A riveting, monumental novel about the life of the
brother of Jesus Christ—hypnotic in its power and imagery, awesome in its conception and dramatic
invention. Brothers is the story of one of the most evil yet fascinating characters in modern fiction—a man whose lust for power knows no bounds, and it is about the force for betrayal—the Judas—in every person. Brothers relates, in the first person, the ruthless story of a man who has purposefully killed off the tenderness and compassion within him. It tells of his careful, scrupulously executed rise to vast influence in Judea, and of the transference of his insatiable lust for domination over all living creatures to another dimension: the realm of myth. Simultaneously, as the novel unfolds, we watch his growing preoccupation with his brother, who was given away to a childless couple as a baby, and has become a self-appointed prophet wandering the countryside.
Stunning in its intensity, compelling in its depiction of cruelty as well as compassion, Brothers combines the fascination of our own historical wellsprings with an enthralling tale about a man whose revenge on the entire human race must match the blind rage and fury in his own heart.
About the Author
CHAYYM ZELDIS is a widely acclaimed novelist and poet. His writing has been praised by such distinguished authors as Henry Miller, Elie Wiesel, Jerzy Kosinski, Cythia Ozick, James Michener, Leslie Fiedler and many others. Zeldis was born in Buffalo, N.Y. In 1948, he went to Israel, where he worked on various agricultural settlements and served in the Israel Defense Forces in the Sinai Campaign of 1956. He and his wife Nina settled permanently in Israel in 1989.
Zeldis has won a number of writing awards; his work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies.
More Praise for Zeldis' Brothers:
"Brave and monumental…(the narrator) is believable, and Zeldis' evocation of his depths is profound: he is Manson and Speck, Oswald and Brenmer, one with the heart-blasted murderers and assassins of the world. He evolves to psychopathic manipulation, to pansexuality, to sadomasochism and murder; he loves no man but himself; he is an essential portrait of corruption, the embodiment of the death instinct in us all…" Chicago Tribune Book Review
"It is not easy to generate authentic chills… Brothers does just that…" Ontario Review
"How does one describe such a book? Sacrilegious? Maybe. Disturbing? Possibly. Shocking? Definitely. Powerful? Undoubtedly. The publishers called it 'extraordinary.' It certainly is. And controversial…" Sunday Oklahoman.
"Zeldis' knowledge of history is as amazing as his skill in using it…" Elie Wiesel
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The Critics Praise:
"compelling, bitter and utterly believable…" The New York Times Book Review
"Beautiful and elegant…luxuriates in the pleasures of old-fashioned, brilliant narrative…" Los Angeles Times
"A deeply imaginative dramatization of the struggle between good and evil within men's hearts and minds…" Publishers Weekly
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