After the success of his bestselling The Book of Abraham,
The Wind of the Khazars and The Canaan Trilogy (Sarah,
Zipporah and Lilah), Marek Halter returns with a
remarkable tale—based in truth—of the little-known
crusade by a 16th-century Jew to marshal support for
a Jewish state, four centuries before the creation of
modern-day Israel.
David Reubeni is a Jewish prince from the lost
kingdom of Chabor. Arriving in Venice, he begins
spreading his own gospel of the return of the Jews to
a homeland in Palestine. Reubeni scours the European
courts for support, ultimately pleading his cause to
Pope Clement VII, to whom he promises control of
the holy sites of Jerusalem in return for the Pontiff’s
aid. Upon his arrival at each new country on his
quest, Reubeni attracts throngs of followers, mostly
comprised of Jews longing for and expecting the
Messiah. Will Reubeni attain his vision and lead his
people to regain their homeland? The Messiah entices
with the marvelous improbability of its subject and
its vivid portrait of 16th-century Europe.
Translated from the French by Lauren Yoder.
About the Author
 Marek Halter was born in Poland
in 1936. During World War II, he and
his parents narrowly escaped from the
Warsaw ghetto. After a time in Russia and
Uzbekistan, they emigrated to France in
1950. There Halter embarked on a career as
a painter that led to several international
exhibitions. He is also the author of several
internationally acclaimed, bestselling historical novels, including The
Book of Abraham, which won the Prix du Livre Inter.
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