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The books of Jacob : or: A fantastic journey across seven borders, five languages, and three major religions, not counting the minor sects. Told by the dead, supplemented by the author, drawing from a range of books, and aided by imagination, the which being the greatest natural gift of any person. That the wise might have it for a record, that my compatriots reflect, laypersons gain some understanding, and melancholy souls obtain some slight enjoyment  Cover Image Book Book

The books of Jacob : or: A fantastic journey across seven borders, five languages, and three major religions, not counting the minor sects. Told by the dead, supplemented by the author, drawing from a range of books, and aided by imagination, the which being the greatest natural gift of any person. That the wise might have it for a record, that my compatriots reflect, laypersons gain some understanding, and melancholy souls obtain some slight enjoyment / Olga Tokarczuk ; translated by Jennifer Croft.

Summary:

"In the mid-eighteenth century, as new ideas -- and a new unrest -- begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following. In the decade to come, Frank will traverse the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires with throngs of disciples in his thrall as he reinvents himself again and again, converts to Islam and then Catholicism, is pilloried as a heretic and revered as the Messiah, and wreaks havoc on the conventional order, Jewish and Christian alike, with scandalous rumors of his sect's secret rituals and the spread of his increasingly iconoclastic beliefs. The story of Frank -- a real historical figure around whom mystery and controversy swirl to this day -- is the perfect canvas for the genius and unparalleled reach of Olga Tokarczuk. Narrated through the perspectives of his contemporaries -- those who revere him, those who revile him, the friend who betrays him, the lone woman who sees him for what he is -- "The Books of Jacob" captures a world on the cusp of precipitous change, searching for certainty and longing for transcendence"-- Provided by publisher

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780593087480
  • ISBN: 0593087488
  • ISBN: 9780593332528
  • ISBN: 0593332520
  • Physical Description: [964] pages : illustrations, map ; 25 cm
  • Edition: First American edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Riverhead Books, 2022.

Content descriptions

General Note:
Pages are numbered backward starting with 964 and ending with 2.
Originally published in Poland as Księgi Jakubowe by Wydawnictwo Literackie, Kraków, in 2014. English language edition first published in Great Britain by Fitzcarraldo Editions, London, in 2021.
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 7-5).
Formatted Contents Note:
Prologue -- I. The book of fog -- II. The book of sand -- III. The book of the road -- IV. The book of the comet -- V. The book of metal and sulfur -- VI. The book of the distant country -- VII. The book of names.
Awards Note:
Noble Prize in Literature, 2018
Subject: Frank, Jacob, approximately 1726-1791 > Fiction.
Frank, Jacob, approximately 1726-1791.
Jewish messianic movements > Europe > History > 18th century > Fiction.
Poland > History > 18th century > Fiction.
FICTION / Biographical.
FICTION / Cultural Heritage.
FICTION / World Literature / Poland.
Jewish messianic movements.
Europe.
Poland.
Genre: Historical fiction.
Biographical fiction.
Biographical fiction.
Fiction.
Historical fiction.
History.
Historical fiction.
Biographical fiction.

Available copies

  • 3 of 3 copies available at Skagit Evergreen Libraries. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at La Conner Swinomish Library District. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at La Conner Regional Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 3 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
La Conner Regional Library FIC TOKARCZUK 111352 FICTION Available -

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1001 . ‡aTokarczuk, Olga, ‡d1962- ‡eauthor.
24010. ‡aKsięgi Jakubowe. ‡lEnglish
24514. ‡aThe books of Jacob : ‡bor: A fantastic journey across seven borders, five languages, and three major religions, not counting the minor sects. Told by the dead, supplemented by the author, drawing from a range of books, and aided by imagination, the which being the greatest natural gift of any person. That the wise might have it for a record, that my compatriots reflect, laypersons gain some understanding, and melancholy souls obtain some slight enjoyment / ‡cOlga Tokarczuk ; translated by Jennifer Croft.
250 . ‡aFirst American edition.
264 1. ‡aNew York : ‡bRiverhead Books, ‡c2022.
264 4. ‡c©2021
300 . ‡a[964] pages : ‡billustrations, map ; ‡c25 cm
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
500 . ‡aPages are numbered backward starting with 964 and ending with 2.
500 . ‡aOriginally published in Poland as Księgi Jakubowe by Wydawnictwo Literackie, Kraków, in 2014. English language edition first published in Great Britain by Fitzcarraldo Editions, London, in 2021.
504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 7-5).
520 . ‡a"In the mid-eighteenth century, as new ideas -- and a new unrest -- begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following. In the decade to come, Frank will traverse the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires with throngs of disciples in his thrall as he reinvents himself again and again, converts to Islam and then Catholicism, is pilloried as a heretic and revered as the Messiah, and wreaks havoc on the conventional order, Jewish and Christian alike, with scandalous rumors of his sect's secret rituals and the spread of his increasingly iconoclastic beliefs. The story of Frank -- a real historical figure around whom mystery and controversy swirl to this day -- is the perfect canvas for the genius and unparalleled reach of Olga Tokarczuk. Narrated through the perspectives of his contemporaries -- those who revere him, those who revile him, the friend who betrays him, the lone woman who sees him for what he is -- "The Books of Jacob" captures a world on the cusp of precipitous change, searching for certainty and longing for transcendence"-- ‡cProvided by publisher
5050 . ‡aPrologue -- I. The book of fog -- II. The book of sand -- III. The book of the road -- IV. The book of the comet -- V. The book of metal and sulfur -- VI. The book of the distant country -- VII. The book of names.
586 . ‡aNoble Prize in Literature, 2018
60010. ‡aFrank, Jacob, ‡dapproximately 1726-1791 ‡vFiction.
60017. ‡aFrank, Jacob, ‡dapproximately 1726-1791. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01819186
650 0. ‡aJewish messianic movements ‡zEurope ‡xHistory ‡y18th century ‡vFiction.
651 0. ‡aPoland ‡xHistory ‡y18th century ‡vFiction.
650 7. ‡aFICTION / Biographical. ‡2bisacsh
650 7. ‡aFICTION / Cultural Heritage. ‡2bisacsh
650 7. ‡aFICTION / World Literature / Poland. ‡2bisacsh
650 7. ‡aJewish messianic movements. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst00982854
651 7. ‡aEurope. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01245064
651 7. ‡aPoland. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01206891
648 7. ‡a1700-1799 ‡2fast
655 0. ‡aHistorical fiction.
655 0. ‡aBiographical fiction.
655 7. ‡aBiographical fiction. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01726537
655 7. ‡aFiction. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01423787
655 7. ‡aHistorical fiction. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01726640
655 7. ‡aHistory. ‡2fast ‡0(OCoLC)fst01411628
655 7. ‡aHistorical fiction. ‡2lcgft
655 7. ‡aBiographical fiction. ‡2lcgft
7001 . ‡aCroft, Jennifer ‡c(Translator), ‡etranslator.
7300 . ‡aKsięgi Jakubowe. ‡lEnglish
77508. ‡iReproduction of (manifestation): ‡aTokarczuk, Olga, 1962- ‡tBooks of Jacob. ‡dMelbourne, Vic. : Text Publishing, 2021 ‡z9781922330680
77608. ‡iOnline version: ‡aTokarczuk, Olga, 1962- ‡tBooks of Jacob. ‡bFirst American edition. ‡dNew York : Riverhead Books, 2022 ‡z9780593087497 ‡w(DLC) 2021020021
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