Shalom Auslander, you are a funny writer. In his "Personal History" called "Playoffs" in this week's New Yorker Magazine he describes his typical struggle with Orthodoxy and life in general. "Things you can’t do on the Sabbath," is the subtitle. I don't want to spoil it for you. But I guarantee that some frum people will cry out about the agenda of the magazine. And people from Monsey and Teaneck will decry his depiction of them. He covers the bases in a charming way, from theodicy to the taboos of the Torah.He's written a book of stories called Beware of GOD and has blurbs on his web site that call him another Philip Roth and tout his anarchic religious sensibilities. And check out the NY Times Magazine for a funny The Funny Pages - True-Life Tales story called "Love Child." His generously link laden web site has more than enough to keep you busy on a shabbos afternoon. Of course you have to print it all out before shabbos.
Run, don't walk, to your newstand and read the story. (Sorry but this one is not online.) Let me know what you think.
5 comments:
"But I guarantee that some frum people will cry out about the agenda of the magazine. And people from Monsey and Teaneck will decry his depiction of them."
... and Tzvee will characteristically not give his own impression, but will instead only take a potshot at people on the right of him.
my impression - obvious approval, funny, charming, etc. not a potshot - based on the facts of past similar incidents.
Odd that he fictionalized the names of the local rabbis, particularly since he only mentioned them in passing. What happened to the famous fact checkers?
I do not take any "Personal History" to represent fact ever since the publication of James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces."
Its a must read no matter what side of the fence you are on.
He did a brilliant job. It’s a spot on picture of what its like to leave the frum world. Kudos to him for finding humor in what otherwise is a rather grim circumstance.
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