The Circumcision
(György Dalos)
Robi Singer is a half-orphan -- his father died soon after the war -- who spends his weekdays in a Jewish orphanage in Budapest and his weekends in a small apartment with his grandmother and mother. His mother is agoraphobic and hypochondriac, but his grandmother is a tough old lady who holds down an unskilled job and knows how to work the system; they manage to cling to a middle-class lifestyle, even if they can't afford a proper winter coat for Robi.
A teacher at the orphanage inspires him with stories about the heroes of Jewish history, but on Sundays his mother takes him to prayer meetings of Jews for Christ -- and his grandmother is a communist. So when the time comes for Robi's bar mitzvah, it's not clear that his belated circumcision really will be "just a formality"...
The tribulations of Robi and his family, and their relationships with others, offer a fascinating view of life in Hungary under Rákosi and Stalin. But The Circumcision (Körümetélés) is a simple, unpretentious story of a teenager growing up, facing the common confusions of sex and love and family as well as those peculiar to his religious background. Apart from occasional Yiddish terms (explained in a glossary), the background never intrudes: Dalos delivers short, punchy episodes in lucid prose, with a quiet but effective humour.
The book is an excellent work of a writer with a great sense of imagination and a beautiful mind. I would rate it as one of the best books written on a political crisis with a beautiful metaphorical background which itself is a masterpiece.
THe book ofcourse has not got the acclaim that it deserved but thats how it is, with this world,. It is a must read I would say...Though I also feel you will find it difficult to get in the book Store..
Happy Reading
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