Language:
English
Year of publication:
1998
Titel der Quelle:
Jewish Affairs
Angaben zur Quelle:
53,1 (1998) 18-24
Keywords:
Becker, Jurek,
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), in literature
Abstract:
Discusses Jurek Becker's life and his novel "Jacob the Liar", which depicts life in a ghetto during World War II. Becker (b. 1937) is a Jew who survived the Łódź ghetto and the Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen concentration camps. Discusses the character of Jacob, the novel's hero, who feeds the ghetto's inhabitants "news" which he has fabricated about a Russian advance, thereby giving them hope and allaying their despondency. Jacob feels that he must lie in order to help the Jews; when he finally tells the truth, the Jews lose all hope and some commit suicide. The novel challenges reality, questioning which is more correct and morally acceptable - the truth or the lie. Jacob's fantasy can be understood as a means of preserving an area of personal autonomy in a world dominated by oppression.
URL:
Locate this publication in Israeli libraries
Permalink