Der Golem: Jüdische Sagen Und Märchen Aus Dem Alten Prag

by Eduard Petiška

Aus dem Tschechischen übersetzt von Gustav Just

Genres: Czech Literature

146 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Eduard Petiška (1924 – 1987) was a Czech poet, translator, playwright and novelist, the author of many books for children and young people, and a translator and theorist of children's literature. He wrote over ninety books, which were translated to dozens of languages.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little booklet is about the character called Judah son of rabbi Bezalel or Jehudah Ben Bezalel who later became known as rabbi Löw the man who created the Golem whose sole task was protecting the Jewish people of Prague.
The Golem ranks among the author's books devoted to myths and legends, his books transports you to the days of the ghetto in Prague when a Rabbi defended the Jewish population from prosecution from the so-called christian population who have seen the Jewish people as a scapegoat for so many centuries.

It is a fun and easy to read collection of very short stories about the legend of Rabbi Löw which without a doubt can be explained by the more learned persons who study the Torah and history of religion.

I have considered the character of "the Golem" an interesting view upon society and religion, I did read some interesting books about this character and will seek out some new ones if they pop up. These legends were interesting and worthy of anybody's time to read and enjoy.

[Ymichaelmeigsyahoo.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Browsing the used-book stalls in the cathedral square in Freiburg, Germany, I came across a bright yellow cloth-bound little book published in the DDR in 1974: Eduard Petiška's book 'Der Golem - Judische Märchen aus dem alten Prag,' translated by Gustav Just, with an abundance of Chagall-like line drawings by Horst Hussel. It's a collection of serene tales from the Jewish community of Prague, most of them only three to five pages long, with not a hint of the devastation of that community during the second world war.

A dreamy two-page prologue describes the old Jewish cemetery, which I visited as a student only a couple of years before the book was published. The book contains much magical thinking, much mystery, and in some respects resembles the Grimm brothers' rendering of German folktales. Special place is accorded to Rabbi Löw and his creation of Joseph, the golem who invisibly patrolled the streets to protect the community. Finding the book was an unexpected delight, particularly because last year I translated Gabi Gleichmann's 'Elixir of Immortality,' a thousand-year fantastic novel about European Jews to be published this October by Other Press.

In his afterword, Petiška notes that the tales don't correspond strictly with distant historical events: "They almost certainly originated in the first half of the 1800's, as Czech scholars and poets turned with fascination toward the misty prehistory of the region of Bohemia.[ . . .] But the truth of legends and folktales consists of something different: of dreams and longing. And those dreams and desires belonged to those who told them; and the lives and destinies of the storytellers themselves were hidden in those dreams and desires
-- not only of those who made up the stories and also of those who passed them on. That is why I recast their stories, filled in the gaps, and extended them. No story lives only in the time when it was made up; rather, it also lives in the day when we tell it anew."

Horst Hussel (1934 - ), illustrator of the Petiška collection, turns out to be a grand old man of East German illustration. He studied in Dresden 1953-54 but was expelled for "formalistic subversion," then near Berlin until 1958 but was expelled for "decadent artistic views" while preparing his thesis work. His diploma from the institution was eventually awarded in 1990. Further studies at Charlottenberg-Berlin were broken off in 1961 due to the construction of the Berlin wall. Also an author (including of radio plays) and, since 1994, a publisher.

I see that this book was also published in English in 1992.

[Marta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting but not life-changing. Ok if you happen upon it.

[Cay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to Rabbi Low and the Golem mythology.

[Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up in Prague a few years ago, and reading these short, evocative Jewish legends brought memories of my trip back very strongly. Despite the rather rough translation of the work, the language and subject matter really brought the history and feeling of the city to life and I am interested in finding more translated works by Petiska. The Golem story is one that is increasingly popular in popular culture, so in particular, I was glad to read one of the most influential accounts of the story. A mixture of the historical and the mythological, Petiska's accounts of the legends of "Old Prague" make me want to return.

[Rebeckah11]

A set of wonderful old tales from Prague. I have visited this beautiful city many, many times, but you can walk the streets blindly missing so much unless you know - and this book brings to life the tales of the old Jewish Quater, most of which you can still see today. Now I look up at the roof space of the Old New Synagog and don't just see a boring plain building, but stare at the tiny slit windows wondering if the Golem is still hinding inside.