαντηθεί. Που να ψάξεις να βρεις λογική μέσα στην παράνοια.
Καλογραμμένο, απλό, δίχως φιοριτούρες και φτηνές προσπάθειες να επικαλεστεί το συναίσθημα, «η Πιό Πολύτιμη Πραμάτεια» αφηγείται μία ανθρώπινη ιστορία που μέσα από την απλότητα και την “παραμυθένια” της δομή και πλοκή, καθορίζει τη θέση των ανθρώπων στο σύμπαν, ορίζοντας πως οτι και να συμβαίνει γύρω τους, αυτοί είναι φτιαγμένοι να συντάσσονται πάντα με τις δυνάμεις του Καλού, ανεξαρτήτως τελικού αποτελέσματος, ανεξαρτήτως αν το τέλος θα τους βρει ζωντανούς ή όχι.
Αισιόδοξο μέσα στη Μαυρίλα και στις κακουχίες των ίδιων των πρωταγωνιστών του, το προτείνω ως καθαρόαιμο Χριστουγεννιάτικο ανάγνωσμα μιας και η τε��ευταία του σκηνή θα μείνει για πάντα χαραγμένη στο μυαλό όλων όσων ασχοληθούν μαζί του.
Εγώ τουλάχιστον, δεν θα την ξεχάσω ποτέ.
Καλογραμμένο, απλό, δίχως φιοριτούρες και φτηνές προσπάθειες να επικαλεστεί το συναίσθημα, «η Πιό Πολύτιμη Πραμάτεια» αφηγείται μία ανθρώπινη ιστορία που μέσα από την απλότητα και την “παραμυθένια” της δομή και πλοκή, καθορίζει τη θέση των ανθρώπων στο σύμπαν, ορίζοντας πως οτι και να συμβαίνει γύρω τους, αυτοί είναι φτιαγμένοι να συντάσσονται πάντα με τις δυνάμεις του Καλού, ανεξαρτήτως τελικού αποτελέσματος, ανεξαρτήτως αν το τέλος θα τους βρει ζωντανούς ή όχι.
Αισιόδοξο μέσα στη Μαυρίλα και στις κακουχίες των ίδιων των πρωταγωνιστών του, το προτείνω ως καθαρόαιμο Χριστουγεννιάτικο ανάγνωσμα μιας και η τε��ευταία του σκηνή θα μείνει για πάντα χαραγμένη στο μυαλό όλων όσων ασχοληθούν μαζί του.
Εγώ τουλάχιστον, δεν θα την ξεχάσω ποτέ.
October 12, 2020
Ένα συγκινητικό και έντονο παραμύθι για ενηλίκους, που αναδεικνύει τον τρόμο και την παράνοια του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, αλλά ειδικότερα μια από τις μεγαλύτερες τραγωδίες της ανθρώπινης ιστορίας, που είναι βεβαίως το Ολοκαύτωμα. Όλα όσα εξιστορούνται μπορεί να είναι αληθινά, μπορεί και όχι, μπορεί να υπήρξαν αυτοί οι άνθρωποι της ιστορίας, μπορεί και όχι, όμως μια αλήθεια που υπάρχει σίγουρα είναι η αγάπη και η δύναμη να συνεχίσει κάποιος τη ζωή του, παρά τις δυσκολίες και παρά τις λύπες και τις στεναχώριες που προκύπτουν. Η γραφή είναι λιτή και συνάμα ποιητική, με εικόνες που μένουν για καιρό στο μυαλό του αναγνώστη και με σκηνές που σε αγγίζουν συναισθηματικά. Σίγουρα ένα απαραίτητο ανάγνωσμα σχετικά με το Ολοκαύτωμα.
September 23, 2020
The story may start with a fairy-tale atmosphere, but it has its feet firmly planted in the horrors of WW2.
The “monster” in this story takes on the form of a little baby that was pushed out of a train by a desperate father on his way to a concentration camp. This child, representing every fear and prejudice imaginable, is hidden from view in a Polish village.
Fable-like stories are always cautionary by nature and this one is no different. Written in an almost simplistic childlike way it still brings across its message of courage, love and redemption.
I was however never as emotionally invested as I had hoped to be.
Edelweiss ARC: Publish date 29 September 2020
The “monster” in this story takes on the form of a little baby that was pushed out of a train by a desperate father on his way to a concentration camp. This child, representing every fear and prejudice imaginable, is hidden from view in a Polish village.
Fable-like stories are always cautionary by nature and this one is no different. Written in an almost simplistic childlike way it still brings across its message of courage, love and redemption.
I was however never as emotionally invested as I had hoped to be.
Edelweiss ARC: Publish date 29 September 2020
November 12, 2020
Με τσάκισε. Έκλαψα.
Μια ιστορία σαν παραμύθι. Ένα αληθινό παραμύθι. Ένα σκληρό παραμύθι.
Με διέλυσε στην κυριολεξία.
Υπέροχο!
Μια ιστορία σαν παραμύθι. Ένα αληθινό παραμύθι. Ένα σκληρό παραμύθι.
Με διέλυσε στην κυριολεξία.
Υπέροχο!
August 18, 2022
Η Π Ι Ο Π Ο Λ Υ Τ Ι Μ Η Π Ρ Α Μ Α Τ Ε Ι Α
/ Jean-Claude Grumberg
Ένας άνδρας πηγαίνοντας στο στρατόπεδο συγκέντρωσης και σε στιγμή απελπισίας, πετάει το ένα από τα παιδιά του έξω από το παράθυρο του τρένου, σκεφτόμενος ότι θα σώσει τουλάχιστον την ζωή του ενός από τα δυο παιδιά.Μια γυναίκα προχωρημένης ηλικίας και άτεκνη,εύχεται το τρένο που βλέπει καθημερινά να της φέρει ένα παιδί. Για καλή της τύχη,είναι εκείνη που βρίσκει το παιδί και θα το σώσει.
Ένα βιβλίο γραμμένο σαν παραμύθι για τον πόλεμο και την φρίκη του, αλλά και για την αγάπη.Την αγάπη που είναι από τα πιο δυνατά όπλα!Μου θύμισε ότι η ομορφιά και το φως μερικές φορές μπορούν να βρεθούν και στο σκοτάδι.Όχι συχνά φυσικά, αλλά συμβαίνει.
/ Jean-Claude Grumberg
Ένας άνδρας πηγαίνοντας στο στρατόπεδο συγκέντρωσης και σε στιγμή απελπισίας, πετάει το ένα από τα παιδιά του έξω από το παράθυρο του τρένου, σκεφτόμενος ότι θα σώσει τουλάχιστον την ζωή του ενός από τα δυο παιδιά.Μια γυναίκα προχωρημένης ηλικίας και άτεκνη,εύχεται το τρένο που βλέπει καθημερινά να της φέρει ένα παιδί. Για καλή της τύχη,είναι εκείνη που βρίσκει το παιδί και θα το σώσει.
Ένα βιβλίο γραμμένο σαν παραμύθι για τον πόλεμο και την φρίκη του, αλλά και για την αγάπη.Την αγάπη που είναι από τα πιο δυνατά όπλα!Μου θύμισε ότι η ομορφιά και το φως μερικές φορές μπορούν να βρεθούν και στο σκοτάδι.Όχι συχνά φυσικά, αλλά συμβαίνει.
December 20, 2020
«Ορίστε, αυτό είναι το μόνο πράγμα που αξίζει να υπάρχει στις ιστορίες και στην αληθινή ζωή. Η αγάπη, η αγάπη που δίνουμε στα παιδιά, τα δικά μας και των άλλων. Η αγάπη που κάνει, παρ’ όλα όσα υπάρχουν και δεν υπάρχουν, η αγάπη που κάνει τη ζωή να συνεχίζεται»
Απόσπασμα που περικλείει όλη την ουσία της ζωής.
Απόσπασμα που περικλείει όλη την ουσία της ζωής.
July 28, 2024
Când credeam că nu mă mai poate surprinde o carte despre Holocaust, apare "Cea mai prețioasă marfă", care a reușit să îmi facă pielea de găină cu cele 109 pagini ale sale. O carte scrisă ca un basm sau chiar ca o fabulă, din care desprindem lecții valoroase: că nu ne costă nimic să dăm dovadă de umanitate și să fim buni cu semenii noștri și că iubirea este singurul lucru care face viața să continue, în ciuda tuturor pierderilor suferite și o ororilor trăite.
Avem un tăietor de lemne sărman și pe soția sa, înconjurați de pădure, foame și război. Avem un tren de marfă, plin ochi cu evrei, printre care un bărbat, o femeie și gemenii lor. Pentru că femeia nu are suficient lapte, bărbatul, într-un gest impulsiv, ia unul dintre gemeni, în înfășoară într-o boccea și îl aruncă în zăpadă, la picioarele soției tăietorului de lemne. Cea mai prețioasă marfă, un copil.. ceea ce își dorea cu ardoare soția tăietorului de lemne și nu putea avea.
O carte care se citește lejer în câteva ore, dar care rămâne în suflet și în minte mult timp. Eu i-am oferit 4☆, pentru că am simțit nevoia de mai multă profunzime în scriitură și în faptele descrise.
"Nu mai spune nimic, știu cât de negru e sufletul oamenilor."
"În lumea asta nimeni nu poate să câștige fără să și piardă ceva, fie că-i vorba de viața unei ființe dragi, fie de propria viață."
Avem un tăietor de lemne sărman și pe soția sa, înconjurați de pădure, foame și război. Avem un tren de marfă, plin ochi cu evrei, printre care un bărbat, o femeie și gemenii lor. Pentru că femeia nu are suficient lapte, bărbatul, într-un gest impulsiv, ia unul dintre gemeni, în înfășoară într-o boccea și îl aruncă în zăpadă, la picioarele soției tăietorului de lemne. Cea mai prețioasă marfă, un copil.. ceea ce își dorea cu ardoare soția tăietorului de lemne și nu putea avea.
O carte care se citește lejer în câteva ore, dar care rămâne în suflet și în minte mult timp. Eu i-am oferit 4☆, pentru că am simțit nevoia de mai multă profunzime în scriitură și în faptele descrise.
"Nu mai spune nimic, știu cât de negru e sufletul oamenilor."
"În lumea asta nimeni nu poate să câștige fără să și piardă ceva, fie că-i vorba de viața unei ființe dragi, fie de propria viață."
December 5, 2020
Ένα διήγημα γραμμένο σαν παραμύθι, μια ιστορία για την ελπίδα και την αγάπη κάτω από τον ίσκιο ενός ολέθριου πολέμου.
Άνθρωποι που στοχοποιούνται και εξοντώνονται για την πίστη τους, που χάνουν την αξιοπρέπεια τους, την υπόσταση τους, τη ζωή τους.
Στις ζοφερές αυτές μέρες κάποιοι χάνουν μα κάποιοι άλλοι βρίσκουν την πολύτιμη πραγμάτεια τους, την απάντηση στις προσευχές τους, την αγάπη στις καρδιές τους.
SHEMA'
You who live secure
In your warm houses
Who return at evening to find
Hot food and friendly faces:
Consider whether this is a man,
Who labours in the mud
Who knows no peace
Who fights for a crust of bread
Who dies at a yes or a no.
Consider whether this is a woman,
Without hair or name
With no more strength to remember
Eyes empty and womb cold
As a frog in winter.
Consider that this has been:
I commend these words to you.
Engrave them on your hearts
When you are in your house, when you walk on your way,
When you go to bed, when you rise.
Repeat them to your children.
Or may your house crumble,
Disease render you powerless,
Your offspring avert their faces from you.
Primo Levi
Άνθρωποι που στοχοποιούνται και εξοντώνονται για την πίστη τους, που χάνουν την αξιοπρέπεια τους, την υπόσταση τους, τη ζωή τους.
Στις ζοφερές αυτές μέρες κάποιοι χάνουν μα κάποιοι άλλοι βρίσκουν την πολύτιμη πραγμάτεια τους, την απάντηση στις προσευχές τους, την αγάπη στις καρδιές τους.
SHEMA'
You who live secure
In your warm houses
Who return at evening to find
Hot food and friendly faces:
Consider whether this is a man,
Who labours in the mud
Who knows no peace
Who fights for a crust of bread
Who dies at a yes or a no.
Consider whether this is a woman,
Without hair or name
With no more strength to remember
Eyes empty and womb cold
As a frog in winter.
Consider that this has been:
I commend these words to you.
Engrave them on your hearts
When you are in your house, when you walk on your way,
When you go to bed, when you rise.
Repeat them to your children.
Or may your house crumble,
Disease render you powerless,
Your offspring avert their faces from you.
Primo Levi
June 30, 2024
„Lumea li se păru ușoară și sigură în pofida războiului, sau datorită acestuia, datorită acestui război care le dăruise cea mai prețioasă marfă.”
Nevasta tăietorului de lemne își dorea de mult timp să aibă un copil, dar șansele sunt din ce în ce mai mici odată ce înaintează în vârstă. La marginea lumii lor este însă o cale ferată, pe care, în vremea războiului, trec doar trenuri de marfă. Umplute cu „oameni fără inimă”, așa le spun localnicii, pentru că acești oameni l-au omorât pe Iisus. Pentru unul dintre ei însă, speranța ca unul dintre gemenii săi să supraviețuiască foamei și necunoscutului este să-l arunce pe geam, în zăpadă, sperând ca cineva să fie prin preajmă. Și da, este ea...
Un mini-roman extrem de emoționant, iar dacă vreun cititor se gândește că o poveste din cel de-al doilea război mondial nu îl mai poate emoționa, trebuie să dea o șansă acestui volum.
Nevasta tăietorului de lemne își dorea de mult timp să aibă un copil, dar șansele sunt din ce în ce mai mici odată ce înaintează în vârstă. La marginea lumii lor este însă o cale ferată, pe care, în vremea războiului, trec doar trenuri de marfă. Umplute cu „oameni fără inimă”, așa le spun localnicii, pentru că acești oameni l-au omorât pe Iisus. Pentru unul dintre ei însă, speranța ca unul dintre gemenii săi să supraviețuiască foamei și necunoscutului este să-l arunce pe geam, în zăpadă, sperând ca cineva să fie prin preajmă. Și da, este ea...
Un mini-roman extrem de emoționant, iar dacă vreun cititor se gândește că o poveste din cel de-al doilea război mondial nu îl mai poate emoționa, trebuie să dea o șansă acestui volum.
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