Francis King
Having Faith
Few novels by a writer previously unknown to me have excited me as much as Richard Zimler’s international bestseller The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon. Set in Portugal at the close of the fifteenth century, it describes how King Manuel’s decision to convert, rather than expel, the Jews from his country resulted in many of them publicly embracing Christianity while at the same time secretly retaining their true faith. At the centre of a broad and brilliant canvas is the Zarco family, valiantly and sometimes disastrously attempting to come to terms with the new dispensation. Descendants of the same family, some three centuries later, provided the main characters in Zimler’s no less epic Hunting Midnight. Now, in this latest volume of what might be called Zimler’s ‘Sephardic Trilogy’, another Zarco, a young man called Tiago, is both protagonist and narrator.
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
'Thirkell was a product of her time and her class. For her there are no sacred cows, barring those that win ribbons at the Barchester Agricultural.'
The novelist Angela Thirkell is due a revival, says Patricia T O'Conner (£).
https://literaryreview.co.uk/good-gad
'Only in Britain, perhaps, could spy chiefs – conventionally viewed as masters of subterfuge – be so highly regarded as ethical guides.'
https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-spy-who-taught-me
In this month's Bookends, @AdamCSDouglas looks at the curious life of Henry Labouchere: a friend of Bram Stoker, 'loose cannon', and architect of the law that outlawed homosexual activity in Britain.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/a-gross-indecency