Jew Boy

Talk by Ken Worple on London Books reissue of Simon Blumnefeld's classic 1930's novel about jewish East End life.

Simon Blumenfeld's Jew Boy

Introduced by Ken Worple

Jew Boy has been recently re-published by the excellent London Books. Copies will be available on the evening. Though it opens by introducing us to Dave and then Alec (subsequently the main protagonist), by the end it is their erstwhile lover Olive who is the strongest character – a fact remarked upon by reviewers at the time. Dave is venal, sexually predatory, but ultimately conformist, whereas Alec is intellectually alert and kind-hearted, but suffers from a lack of familial security – which he later finds with Olive. By the end Alec has discovered his voice and mission in revolutionary politics, and this new-found passion sweeps the novel to its conclusion.
The world portrayed here is truly unremitting. The factory scenes are brilliantly done, bringing to life the reality of sweatshops and sweated labour, and vividly portraying the exhaustion produced by long hours, unforgiving deadlines and cut-throat competition.

Critics praised the warmth and colour of the scenes from Jewish life which were new to them – the synagogue wedding, the rituals of Yom Kippur, the concert evenings, the cafes and restaurants, street markets – even if at times the political message seemed too assertive for middlebrow Britain. Jew Boy still retains a vivid sense of life in tumult, providing a testimony to a unique time and place that is now firmly embedded in London’s volatile history.

Upstair's at The Wheatsheaf, Rathbone Place, W1. 26th October 7.30pm. Admission £3

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