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Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1980 a curious discovery was made above a disused synagogue at 19 Princelet Street in the East End of London. A room, summarily abandoned years before, was found with everything more or less in its original state, even down to porridge on the stove and the imprint of a head on a pillow. The room's occupant, David Rodinsky, was a reclusive cabbalistic Jewish scholar who had, one day in the late 60s, simply vanished from his home; what became of him no one knew. The mystery of Rodinsky caused a mild flurry of excitement; writer and East-End chronicler Iain Sinclair wrote an essay for The London Review of Books entitled "The Man Who Became A Room" and subsequently expanded this as a chapter in his book Downriver but it was not until artist Rachel Lichtenstein became involved with the story that the true quest for David Rodinsky began. Lichtenstein's search paralleled her desire to investigate her own Jewish roots; the bond she felt with this elusive man whom no one could describe, of whom not one photograph seemed to exist, was incredible. The resulting book is a unique and fascinating collaboration between Lichtenstein and Sinclair and uses interweaving narratives to recreate the history of Rodinsky, "The Man Who Never Was". Sinclair's speculating, mythology-rich essays on Jewish culture, folklore and history blend skilfully with Lichtenstein's breathless detective story, which becomes as much autobiography as biography as the story gathers pace.--Catherine Taylor
Product Description
Rodinsky's world was that of the East European Jewry, cabbalistic speculation, an obsession with language as code and terrible loss. He touched the imagination of artist Rachel Lichtenstein, whose grandparents had left Poland in the thirties. This text weaves together Lichtenstein's quest for Rodinsky -which took her to Poland, to Israel and around Jewish London -with Iain Sinclair's meditations on her journey into her own past, and on the Whitechapel he has reinvented.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A young Englishwoman, heavily pregnant, is admitted to the office suite of a New York literary agent. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Rachel Lichtenstein's search to piece together the life of David Rodinsky becomes a quest for her own Jewish ancestry. Iain Sinclair, in turn, examines Rachel's personal journey and keeps the narrative more tightly focused. Occasionally I was so irritated by other artists, writers and historians who were appropriating the East End Jewish experience, because they almost seemed to be appropriating the book, that I needed to take a break from it. Only towards the end did their contributions seem entirely relevant. Rachel's emotional involvement with the late David Rodinsky leaves the book somewhere between the personal quest of Theo Richmond's Konin and the sublime dignity of James Agee's and Walker Evans' Lets Us Now Praise Famous Men. I was staying near Konin two years ago and Polish friends persuaded me not to visit the town because there was 'nothing there'. I shall not make the same mistake about Spitalfields. My train ticket is booked and I have already been quizzing my (gentile) father about his memories of that area where he grew up some seventy years ago.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Rachel Litchenstein's account of a search into the clues left behind by the mysterious David Rodinsky is much more than an attempt at a detective-type biography of an enigma. Much more compelling is the way Litchenstein herself has invited the enigma into her own personal search for meaning and healing in her life and Jewish culture.
Her account, written in such clear and evocative prose is imbued with a kind of honesty that is both captivating and rare. Her voice speaks out directly to a generation operating in a culture where irony and supposed distance from culture is all-pervasive, cutting through to what is truly important, namely real people and their experiences, in terms of history, culture and spirituality.
Rachel treats all her 'characters', whether they be her interviewees and advisers during the trail of discovery, or the ghosts of Rodinsky and his family, with immense respect. She not only understands, but embraces the idea that by drawing the stories out, she necessarily incorporates her own into theirs and vice versa. Her energy and tenacity as the story unfolds is very compelling. She also seems to be incredibly 'lucky' during her search, where so many coincidences and chance meetings take on a fateful, spiritual meaning of their own.
It's an idiosyncratic, personal journey through the Jewish East End, Israel and Poland. But the story and approach is so strong that it manages to transcend specific culture in its search for meaning in what it is to be human.
It left me feeling inspired, affirmed and thankful that there are people such as Rachel who are willing to take on the responsibility of being a 'cultural caretaker' for all of our sakes.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Seeing a Granta brochure promoting the book, I was immediately attracted - I do have a soft spot for books on scholarly, mysterious Jews scribbling away in attics. Having read the book, I realise my first impressions were just that, but I'm not sorry I got the book. A couple of thoughts come to mind. The first concerns Rachel Lichtenstein, how she is able through her warmth to link with people and get them to help her in her difficult quest to uncover knowledge about David Rodinsky. The number of fortunate encounters and coincidences that occur to her makes one wonder if there is not something holy in this quest. Her stories and the characters she meets in Poland are fascinating. The second concerns David Rodinsky. I found his life story very touching. The thought of a person, lonely in his attic, writing makeshift dialogue moved me to tears. I will not disclose his fate for those who wish to read the book but it is fair to say that through no fault of his own, his immediate family's failure to integrate into East End London life after coming from Russia ultimately sealed his fate. Lichtenstein has done a great service in bringing his story to a greater audience. The nagging question is how many more Rodinskys have there been this century?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An unconventional book about the London Jewish experience
I agree with at least one other reviewer that this book might have been even more readable if Rachel Lichtenstein had been the sole author. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Neil Kernohan
A bit disappointed.
This type of search after the past always attracts me, and it starts well. But there should have been a warning about the extreme density of Iain Sinclair's prose. Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2006 by Richard A. Bowker
Madman or Visionary
David Rodinsky, madman and/or visionary disappeared from his room above a disused East London synagogue, never to be seen again. Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2000 by steve.escott@virgin.net
Very interesting topic, could have been written better
Initially, I was very excited to read this book, as I had read the existing reviews and found the topic fascinating. Moreso as a student interested in Jewish history. Read more
Published on 3 Jun 2000
An absorbing piece of research into an unknown person.
I was intrigued by the story of David Rodinsky when I read the first reviews on publication. Having now read it, I would say that it would have been a better read if it had been... Read more
Published on 16 May 2000 by stanmarut@barclays.net
A most moving search for roots.
This is a most wonderful search for the true identity of someone who seemed to have no identity. In searching the author finds her own roots and settles her own doubts about her... Read more
Published on 3 April 2000
How long can the ghosts remain?
This book, beautifully printed and produced, is the work of two authors driven, in very different ways, to bring contemporary focus from the near past. Read more
Published on 25 July 1999
A readable historical insight into the Jewish East End? Nah!
I really wanted this book to provide a readable and interesting insight into David Rodinsky's life here in the East End. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 1999
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