THE CHRIST OF FISH
Fiction, 1991
The heroine is a widow who still speaks German after decades in Israel. The myriad mini-chapters offer many views of Aunt Magda – her childhood, her marriage, her nephew, her best friend Frau Stier, her apple strudel, her visions and dreams, her two stolen handbags and her gentleman admirer.
Rights Sold to:
France, Galaade; Germany, Rowohlt, Israel, Keter; Italy, Feltrinelli; USA, New Directions
Reviews:
“Reading Hoffmann is an unusual treat....he is sublime, his work truly seamless.” – Washington Jewish Week
“The Christ of Fish takes only a sitting to read, but because it is so resilient a work of art it can withstand numerous re-readings.” – Jewish Exponent
“Hoffmann has created an imaginative kaleidoscope.” – Hadassah Magazine
“The stunning Romanian-born Israeli author Yoel Hoffmann, dreamlike and precise, wrenches your heart.” – The New Leader
“These exquisite shards of memories, crystallized in language: an attempt to find out how (by virtue of what principle) the universe keeps going.” – Allen Hibbard, Review of Contemporary Fiction