Audiobook · read by volunteers
King of Schnorrers
Israel Zangwill (1864–1926)
Read by Adrian Praetzellis · 6 chapters · 4 h 24
About the book
Manasseh Bueno Barzillai Azevedo da Costa is a beggar, but he does not behave like one. In late eighteenth-century London he claims his place among the Sephardic Jews of the city as a proud descendant of old Portuguese families, and he regards the charity he receives as something owed to him, not a favour. His generous benefactors are never quite sure whether to be offended or delighted. Israel Zangwill turns this comic idea into a quick-witted novel full of bargains, bluffs, rival clans, a wedding and a good deal of shrewd talk about money and pride. Nothing here is solemn for long. Adrian Praetzellis reads the book in six lively chapters, and the humour is as sharp as ever for anyone who likes a clever con. Wit, bluff and affection fill every page, and the hero's pride is irresistible.
Introduction
Israel Zangwill was born in London in 1864 and died in 1926. The son of immigrants, he grew up in the East End and became one of the best-known Jewish writers in English of his day, as a novelist, playwright and public speaker. The King of Schnorrers was published in 1894 and is often counted among his most enduring comic works. The Yiddish word schnorrer means a beggar, but in this book it stands for something closer to an artist of the begging trade.
The story is set in the London Jewish community of the eighteenth century, which was divided between older Sephardic families of Spanish and Portuguese descent and newer Ashkenazi arrivals. Zangwill draws on those differences for laughter, and also for affectionate insight into customs, religion and family life. The central idea is that giving to the poor is a religious duty, a mitzvah, and that a clever beggar can turn that principle into a kind of regal authority.
This LibriVox recording lasts about four and a half hours in six parts, all read by one volunteer. The wit has dated remarkably little. Today the book offers a funny and humane picture of a minority community in a great city, and an unforgettable comic hero whose confidence is a joy to hear. The recording is a good example of a comic novel that wears its learning lightly. Listeners new to Zangwill will find a brisk entertainment, and those who know the period will enjoy the glimpses of London customs and the clever reversals of status that drive the plot.
Although the humour is broad, the portrait is never cruel. Zangwill clearly loved the world he describes, and his dialogue, full of ironic politeness and sudden reversals, gives the narrator plenty of chances to make the listener smile and even laugh aloud.
Public domain
Israel Zangwill died in 1926: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text