This anthology, the first of this kind in twenty-five years, collects eighteen astounding works of Jewish fiction.
This is the first anthology of translated multilingual Jewish fiction in 25 years: a collection of 18 splendid stories, each translated into English from a different language: Albanian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Ladino, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Yiddish. These compelling, humorous, and moving stories, written by eminent authors that include Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Isaac Babel, and Lili Berger, reflect both the diversities and the commonalities within Jewish culture, and will make you laugh, cry, and think. This beautiful book is easily accessible and enjoyable not only for Jewish readers, but for story-lovers of all backgrounds.
Authors (in the order they appear in the book) include: Elie Wiesel, Varda Fiszbein, S. Y. Agnon, Gábor T. Szántó, Jasminka Domaš, Augusto Segre, Lili Berger, Peter Sichrovsky, Maciej Płaza, Entela Kasi, Norman Manea, Luize Valente, Eliya Karmona, Birte Kont, Michel Fais, Irena Dousková, Mario Levi, and Isaac Babel.
Media & Events
“The result is a sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always thoughtful collection that shows the similarities and differences in Jewish life across cultures, languages, and countries.”: The New York Times’ Wirecutter team recommends 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages as a great Hanukkah gift idea this holiday.
A feature article about Nora Gold in the Jerusalem Post, about her books, her activism, and her life.
Nora Gold speaks with the Jewish Book Council Paper Brigade Daily’s Simona Zaretsky to discuss 18, Jewish Fiction .net, translation, and the multilingualism of Jewish fiction itself.
What Makes a Book Jewish?: 18 Nora Gold reflects on Jewishness in fiction for Hadassah Magazine.
Compelling Jewish Reads to Kick off the New Year from Hadassah Magazine: “For Gold, the founding editor of JewishFiction .net, a Jewish story is one that expresses Jewish identity in some dimension and relates to the Jewish experience.”
This excerpt from 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages explores the psychological impact of the Holocaust on a survivor and his family after the war, when the narrator is confronted by his two sons, who want to buy a Christmas tree. This short story is by Gábor T. Szántó and translated from Hungarian by Walter Burgess and Marietta Morry.
“Jewish Fiction .net founder Gold (The Dead Man) collects a remarkably diverse array of translated Jewish stories and novel excerpts that appeared in English for the first time on the site. Because “Jews have lived for two thousand years scattered among other nations,” Jewish fiction “has been written in the languages of virtually every country,” writes Gold, who ventures beyond the expected (Yiddish, Hebrew) to spotlight stories originally published in Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Turkish, and more. Gold includes some Jewish literary stars; an excerpt from Elie Wiesel’s Hostage, for example, finds writer Shaltiel Feigenberg slipping into an out-of-body state after he’s captured by pro-Palestinian terrorists. But the real treats come from lesser-known authors who push the envelope in surprising ways, such as Croatian Jasminka Domaš’s ethereal, creepy “Purimspiel,” which features the disappearance of a reclusive woman who idolizes the biblical Queen Esther, and Italian Augusto Segre’s “Purchase of Goods of Dubious Origin,” which explores the aftermath of a shopkeeper’s business mistake. This broad and wide-ranging anthology is a fitting ode to the “nearly inexhaustible richness and strength” of the Jewish multilingual tradition.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Nora Gold is a remarkable pioneer in the harvesting of Jewish literature, and her 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages is a landmark anthology destined to illumine and stir new generations of readers.”
— Cynthia Ozick
“This book by Nora Gold is like a treasure chest of marvels, each story a gem from a different time and place. There are living marvels here from so many times and places and voices and experiences that every reader’s idea of Jewish literature will have to be fargresert un farbesert—enlarged and improved.”
— Dara Horn, award-winning author of People Love Dead Jews and Eternal Life
“Rich and varied, 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages reminds us how diverse the Jewish experience is. For anyone interested in Jewish literature, it’s a must-read book and an important addition to the Jewish literary canon.”
— Joshua Henkin, Winner of the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for American Jewish Fiction
“With this remarkable book, Dr. Gold makes a signal contribution to the current state and study of contemporary Jewish literature. Her anthology offers readers a world tour of Jewish literatures in one volume: 18 works that are of consistently high quality and represent numerous linguistic traditions. I know of no other anthology like this. It deserves significant critical attention and certainly will be of interest to teachers, students, and readers of Jewish literature, comparative literature, and world literature.”
— Adam Rovner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English & Jewish Literature, and Director, Center for Judaic Studies, University of Denver
“One thing is for certain: whether winners of the Nobel Prize or secret scribblers in remote Eastern European shtetls (or both), these writers have clung to their Judaism as if to their very being. Yet, ironically, it is this clinging to identity which makes this collection so universal. They are saying that, in all of the best and worst circumstances, this is who we are and who we shall remain. Nothing can change that. What a treat it is to ‘hear’ the voices from far and wide affirming our humanity.”
— Joseph Kertes, Winner of a Canadian National Jewish Book Award and the U.S. National Jewish
Book Award for Fiction
“With editorial aplomb and resourcefulness, Gold has selected a wide variety of stories culled from the Jewish Diaspora. To shift the Biblical paradigm, one could also imagine the multicoloured mosaic on the cover as a Joseph’s coat of many colours whose fabric is on display in each of these stories. That garment may be torn or mended – stitched together and stretched across the linguistic spectrum of the Diaspora. … From the Tower of Babel to Isaac Babel, Nora Gold’s 18 is a treasure-trove of translated stories.”
— Michael Greenstein, The Miramichi Reader[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym
(Two novellas)
In Sickness and In Health – Lily had epilepsy as a child, so her most cherished goal has always been to be “normal”. By age 45 she has a “normal” life, including a family, friends, and an artistic career, and no one, not even her husband, knows the truth about her past. But now some cartoons she drew threaten to reveal her childhood secret and destroy her marriage and everything she has worked so hard for. A moving novella about shame, secrets, disabilities, and the limits and power of love.
Yom Kippur in a Gym – Five strangers at a Yom Kippur service in a gym are struggling with personal crises. Lucy can’t accept her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. Ira, rejected by his lover, is planning suicide. Rachel worries about losing her job. Ezra is tormented by a mistake that ruined his career. Tom contemplates severing contact with his sisters. Then a medical emergency unexpectedly throws these five strangers together, and in one hour all their lives are changed in ways they would never have believed possible.
*SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE FOR RECENT NEWS & UPDATES*
UPCOMING BOOK LAUNCHES AND TALKS:
April 21 at 3:30 pm – Book Launch – Guernica Editions group launch, 268 Augusta, Toronto
May 30 from 6-8 pm – Reading and Book Talk – Wychwood Library, Toronto, with author Gary Barwin
PRAISE for In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym:
What is so wonderful and compelling about both these novellas is the deep compassion and understanding that Gold has for her characters. With insight and a keen sense of the conflicted, complex, vulnerable, hopeful and yes, beautiful condition of being fully human, both works do the necessary and inspiring work of making vivid what it is to be immersed in self, in consciousness, in relationships, in life itself.
– Gary Barwin, award-winning author of Yiddish for Pirates and Nothing the Same Everything Haunted
With an astute eye, Nora Gold writes with depth and emotion. Her novellas, Yom Kippur in a Gym and In Sickness and In Health, delve the inner workings of the human heart. Her writing reminds us that we’re all fallible beings, and her characters are living, breathing entities that reach out and touch our souls.
– Faye Kellerman, author of the best-selling Decker/Lazarus mystery series; her latest book is The Hunt
In this excellent book, the writing always thrusts, compelling readers to see themselves in the characters’ frailties of body and soul and to ask themselves the questions of conscience and mortality that these novellas pose with great eloquence.
– Nomi Eve, author of The Family Orchard and Henna House; Directs the Drexel MFA in Creative Writing
Yom Kippur in a Gym works wonderfully and readers will certainly be enchanted by all the storylines and characters… We find ourselves rooting for…these warm and complex people…depicted as flawed but fascinating… Yom Kippur in a Gym is a wonderful read, a beacon of light in dark times.
– Jerry Levy, Ottawa Review of Books
Nora Gold’s In Sickness and in Health/Yom Kippur in a Gym is exhilarating, hopeful, and deeply humane. I loved Yom Kippur in a Gym – its ingenious structure held my attention, and my affection grew for each one of its flawed but well-intentioned characters as they met a spiritual test that will leave them forever changed. I found In Sickness and in Health consoling (and dare I say spiritual), but without a trace of sentimentality. The ending surprised me, yet seemed exactly right. Nora Gold takes all her thorny characters to their emotional and spiritual edge, where the discoveries they make shine the light of possibility on the unexplored corners of every life.
– Rona Maynard, former Editor of Chatelaine and author of Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World
Nora Gold… has just published what Vegas aficionados call a twofer – that is two for the price of one, in this case two novellas… Gold accomplishes the technical challenges of each novella deftly while bringing each to a successful resolution… Which is when the reader realizes that these two stories have more in common than one might think at first blush… Both novellas are about finding community, and about being supported – one from a loving spouse, the other from a community brought together by a set of shared experiences. And that makes for a twofer worth reading.
– Tom Teicholz, Forbes.com
Nora Gold uses wonderful descriptive techniques and an innate sense of character to convey the complexity of human emotions, addressing themes of acceptance, loss, and the unpredictability of fate. Reading these novellas was an immersive experience, and I was impressed with the way that Gold navigated delicate subjects with empathy and authenticity, sticking to a character-driven style that keeps us involved and attuned to her central figures. I found the cultural and social elements of the work really warmly handled and informative, bringing people into both lives with disabilities and Jewish life with a welcoming feel. Her storytelling prowess and keen understanding of the human condition make these novellas emotionally resonant and thought-provoking, offering readers a glimpse into the intricate tapestry of life’s challenges and the potential for transformative connections. Overall, I would certainly recommend In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym for fans of accomplished literary novellas everywhere.
– Readers’ Favorites – 5 stars out of 5
Nora Gold’s two novellas are full of wry humour and unusual perspectives, all wonderfully conveyed.
– Norman Ravvin, professor at Concordia University, author of Who Gets In: An Immigration Story
REVIEWS of In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym:
PURCHASING In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym:
This book sold out on Amazon on its first day, so you can either add it to your Wish List there and get notified when it’s been restocked, or else order it online from Guernica Editions or get it from your local bookstore. Below are just a few examples of Toronto bookstores that carry my book; it can be ordered from any bookstore in any North American city.
“Gold adventures in difficult emotional terrain and achieves something beautiful, transformative, and life-affirming. The conclusion of The Dead Man elevates and transforms all the events of the novel. It is as if Eve (the heroine) and the reader had traveled a tortuous terrain, paying attention to every step but not noticing that they were ascending. Now that the summit has been reached, the look back reveals not ugliness but beauty.” – Maria Bloshteyn, Los Angeles Review of Books
“The Dead Man is a wonderfully affecting, memorable, and original tale. Nora Gold is a natural storyteller, and her ability to make us understand the shimmering and complex landscape of love has its haunting echoes in the Israeli landscape. This is an ingeniously and gorgeously crafted story, radiantly musical in its rich textures.”
– Jay Neugeboren, author of The Stolen Jew, Imagining Robert, and Max Baer and the Star of David
The Dead Man was chosen as one of the “Top 10 Books of 2017” by UK book blogger “Left on the Shelf” (along with David Grossman’s A Horse Walks Into A Bar and 8 others)
The Dead Man is a compelling novel about a woman who is obsessed. Eve, who is both a composer of sacred music and a music therapist, is well aware of the saying, “Physician, heal thyself,” but she just can’t seem to do this. For some unknown reason, she — a sensible, intelligent professional — cannot recover from a brief relationship she had five years ago with a world-famous music critic named Jake. She also cannot finish the music composition she started around then. This obsession with Jake is a mystery to Eve’s friends, and also to her. In an attempt to put this relationship behind her, she returns to Israel where Jake still lives, and where they first fell in love. There she revisits all their old haunts, and gradually the dark mystery behind their complex relationship begins to unravel.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Purchase From Amazon" style="classic" shape="square" color="default" size="sm" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDead-Man-Nora-Gold%2Fdp%2F1771332611||"][vc_btn title="Purchase From Indiebound" style="classic" shape="square" color="default" size="sm" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiebound.org%2Fbook%2F9781771332613||"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id="hebrew"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="2714" img_size="medium"][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]
The Dead Man, with the support of a Translation Grant from Canada Council for the Arts, was published in Hebrew as האיש המת.
Interview (in English) on Israeli national radio: Gold was interviewed about האיש המת on כאן (the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation), on the English-language nightly news program. September 12, 2019.
Interview (in Hebrew) on Israeli national radio: Gold was interviewed about האיש המת on כאן (the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation) on the literary program מה שכרוך עם יובל אביבי ומיה סלע. (Her segment runs from 21:07-34:33; the interview is in Hebrew). August 19, 2019.
Jerusalem Post article: An article about האיש המת in the Jerusalem Post. August 15, 2019.
Video: Dorit Rabinyan reads an excerpt from האיש המת, Nora Gold’s The Dead Man in Hebrew, at the book launch of האיש המת at Sipur Pashut bookstore in Tel Aviv, August 1, 2019.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Purchase From Carmel" style="classic" shape="square" color="default" size="sm" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fcarmelph.co.il%2Fbook%2Fthe-dead-man%2F|target:_blank"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row parallax_speed="normal"][vc_column][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][vc_column_text]
Praise for The Dead Man
Nora Gold writes brilliantly, both when she describes sensual experiences and physical surroundings, and when she’s detailing the workings of the heart and the mind, and the frequent conflict between the two. She brilliantly evokes music to convey emotions, mood, even physical relationships, which is a fascinating and novel way of conveying sensations, feelings, and intellectual life – in fact the whole gamut of human experience. A marvelous book. – Alice Shalvi, Israel Prize laureate
The Dead Man is terrific. Eve, a composer obsessed with a former lover, pulls us deep into her evolution, thanks to astute, compassionate novelist Nora Gold. This compelling story is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the complexity of male-female relationships and the mysterious radioactivity of love. – Susan Weidman Schneider, Editor-in-Chief, Lilith Magazine
Nora Gold’s The Dead Man is absorbing and very, very real. Gold writes with great accuracy and energy. I admire her understanding, the tension she creates, and the reality of her characters.” – Anne Roiphe, author of Ballad of the Black and Blue Mind
Nora Gold’s writing is beautiful, nuanced, and honest. The Dead Man is an intelligent novel about love and art, and the passions that fuel them. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Israel, The Dead Man portrays a talented, obsessed composer, and offers a rare glimpse into the fascinating world of sacred Jewish music. – Ayelet Tsabari, author of The Best Place on Earth
The Dead Man is a powerful story about a woman’s struggle with love and loss, and how her art—her music—becomes both the expression of, and antidote, to the darkness she has felt. This is a wonderful story about resilience, about the ability of the human spirit not only to repair and redeem itself, but—even more—to triumph over darkness and adversity. – Joseph Kertes, author of Gratitude and The Afterlife of Stars
Nora Gold writes with consummate skill. She’s the real thing.
– George Jonas, author, poet, journalist
The Dead Man is an excellent novel. – Naim Kattan, author of Farewell Babylon
Nora Gold has an eye and ear for colourful detail in this novel about the creative process, lifting the veil on unknown corners of the world of Jewish music. – Charles Heller, author of What To Listen For in Jewish Music
Los Angeles Review of Books. “Gold adventures in difficult emotional terrain and achieves something beautiful, transformative, and life-affirming.” – Maria Bloshteyn, April 17, 2017
Women in Judaism – “A fascinating novel of psychological drama. Keeps readers sitting on the edge of their chairs.” – Published 2017 (Issue 13/2)
Left on the Shelf Book Blog. “I was enthralled by this book. I am delighted to find an author who writes with such intelligence, sensitivity, and passion.” – January 5, 2017
JewFem. “Gold’s writing is evocative and full of emotive flair as she navigates the intricacies of the human psyche.” – December 15, 2016
NewPages. “Gold’s writing is lyrical and elegant and this book will capture the hearts of readers, musicians, and travelers alike.” – December 1, 2016
Lilith. “Breaks the mold. Unusual. Refreshing to read a story of romantic obsession about a 50-year-old woman.” – October 26, 2016
Canadian Woman Studies. “The Dead Man is as impressive as Gold’s first novelin its thought-provoking subject matter.” – October 11, 2016
Olivia Savannah (Holland). “An incredible read. Gold’s writing style is beautiful. A fantastic book I highly recommend.” – October 9, 2016
Compulsive Reader. “Nora Gold knows her craft. The Dead Man is a must-read.” – August 15, 2016
Facebook (Azriel Fellner). “Nora Gold is a fine novelist who deserves a large audience of readers. Her characters remind us that the issues of love, loss, memory, passion, and creativity can be seen from a fresh perspective.” – July 8, 2016
Huffington Post. “Impressive. Gold accomplishes much in this slender novel. The Dead Man offers many pleasures.” – July 6, 2016
The Jerusalem Post. “Beautifully written. A captivating story with fascinating psychological insight and a good dose of humor.” – June 3, 2016
The Miramichi Reader. “The Dead Man is a lovingly well-written and fascinating novel of a woman’s recovery from years of grief.” – May 15, 2016
The Toronto Star. “The Dead Man offers fascinating glimpses of life in Israel and the world of music academia. An unforgettable journey.” – May 1, 2016
Interviews, News, and Mentions:
July 2021 – Mentioned in the Hadassah Magazine article, “Must-Reads for Jewish Women,” by Sandee Brawarsky.
November 11, 2020 – Featured by The Miramichi Reader as one of two Canadian Jewish authors it is highlighting this month in honour of Jewish Book Month
THE DEAD MAN, WITH A TRANSLATION GRANT FROM CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN HEBREW: האיש המת
July 13, 2021 – The National Library of Israel hosted a webinar called “Jewish Fiction Written in 16 Languages: Stories as Reflections of Jewish Life Across Time and Place.” Here Gold, as part of the celebrations of Jewish Fiction .net’s 10th anniversary year, briefly discusses 16 stories from Jewish Fiction .net – each originally written in a different language (Italian, Serbian, Romanian, Turkish, French, Danish, Polish, Spanish, German, Croatian, Hungarian, Russian, English, Hebrew, Ladino, Yiddish) – and relates these stories to some themes in Jewish fiction.
April 28, 2021 – Webinar event and interview: Exploring Jewish Women’s Fiction as Mirrors Into Jewish Women’s Lives. Hosted by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute in partnership with the Consuls General of Israel in Toronto and Boston, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Jewish Fiction .net.
January 2021 – Interviewed on “Coffee for Two,” Hava Pinhas-Cohen’s radio program interviewing authors from around the world
December 11, 2020 – Article in the Detroit Jewish News regarding the 10th anniversary of Jewish Fiction .net
November 30, 2020 – Interviewed by Open Book regarding the 10th anniversary of Jewish Fiction .net
November 11, 2020 – Featured by The Miramichi Reader as one of two Canadian Jewish authors it is highlighting this month in honour of Jewish Book Month
Dorit Rabinyan reads an excerpt from האיש המת, Nora Gold’s The Dead Man in Hebrew, at the book launch of האיש המת at Sipur Pashut bookstore in Tel Aviv, August 1, 2019.
Nora Gold reads an excerpt from her novel, The Dead Man, at her Israeli book launch on August 25, 2016. With her in this video is Professor Alice Shalvi, who (in an earlier video) introduced Gold and offered some insights about The Dead Man.
Judith is a young woman who lived in Israel for a decade, was a peace activist there, and defines herself as “left-wing,” yet in graduate school back in Canada, she discovers that vilification of Israel is the expected norm. When the keynote speaker for Anti-Oppression Day turns out to be a supporter of terrorist attacks not only against Israeli military targets, but also against Israeli civilians and Jews around the world, Judith protests. As a result, she is marginalized by the faculty and her peers, and her life begins to unravel. This is a moving novel about love, betrayal, and the courage to stand up for what one believes, as well as a searing indictment of the hypocrisy and intellectual sloth that threaten the integrity of our society. Available on May 3 in Canada, on May 27 in the USA, and on June 25 in the UK. It is already available in all these places for order on Amazon. [vc_button url="http://www.amazon.ca/Fields-Exile-Nora-Gold/dp/1459721462" text="Purchase" size="small" align="left" type="primary" icon="" color="{{color}}" target="_blank"][vc_button url="#invitegold" text="Invite Dr. Gold" size="small" align="left" type="primary" icon="" color="{{color}}"][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]
Advance Praise for Fields of Exile
[/vc_column_text][vc_accordion toggle="yes"][vc_accordion_tab title="From Phyllis Chesler, Thane Rosenbaum, Irwin Cotler, Steve Stern, Nava Semel, Naim Kattan, Alice Shalvi, and Ann Birstein"][vc_column_text]Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile is a gripping tale. It is also a novel of ideas in the tradition of George Elliot, Doris Lessing and Marge Piercy, but one that is filled with real characters, a literary sensibility, and a powerful example of the near-fatal consequences of anti-Israel aggression. The heroine Judith’s vulnerability, dreaminess, erotic imagination, and knowledge of Jewish traditions in both kitchen and yeshiva drew me close and kept me there, and I could not put this book down. I wanted to scream to her, though: “Danger Ahead! Proceed with Caution,” but she could not hear me. I hope and pray that this novel’s readers do. — Phyllis Chesler, The New Antisemitism and An American Bride in Kabul Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile restores one’s faith in the possibilities of the novel. It is truly a novel of ideas, a brave book that ventures into territory from which nonfiction has shied away and even obscured the truth. With a lyrical flair Nora Gold has delivered a novel that casts a light onto the ivory tower in ways that should unsettle the faculty lounge. —Thane Rosenbaum, author of The Golems of Gotham and Second Hand Smoke Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile is a fine novel: poignant, passionate, compelling, and funny, an adventure of the heart and mind. I don’t think anybody has nailed the way anti-Israel feeling gives the license for antisemitism as well as Gold has here, and you won’t find a more unflinching examination of the terrible ironies inherent in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or a more compelling portrait of the personal toll exacted from those who these ironies with courage. This is an emotionally fraught, distinguished novel, often as humorous as it is harrowing. — Steve Stern, author of The Frozen Rabbi and The Book of Mischief An engrossing read. A revealing and searing portrayal of moral courage and commitment amidst hypocrisy and betrayal, seen through a cross-cultural looking-glass. — Irwin Cotler, Emeritus Professor of Law, McGill University In Fields of Exile, Nora Gold succeeds fully in making her characters debate social and political themes as an expression of their personal complex contradictions. They are luminously alive. This novel is about men and women who are trying to understand and define their relations to each other, as well as their place in society. Wonderful reading. — Naïm Kattan, author of Farewell Babylon and Reality and Theatre The yearning for true peace and human compassion blooms in these fields of exile. Judith, the protagonist, much like Nora Gold the author, searches relentlessly for ways to fix the flaws of our world. This is a novel written with an open heart and a loving hand, and with the hope that literature can somehow make amends. After crossing many fields of exile we, like Judith, shall finally find our way home. — Nava Semel, author of And the Rat Laughed and Paper Bride “My heart is in the East and I am in the far, far West.” Seldom has anyone expressed so well as Nora Gold the yearning for Zion that remains within every fibre of one who has been torn away from a life of fulfilment in Israel and condemned unwillingly to return to the anti-Zionism/antisemitism of exile. A brave book that courageously takes on the ambivalences of Jewish life in the Diaspora – ambivalences that mirror those of the protagonist, torn between two very different lovers. — Alice Shalvi, Israel Prize laureate A novel about a difficult subject ─ antisemitism in the university ─ written with passion and fervour. — Ann Birstein, author of Summer Situations and The Rabbi on Forty-seventh Street[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][/vc_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="invisible"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row parallax_speed="normal"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][vc_column_text]
Reviews, Interviews, Articles, Guest Blogs, and Media Coverage
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Dr. Gold has given numerous book talks, public readings of her work, and lectures at literary conferences. She is a dynamic, interesting and engaging speaker who welcomes invitations to speak to groups and participate in conferences. Click here to invite her to come speak to your group or take part in your event.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
More reviews below.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]
Marrow and Other Stories
“Bravo!”
— Alice Munro
Marrow and Other Stories won a 1999 Canadian Jewish Book Award, was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Award, and received glowing reviews.
Nora Gold’s Marrow and Other Stories is a compassionate, sophisticated exposé of the inner struggles of contemporary women… The characters in these seven richly imagined stories wrestle with universal moral issues – loss of faith, infidelity, the selfishness (or duty?) of serving one’s needs, forgiveness, religious contradictions. Darkly comic, laser-sharp prose cuts to the bone; questions sharpened with guilt, anger and empathy engage… Playful language and an uncanny understanding of the relationship between the sexes rival Gold’s top-notch descriptive powers… A profoundly intelligent, wickedly humourous exploration of the language of the soul.
– The Globe&Mail, Thea Caplan
Read “Flesh” online on Wattpad, where it is a “featured” story.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][vc_accordion toggle="yes"][vc_accordion_tab title="Prizes and Honours"][vc_column_text]
The novella, “Flesh,” from Marrow and Other Stories won a Wattpad New Stories Award in 2013.
Marrow and Other Stories won a Canadian Jewish Book Award (The Louis Lockshin Prize for Short Fiction), 1999.
“Marrow,” the title story, won a cash-and-book prize at the Eden Mills Writing Contest (1994).
“Marrow” was anthologized in Vital Signs, an anthology of promising new Canadian women writers, edited by Diane Schoemperlen.
Marrow and Other Stories was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Award, a prize for the best first short story collection in Canada (1999).
Part of the story “The Prayer” was set to Benjamin Britten’s music and read as part of the Yom Kippur service at Temple Emmanuel in Toronto (Rabbi Bielfeld), 1999.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title="Reviews"][vc_column_text]“Bravo!” — Alice Munro (after reading the title story, “Marrow”)
Nora Gold’s Marrow and Other Stories is a compassionate, sophisticated exposé of the inner struggles of contemporary women… The characters in these seven richly imagined stories wrestle with universal moral issues – loss of faith, infidelity, the selfishness (or duty?) of serving one’s needs, forgiveness, religious contradictions. Darkly comic, laser-sharp prose cuts to the bone; questions sharpened with guilt, anger and empathy engage… Playful language and an uncanny understanding of the relationship between the sexes rival Gold’s top-notch descriptive powers… A profoundly intelligent, wickedly humourous exploration of the language of the soul.
– The Globe&Mail, Thea Caplan
As heartwarming and delightful as Ann Tyler or Anita Brookner… Vivid and stunning allusions from our ancient literature. – Canadian Jewish News, Bill Gladstone
Extraordinarily powerful stories that take us where no Jewish women’s fiction has gone before… The reader can’t pull away…We’re touched to the bone… Terrific fiction. – Lilith, Susan Weidman Schneider
This is a passionate collection. The story, “Marrow,” is moving, along with others, and “Miniatures,” a clever conceit (as in a jeweler’s term), each facet different and illuminating. The stories slip in and out of Israel, in and out of resident/alien consciousness, in and out of the present and the Biblical. Quite a feat.
– Esther (E.M.) Broner
“Only connect,” the British novelist E.M. Forster wrote inHowards End. These simple words, on the imperative of love, capture the essence of this debut collection of short stories. Some of Nora Gold’s characters are painfully isolated, by grief or disillusionment or despair. But the potential for connection – indeed, the yearning for it – underlies these seven stories like a gravitational force. There’s passion here, but also the kind of moral seriousness you don’t often find outside of philosophy texts. And talk about bravely unfashionable! Religious faith is far from being a trendy theme in contemporary fiction. Yet there are two stories dealing with characters whose spiritual beliefs… are central to their lives. Not that there’s anything preachy about the stories in Marrow… “Flesh” is a gem of a story… “The Prayer” is a tribute to the redemptive power of ritual words and religious tradition. And the power of fictional words? Several stories in Gold’s Marrow memorably bear witness to that. – Toronto Star, Barbara Carey
Every now and then a gem of a book appears on the Canadian Jewish scene that both delights and resonates with its authenticity. Nora Gold’s recently published Marrow and Other Stories is such a book. – Hamilton Jewish News, Wendy Schneider
The body is a common metaphor for discussing fiction. Yet, while we tend to focus on a narrative’s “flesh” and “skeleton,” we rarely consider what goes on inside the bones. This is the fresh perspective taken by Nora Gold in her excellent first short-story collection. It may seem ridiculous to compare fiction and bone marrow, but Gold’s writing about women and their losses encourages us to do so. She urges us to look for deeper significance – not by looking outward toward universality, but by looking inward at the way we have constructed ourselves. At its most fundamental, this dissection implicates the language which we use to understand ourselves and to communicate, and in which Gold writes… asking us to reconsider the binary of right and wrong that language sets up. While these stories may depict profound sorrows, they radiate vitality… Dazzling characterization…Marrow and Other Stories is a remarkable achievement. – Books in Canada, Alana Wilcox
A unique reading experience. – New Brunswick Telegraph, Trudy Kelly Forsythe
Gold is a skilful sorcerer who ventures fearlessly into dangerous territory, and embraces her characters with compassion and insight. – Hadassah Magazine, Gloria Goldreich
A remarkable collection of seven powerful short stories… Gold brilliantly catches the loves, the losses and the games in the lives of Jewish women. – Jewish Advocate (Boston), Sylvia Rothchild
Marrow is such a remarkable literary achievement that Gold is being called “the Jewish Alice Munro.” – Jewish Tribune, Doris Strub Epstein
The stories I like best are whispers in my ear… Chekhov, Grace Paley, Isaac Singer, Elizabeth Bowen are all whisperers… Nora Gold is a whisperer, too. – Na’amat Woman, Esther Cohen
Gold explores what it is that makes us essentially human… She creates characters who emerge from the text to take our hands and inhabit our lives. – Montreal Gazette, Monique Polak
Nora Gold is a master of the ambiguities of human behaviour. – Nashim, Rochelle Furstenberg
Nora Gold’s great gift in this auspicious first collection is to take us deep and mesmerizingly into interior spaces that have never before been explored – the transfiguring trance of a woman, a non-believer, chanting the Hebrew prayers; the hypnotized ardour of a clever Jewish girl who finds a dangerous rabbinic mentor; the oceanic secret life of a female hermit… Gold’s eye for the detail and complexity of women’s lives is sharp, but her touch with her characters, male and female, is generously humane.
– Michele Landsberg
In this powerful debut collection, Nora Gold grapples with the themes which most compel us all: loss, loneliness, betrayal, fear, and faith. With unflinching honesty and thought-provoking insight, she leads us repeatedly to the pivotal point where all seems lost and then digs deeper to discover what remains.
– Diane Schoemperlen
“Flesh” is a richly atmospheric and wonderfully readable novella, a remarkable debut for Nora Gold.
– Robert Fulford[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title="Media Coverage: Television"][vc_column_text]
One-hour interview with Dr. Howard Adelman on his show, “Our Jewish World” (CTS), aired February 7, 2010. In this interview, Dr. Gold discussesFields of Exile, the novel she was working on then, and its relationship to her pro-Israel activism.
Dr. Gold is an engaging, dynamic speaker whose talks have been enjoyed by many different kinds of groups and organizations. To invite Dr. Gold for a talk or program, please contact her.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Cynthia Ozick: Brave and luminous. I read this novel with nonstop enthralled admiration. Steve Stern: Poignant, passionate, compelling, and funny. A distinguished novel. Phyllis Chesler: A novel of ideas in the tradition of George Eliot, Doris Lessing, and Marge Piercy. Ruth Wisse: I am grateful for this work of fiction. Thane Rosenbaum:Fields of Exile restores one’s faith in the possibilities of the novel.
Judith is a young woman who lived in Israel for a decade, was a peace activist there, and defines herself as “left-wing,” yet in graduate school back in Canada, she discovers that vilification of Israel is the expected norm. When the keynote speaker for Anti-Oppression Day turns out to be a supporter of terrorist attacks not only against Israeli military targets, but also against Israeli civilians and Jews around the world, Judith protests. As a result, she is marginalized by the faculty and her peers, and her life begins to unravel.
This is a moving novel about love, betrayal, and the courage to stand up for what one believes, as well as a searing indictment of the hypocrisy and intellectual sloth that threaten the integrity of our society.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Purchase" style="classic" shape="square" size="sm" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F1459721462%2Fref%3Ds9_psimh_gw_p14_d18_i1%3Fpf_rd_m%3DATVPDKIKX0DER%26pf_rd_s%3Dcenter-2%26pf_rd_r%3D1Q1Y80SKKRNT1E7ENFRB%26pf_rd_t%3D101%26pf_rd_p%3D1688200382%26pf_rd_i%3D507846||"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Praise for Fields of Exile
[/vc_column_text][vc_accordion][vc_accordion_tab title="READ HERE: Praise from Cynthia Ozick, Phyllis Chesler, Thane Rosenbaum, Ellen Frankel, Steve Stern, Irwin Cotler, Naim Kattan, Nava Semel, Alice Shalvi, Ann Birstein, and Pamela Ryder"][vc_column_text]Brave and luminous. I read this novel with nonstop enthralled admiration.
— Cynthia Ozick
Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile is a gripping tale. It is also a novel of ideas in the tradition of George Eliot, Doris Lessing and Marge Piercy, but one that is filled with real characters, a literary sensibility, and a powerful example of the near-fatal consequences of anti-Israel aggression. The heroine Judith’s vulnerability, dreaminess, erotic imagination, and knowledge of Jewish traditions in both kitchen and yeshiva drew me close and kept me there, and I could not put this book down. I wanted to scream to her, though: “Danger Ahead! Proceed with Caution,” but she could not hear me. I hope and pray that this novel’s readers do.
— Phyllis Chesler, author of The New Antisemitism and An American Bride in Kabul
Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile restores one’s faith in the possibilities of the novel. It is truly a novel of ideas, a brave book that ventures into territory from which nonfiction has shied away and even obscured the truth. With a lyrical flair Nora Gold has delivered a novel that casts a light onto the ivory tower in ways that should unsettle the faculty lounge.
—Thane Rosenbaum, author of The Golems of Gotham and Second Hand Smoke
My God, what a masterful work! What evocative rendering of feelings, what incisive examination of issues, and what well-developed relationships! I was fully engaged the whole time I was reading and have come back to the novel in memory several times since putting it down. And the subject couldn’t be more timely. A fabulous accomplishment!
— Ellen Frankel, former Editor-in-Chief and CEO of the Jewish Publication Society
Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile is a fine novel: poignant, passionate, compelling, and funny, an adventure of the heart and mind. I don’t think anybody has nailed the way anti-Israel feeling gives the license for antisemitism as well as Gold has here, and you won’t find a more unflinching examination of the terrible ironies inherent in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or a more compelling portrait of the personal toll exacted from those who face these ironies with courage. This is an emotionally fraught, distinguished novel, often as humorous as it is harrowing.
— Steve Stern, author of The Frozen Rabbi and The Book of Mischief
An engrossing read. A revealing and searing portrayal of moral courage and commitment amidst hypocrisy and betrayal, seen through a cross-cultural looking-glass.
— Irwin Cotler, Emeritus Professor of Law, McGill University
In Fields of Exile, Nora Gold succeeds fully in making her characters debate social and political themes as an expression of their personal complex contradictions. They are luminously alive. This novel is about men and women who are trying to understand and define their relations to each other, as well as their place in society. Wonderful reading.
— Naïm Kattan, author of Farewell Babylon and Reality and Theatre
The yearning for true peace and human compassion blooms in these fields of exile. Judith, the protagonist, much like Nora Gold the author, searches relentlessly for ways to fix the flaws of our world. This is a novel written with an open heart and a loving hand, and with the hope that literature can somehow make amends. After crossing many fields of exile we, like Judith, shall finally find our way home.
— Nava Semel, author of And the Rat Laughed and Paper Bride
“My heart is in the East and I am in the far, far West.” Seldom has anyone expressed so well as Nora Gold the yearning for Zion that remains within every fibre of one who has been torn away from a life of fulfilment in Israel and condemned unwillingly to return to the anti-Zionism/antisemitism of exile. A brave book that courageously takes on the ambivalences of Jewish life in the Diaspora – ambivalences that mirror those of the protagonist, torn between two very different lovers.
— Alice Shalvi, Israel Prize laureate
A novel about a difficult subject ─ antisemitism in the university ─ written with passion and fervour.
— Ann Birstein, author of Summer Situations and The Rabbi on Forty-seventh Street
A flawless novel. Nora Gold effortlessly melds passion and politics in a read that no one should miss. A great book that deserves a permanent place in the canon of the diaspora.
— Pamela Ryder, author of Correction of Drift and A Tendency To Be Gone[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][/vc_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row parallax_speed="normal"][vc_column][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][vc_column_text]
Reviews, Interviews, Articles, Guest Blogs, and Media Coverage
Acclaimed actors Marilyn Lightstone (Toronto) and David Mandelbaum (New York) read an excerpt from Fields of Exile at the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto, on August 31, 2014, as part of Jewish Fiction .net’s fourth birthday celebration.
18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages
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18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages
This anthology, the first of this kind in twenty-five years, collects eighteen astounding works of Jewish fiction.
This is the first anthology of translated multilingual Jewish fiction in 25 years: a collection of 18 splendid stories, each translated into English from a different language: Albanian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Ladino, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Yiddish. These compelling, humorous, and moving stories, written by eminent authors that include Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Isaac Babel, and Lili Berger, reflect both the diversities and the commonalities within Jewish culture, and will make you laugh, cry, and think. This beautiful book is easily accessible and enjoyable not only for Jewish readers, but for story-lovers of all backgrounds.
Authors (in the order they appear in the book) include: Elie Wiesel, Varda Fiszbein, S. Y. Agnon, Gábor T. Szántó, Jasminka Domaš, Augusto Segre, Lili Berger, Peter Sichrovsky, Maciej Płaza, Entela Kasi, Norman Manea, Luize Valente, Eliya Karmona, Birte Kont, Michel Fais, Irena Dousková, Mario Levi, and Isaac Babel.
Media & Events
“The result is a sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always thoughtful collection that shows the similarities and differences in Jewish life across cultures, languages, and countries.”: The New York Times’ Wirecutter team recommends 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages as a great Hanukkah gift idea this holiday.
A feature article about Nora Gold in the Jerusalem Post, about her books, her activism, and her life.
Nora Gold speaks with the Jewish Book Council Paper Brigade Daily’s Simona Zaretsky to discuss 18, Jewish Fiction .net, translation, and the multilingualism of Jewish fiction itself.
What Makes a Book Jewish?: 18 Nora Gold reflects on Jewishness in fiction for Hadassah Magazine.
Compelling Jewish Reads to Kick off the New Year from Hadassah Magazine: “For Gold, the founding editor of JewishFiction .net, a Jewish story is one that expresses Jewish identity in some dimension and relates to the Jewish experience.”
Check out 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages on the Jewish Book Council’s Jewish Book Council Bookshelf: Recommending Reading for Fall 2023.
Learn about Nora Gold’s history as a writer, as well as the roots of 18, in an interview from Authority Magazine.
Read an excerpt of 18 via The Miramichi Reader: : “Golem” by Maciej Płaza, translated from Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.
Nora Gold discusses the story behind 18, misconceptions of Jewish literature, and more in an interview by Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb.
Read an excerpt of 18 via the River Street Writing blog: “The Guest” by Varda Fiszbein, translated from Spanish by Andrea G. Labinger.
Hear an interview with Nora Gold about 18 on Spanish radio, on Radio Sefarad’s English Corner, with Linda Jimenez Glassman.
Learn more about 18 and international Jewish culture from Nora Gold on the Martini Judaism podcast:
18 editor Nora Gold discusses the inspiration behind the anthology and what makes these 18 stories so unique on Global News:
On the ASP Blog:
This excerpt from 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages explores the psychological impact of the Holocaust on a survivor and his family after the war, when the narrator is confronted by his two sons, who want to buy a Christmas tree. This short story is by Gábor T. Szántó and translated from Hungarian by Walter Burgess and Marietta Morry.
Read More →
Praise
“What a treasure!”
— Alberto Manguel
“Jewish Fiction .net founder Gold (The Dead Man) collects a remarkably diverse array of translated Jewish stories and novel excerpts that appeared in English for the first time on the site. Because “Jews have lived for two thousand years scattered among other nations,” Jewish fiction “has been written in the languages of virtually every country,” writes Gold, who ventures beyond the expected (Yiddish, Hebrew) to spotlight stories originally published in Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Turkish, and more. Gold includes some Jewish literary stars; an excerpt from Elie Wiesel’s Hostage, for example, finds writer Shaltiel Feigenberg slipping into an out-of-body state after he’s captured by pro-Palestinian terrorists. But the real treats come from lesser-known authors who push the envelope in surprising ways, such as Croatian Jasminka Domaš’s ethereal, creepy “Purimspiel,” which features the disappearance of a reclusive woman who idolizes the biblical Queen Esther, and Italian Augusto Segre’s “Purchase of Goods of Dubious Origin,” which explores the aftermath of a shopkeeper’s business mistake. This broad and wide-ranging anthology is a fitting ode to the “nearly inexhaustible richness and strength” of the Jewish multilingual tradition.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Nora Gold is a remarkable pioneer in the harvesting of Jewish literature, and her 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages is a landmark anthology destined to illumine and stir new generations of readers.”
— Cynthia Ozick
“This book by Nora Gold is like a treasure chest of marvels, each story a gem from a different time and place. There are living marvels here from so many times and places and voices and experiences that every reader’s idea of Jewish literature will have to be fargresert un farbesert—enlarged and improved.”
— Dara Horn, award-winning author of People Love Dead Jews and Eternal Life
“Rich and varied, 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages reminds us how diverse the Jewish experience is. For anyone interested in Jewish literature, it’s a must-read book and an important addition to the Jewish literary canon.”
— Joshua Henkin, Winner of the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for American Jewish Fiction
— Adam Rovner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English & Jewish Literature, and Director, Center for Judaic Studies, University of Denver
“One thing is for certain: whether winners of the Nobel Prize or secret scribblers in remote Eastern European shtetls (or both), these writers have clung to their Judaism as if to their very being. Yet, ironically, it is this clinging to identity which makes this collection so universal. They are saying that, in all of the best and worst circumstances, this is who we are and who we shall remain. Nothing can change that. What a treat it is to ‘hear’ the voices from far and wide affirming our humanity.”
— Joseph Kertes, Winner of a Canadian National Jewish Book Award and the U.S. National Jewish
Book Award for Fiction
“With editorial aplomb and resourcefulness, Gold has selected a wide variety of stories culled from the Jewish Diaspora. To shift the Biblical paradigm, one could also imagine the multicoloured mosaic on the cover as a Joseph’s coat of many colours whose fabric is on display in each of these stories. That garment may be torn or mended – stitched together and stretched across the linguistic spectrum of the Diaspora. … From the Tower of Babel to Isaac Babel, Nora Gold’s 18 is a treasure-trove of translated stories.”
— Michael Greenstein, The Miramichi Reader[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
News and Upcoming Events
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In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym
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In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym
(Two novellas)
In Sickness and In Health – Lily had epilepsy as a child, so her most cherished goal has always been to be “normal”. By age 45 she has a “normal” life, including a family, friends, and an artistic career, and no one, not even her husband, knows the truth about her past. But now some cartoons she drew threaten to reveal her childhood secret and destroy her marriage and everything she has worked so hard for. A moving novella about shame, secrets, disabilities, and the limits and power of love.
Yom Kippur in a Gym – Five strangers at a Yom Kippur service in a gym are struggling with personal crises. Lucy can’t accept her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. Ira, rejected by his lover, is planning suicide. Rachel worries about losing her job. Ezra is tormented by a mistake that ruined his career. Tom contemplates severing contact with his sisters. Then a medical emergency unexpectedly throws these five strangers together, and in one hour all their lives are changed in ways they would never have believed possible.
*SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE FOR RECENT NEWS & UPDATES*
UPCOMING BOOK LAUNCHES AND TALKS:
April 21 at 3:30 pm – Book Launch – Guernica Editions group launch, 268 Augusta, Toronto
May 30 from 6-8 pm – Reading and Book Talk – Wychwood Library, Toronto, with author Gary Barwin
PRAISE for In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym:
What is so wonderful and compelling about both these novellas is the deep compassion and understanding that Gold has for her characters. With insight and a keen sense of the conflicted, complex, vulnerable, hopeful and yes, beautiful condition of being fully human, both works do the necessary and inspiring work of making vivid what it is to be immersed in self, in consciousness, in relationships, in life itself.
– Gary Barwin, award-winning author of Yiddish for Pirates and Nothing the Same Everything Haunted
With an astute eye, Nora Gold writes with depth and emotion. Her novellas, Yom Kippur in a Gym and In Sickness and In Health, delve the inner workings of the human heart. Her writing reminds us that we’re all fallible beings, and her characters are living, breathing entities that reach out and touch our souls.
– Faye Kellerman, author of the best-selling Decker/Lazarus mystery series; her latest book is The Hunt
In this excellent book, the writing always thrusts, compelling readers to see themselves in the characters’ frailties of body and soul and to ask themselves the questions of conscience and mortality that these novellas pose with great eloquence.
– Nomi Eve, author of The Family Orchard and Henna House; Directs the Drexel MFA in Creative Writing
Yom Kippur in a Gym works wonderfully and readers will certainly be enchanted by all the storylines and characters… We find ourselves rooting for…these warm and complex people…depicted as flawed but fascinating… Yom Kippur in a Gym is a wonderful read, a beacon of light in dark times.
– Jerry Levy, Ottawa Review of Books
Nora Gold’s In Sickness and in Health /Yom Kippur in a Gym is exhilarating, hopeful, and deeply humane. I loved Yom Kippur in a Gym – its ingenious structure held my attention, and my affection grew for each one of its flawed but well-intentioned characters as they met a spiritual test that will leave them forever changed. I found In Sickness and in Health consoling (and dare I say spiritual), but without a trace of sentimentality. The ending surprised me, yet seemed exactly right. Nora Gold takes all her thorny characters to their emotional and spiritual edge, where the discoveries they make shine the light of possibility on the unexplored corners of every life.
– Rona Maynard, former Editor of Chatelaine and author of Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World
Nora Gold… has just published what Vegas aficionados call a twofer – that is two for the price of one, in this case two novellas… Gold accomplishes the technical challenges of each novella deftly while bringing each to a successful resolution… Which is when the reader realizes that these two stories have more in common than one might think at first blush… Both novellas are about finding community, and about being supported – one from a loving spouse, the other from a community brought together by a set of shared experiences. And that makes for a twofer worth reading.
– Tom Teicholz, Forbes.com
Nora Gold uses wonderful descriptive techniques and an innate sense of character to convey the complexity of human emotions, addressing themes of acceptance, loss, and the unpredictability of fate. Reading these novellas was an immersive experience, and I was impressed with the way that Gold navigated delicate subjects with empathy and authenticity, sticking to a character-driven style that keeps us involved and attuned to her central figures. I found the cultural and social elements of the work really warmly handled and informative, bringing people into both lives with disabilities and Jewish life with a welcoming feel. Her storytelling prowess and keen understanding of the human condition make these novellas emotionally resonant and thought-provoking, offering readers a glimpse into the intricate tapestry of life’s challenges and the potential for transformative connections. Overall, I would certainly recommend In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym for fans of accomplished literary novellas everywhere.
– Readers’ Favorites – 5 stars out of 5
Nora Gold’s two novellas are full of wry humour and unusual perspectives, all wonderfully conveyed.
– Norman Ravvin, professor at Concordia University, author of Who Gets In: An Immigration Story
REVIEWS of In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym:
Forbes
Ottawa Review of Books – In Sickness and In Health
Ottawa Review of Books – Yom Kippur in a Gym
Readers Favorite (5-star review)
Left on the Shelf (UK)
Bibliopeeks
PURCHASING In Sickness and In Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym:
This book sold out on Amazon on its first day, so you can either add it to your Wish List there and get notified when it’s been restocked, or else order it online from Guernica Editions or get it from your local bookstore. Below are just a few examples of Toronto bookstores that carry my book; it can be ordered from any bookstore in any North American city.
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News and Upcoming Events
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The Dead Man
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The Dead Man
“Gold adventures in difficult emotional terrain and achieves something beautiful, transformative, and life-affirming. The conclusion of The Dead Man elevates and transforms all the events of the novel. It is as if Eve (the heroine) and the reader had traveled a tortuous terrain, paying attention to every step but not noticing that they were ascending. Now that the summit has been reached, the look back reveals not ugliness but beauty.”
– Maria Bloshteyn, Los Angeles Review of Books
“The Dead Man is a wonderfully affecting, memorable, and original tale. Nora Gold is a natural storyteller, and her ability to make us understand the shimmering and complex landscape of love has its haunting echoes in the Israeli landscape. This is an ingeniously and gorgeously crafted story, radiantly musical in its rich textures.”
– Jay Neugeboren, author of The Stolen Jew, Imagining Robert, and Max Baer and the Star of David
The Dead Man was chosen as one of the “Top 10 Books of 2017” by UK book blogger “Left on the Shelf” (along with David Grossman’s A Horse Walks Into A Bar and 8 others)
The Dead Man is a compelling novel about a woman who is obsessed. Eve, who is both a composer of sacred music and a music therapist, is well aware of the saying, “Physician, heal thyself,” but she just can’t seem to do this. For some unknown reason, she — a sensible, intelligent professional — cannot recover from a brief relationship she had five years ago with a world-famous music critic named Jake. She also cannot finish the music composition she started around then. This obsession with Jake is a mystery to Eve’s friends, and also to her. In an attempt to put this relationship behind her, she returns to Israel where Jake still lives, and where they first fell in love. There she revisits all their old haunts, and gradually the dark mystery behind their complex relationship begins to unravel.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Purchase From Amazon" style="classic" shape="square" color="default" size="sm" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDead-Man-Nora-Gold%2Fdp%2F1771332611||"][vc_btn title="Purchase From Indiebound" style="classic" shape="square" color="default" size="sm" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiebound.org%2Fbook%2F9781771332613||"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id="hebrew"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="2714" img_size="medium"][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]
The Dead Man, with the support of a Translation Grant from Canada Council for the Arts, was published in Hebrew as האיש המת.
Interview (in English) on Israeli national radio: Gold was interviewed about האיש המת on כאן (the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation), on the English-language nightly news program. September 12, 2019.
The Dead Man in Hebrew, האיש המת, was listed as a recommended book in Yediot Ahronot national newspaper: Yediot Ahronot recommends האיש המת in its weekend literary supplement, מוסף 7 לילות. August 30, 2019.
Interview (in Hebrew) on Israeli national radio: Gold was interviewed about האיש המת on כאן (the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation) on the literary program מה שכרוך עם יובל אביבי ומיה סלע. (Her segment runs from 21:07-34:33; the interview is in Hebrew). August 19, 2019.
Jerusalem Post article: An article about האיש המת in the Jerusalem Post. August 15, 2019.
Video: Dorit Rabinyan reads an excerpt from האיש המת, Nora Gold’s The Dead Man in Hebrew, at the book launch of האיש המת at Sipur Pashut bookstore in Tel Aviv, August 1, 2019.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Purchase From Carmel" style="classic" shape="square" color="default" size="sm" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fcarmelph.co.il%2Fbook%2Fthe-dead-man%2F|target:_blank"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row parallax_speed="normal"][vc_column][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][vc_column_text]
Praise for The Dead Man
Nora Gold writes brilliantly, both when she describes sensual experiences and physical surroundings, and when she’s detailing the workings of the heart and the mind, and the frequent conflict between the two. She brilliantly evokes music to convey emotions, mood, even physical relationships, which is a fascinating and novel way of conveying sensations, feelings, and intellectual life – in fact the whole gamut of human experience. A marvelous book.
– Alice Shalvi, Israel Prize laureate
The Dead Man is terrific. Eve, a composer obsessed with a former lover, pulls us deep into her evolution, thanks to astute, compassionate novelist Nora Gold. This compelling story is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the complexity of male-female relationships and the mysterious radioactivity of love.
– Susan Weidman Schneider, Editor-in-Chief, Lilith Magazine
Nora Gold’s The Dead Man is absorbing and very, very real. Gold writes with great accuracy and energy. I admire her understanding, the tension she creates, and the reality of her characters.”
– Anne Roiphe, author of Ballad of the Black and Blue Mind
Nora Gold’s writing is beautiful, nuanced, and honest. The Dead Man is an intelligent novel about love and art, and the passions that fuel them. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Israel, The Dead Man portrays a talented, obsessed composer, and offers a rare glimpse into the fascinating world of sacred Jewish music.
– Ayelet Tsabari, author of The Best Place on Earth
The Dead Man is a powerful story about a woman’s struggle with love and loss, and how her art—her music—becomes both the expression of, and antidote, to the darkness she has felt. This is a wonderful story about resilience, about the ability of the human spirit not only to repair and redeem itself, but—even more—to triumph over darkness and adversity.
– Joseph Kertes, author of Gratitude and The Afterlife of Stars
Nora Gold writes with consummate skill. She’s the real thing.
– George Jonas, author, poet, journalist
The Dead Man is an excellent novel.
– Naim Kattan, author of Farewell Babylon
Nora Gold has an eye and ear for colourful detail in this novel about the creative process, lifting the veil on unknown corners of the world of Jewish music.
– Charles Heller, author of What To Listen For in Jewish Music
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Reviews, News, Mentions, Blogs
Reviews:
Interviews, News, and Mentions:
Blogs:
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News and Upcoming Events
THE DEAD MAN, WITH A TRANSLATION GRANT FROM CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN HEBREW: האיש המת
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Pictures
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Videos
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Fields of Exile 2
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Fields of Exile
Judith is a young woman who lived in Israel for a decade, was a peace activist there, and defines herself as “left-wing,” yet in graduate school back in Canada, she discovers that vilification of Israel is the expected norm. When the keynote speaker for Anti-Oppression Day turns out to be a supporter of terrorist attacks not only against Israeli military targets, but also against Israeli civilians and Jews around the world, Judith protests. As a result, she is marginalized by the faculty and her peers, and her life begins to unravel. This is a moving novel about love, betrayal, and the courage to stand up for what one believes, as well as a searing indictment of the hypocrisy and intellectual sloth that threaten the integrity of our society. Available on May 3 in Canada, on May 27 in the USA, and on June 25 in the UK. It is already available in all these places for order on Amazon. [vc_button url="http://www.amazon.ca/Fields-Exile-Nora-Gold/dp/1459721462" text="Purchase" size="small" align="left" type="primary" icon="" color="{{color}}" target="_blank"][vc_button url="#invitegold" text="Invite Dr. Gold" size="small" align="left" type="primary" icon="" color="{{color}}"][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]
Advance Praise for Fields of Exile
[/vc_column_text][vc_accordion toggle="yes"][vc_accordion_tab title="From Phyllis Chesler, Thane Rosenbaum, Irwin Cotler, Steve Stern, Nava Semel, Naim Kattan, Alice Shalvi, and Ann Birstein"][vc_column_text]Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile is a gripping tale. It is also a novel of ideas in the tradition of George Elliot, Doris Lessing and Marge Piercy, but one that is filled with real characters, a literary sensibility, and a powerful example of the near-fatal consequences of anti-Israel aggression. The heroine Judith’s vulnerability, dreaminess, erotic imagination, and knowledge of Jewish traditions in both kitchen and yeshiva drew me close and kept me there, and I could not put this book down. I wanted to scream to her, though: “Danger Ahead! Proceed with Caution,” but she could not hear me. I hope and pray that this novel’s readers do. — Phyllis Chesler, The New Antisemitism and An American Bride in Kabul Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile restores one’s faith in the possibilities of the novel. It is truly a novel of ideas, a brave book that ventures into territory from which nonfiction has shied away and even obscured the truth. With a lyrical flair Nora Gold has delivered a novel that casts a light onto the ivory tower in ways that should unsettle the faculty lounge. —Thane Rosenbaum, author of The Golems of Gotham and Second Hand Smoke Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile is a fine novel: poignant, passionate, compelling, and funny, an adventure of the heart and mind. I don’t think anybody has nailed the way anti-Israel feeling gives the license for antisemitism as well as Gold has here, and you won’t find a more unflinching examination of the terrible ironies inherent in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or a more compelling portrait of the personal toll exacted from those who these ironies with courage. This is an emotionally fraught, distinguished novel, often as humorous as it is harrowing. — Steve Stern, author of The Frozen Rabbi and The Book of Mischief An engrossing read. A revealing and searing portrayal of moral courage and commitment amidst hypocrisy and betrayal, seen through a cross-cultural looking-glass. — Irwin Cotler, Emeritus Professor of Law, McGill University In Fields of Exile, Nora Gold succeeds fully in making her characters debate social and political themes as an expression of their personal complex contradictions. They are luminously alive. This novel is about men and women who are trying to understand and define their relations to each other, as well as their place in society. Wonderful reading. — Naïm Kattan, author of Farewell Babylon and Reality and Theatre The yearning for true peace and human compassion blooms in these fields of exile. Judith, the protagonist, much like Nora Gold the author, searches relentlessly for ways to fix the flaws of our world. This is a novel written with an open heart and a loving hand, and with the hope that literature can somehow make amends. After crossing many fields of exile we, like Judith, shall finally find our way home. — Nava Semel, author of And the Rat Laughed and Paper Bride “My heart is in the East and I am in the far, far West.” Seldom has anyone expressed so well as Nora Gold the yearning for Zion that remains within every fibre of one who has been torn away from a life of fulfilment in Israel and condemned unwillingly to return to the anti-Zionism/antisemitism of exile. A brave book that courageously takes on the ambivalences of Jewish life in the Diaspora – ambivalences that mirror those of the protagonist, torn between two very different lovers. — Alice Shalvi, Israel Prize laureate A novel about a difficult subject ─ antisemitism in the university ─ written with passion and fervour. — Ann Birstein, author of Summer Situations and The Rabbi on Forty-seventh Street[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][/vc_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="invisible"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row parallax_speed="normal"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][vc_column_text]
Reviews, Interviews, Articles, Guest Blogs, and Media Coverage
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Pictures
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Invite Dr. Gold
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Dr. Gold has given numerous book talks, public readings of her work, and lectures at literary conferences. She is a dynamic, interesting and engaging speaker who welcomes invitations to speak to groups and participate in conferences. Click here to invite her to come speak to your group or take part in your event.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Marrow and Other Stories
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Marrow and Other Stories
“Bravo!”
— Alice Munro
Marrow and Other Stories won a 1999 Canadian Jewish Book Award, was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Award, and received glowing reviews.
More reviews below.
Download “Marrow,” the title story or read it in The Montréal Review.
Read “Final Movement” in The Montréal Review.
Download “The Prayer” from Marrow and Other Stories
Download “The Lesson of the Rabbi” from Marrow and Other Stories
Read “Flesh” online on Wattpad, where it is a “featured” story.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][vc_accordion toggle="yes"][vc_accordion_tab title="Prizes and Honours"][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title="Reviews"][vc_column_text]“Bravo!” — Alice Munro (after reading the title story, “Marrow”)
Nora Gold’s Marrow and Other Stories is a compassionate, sophisticated exposé of the inner struggles of contemporary women… The characters in these seven richly imagined stories wrestle with universal moral issues – loss of faith, infidelity, the selfishness (or duty?) of serving one’s needs, forgiveness, religious contradictions. Darkly comic, laser-sharp prose cuts to the bone; questions sharpened with guilt, anger and empathy engage… Playful language and an uncanny understanding of the relationship between the sexes rival Gold’s top-notch descriptive powers… A profoundly intelligent, wickedly humourous exploration of the language of the soul.
– The Globe & Mail, Thea Caplan
As heartwarming and delightful as Ann Tyler or Anita Brookner… Vivid and stunning allusions from our ancient literature.
– Canadian Jewish News, Bill Gladstone
Extraordinarily powerful stories that take us where no Jewish women’s fiction has gone before… The reader can’t pull away…We’re touched to the bone… Terrific fiction.
– Lilith, Susan Weidman Schneider
This is a passionate collection. The story, “Marrow,” is moving, along with others, and “Miniatures,” a clever conceit (as in a jeweler’s term), each facet different and illuminating. The stories slip in and out of Israel, in and out of resident/alien consciousness, in and out of the present and the Biblical. Quite a feat.
– Esther (E.M.) Broner
“Only connect,” the British novelist E.M. Forster wrote inHowards End. These simple words, on the imperative of love, capture the essence of this debut collection of short stories. Some of Nora Gold’s characters are painfully isolated, by grief or disillusionment or despair. But the potential for connection – indeed, the yearning for it – underlies these seven stories like a gravitational force. There’s passion here, but also the kind of moral seriousness you don’t often find outside of philosophy texts. And talk about bravely unfashionable! Religious faith is far from being a trendy theme in contemporary fiction. Yet there are two stories dealing with characters whose spiritual beliefs… are central to their lives. Not that there’s anything preachy about the stories in Marrow… “Flesh” is a gem of a story… “The Prayer” is a tribute to the redemptive power of ritual words and religious tradition. And the power of fictional words? Several stories in Gold’s Marrow memorably bear witness to that.
– Toronto Star, Barbara Carey
Every now and then a gem of a book appears on the Canadian Jewish scene that both delights and resonates with its authenticity. Nora Gold’s recently published Marrow and Other Stories is such a book.
– Hamilton Jewish News, Wendy Schneider
The body is a common metaphor for discussing fiction. Yet, while we tend to focus on a narrative’s “flesh” and “skeleton,” we rarely consider what goes on inside the bones. This is the fresh perspective taken by Nora Gold in her excellent first short-story collection. It may seem ridiculous to compare fiction and bone marrow, but Gold’s writing about women and their losses encourages us to do so. She urges us to look for deeper significance – not by looking outward toward universality, but by looking inward at the way we have constructed ourselves. At its most fundamental, this dissection implicates the language which we use to understand ourselves and to communicate, and in which Gold writes… asking us to reconsider the binary of right and wrong that language sets up. While these stories may depict profound sorrows, they radiate vitality… Dazzling characterization…Marrow and Other Stories is a remarkable achievement.
– Books in Canada, Alana Wilcox
A unique reading experience.
– New Brunswick Telegraph, Trudy Kelly Forsythe
Gold is a skilful sorcerer who ventures fearlessly into dangerous territory, and embraces her characters with compassion and insight.
– Hadassah Magazine, Gloria Goldreich
A remarkable collection of seven powerful short stories… Gold brilliantly catches the loves, the losses and the games in the lives of Jewish women.
– Jewish Advocate (Boston), Sylvia Rothchild
Marrow is such a remarkable literary achievement that Gold is being called “the Jewish Alice Munro.”
– Jewish Tribune, Doris Strub Epstein
The stories I like best are whispers in my ear… Chekhov, Grace Paley, Isaac Singer, Elizabeth Bowen are all whisperers… Nora Gold is a whisperer, too.
– Na’amat Woman, Esther Cohen
Gold explores what it is that makes us essentially human… She creates characters who emerge from the text to take our hands and inhabit our lives.
– Montreal Gazette, Monique Polak
Nora Gold is a master of the ambiguities of human behaviour.
– Nashim, Rochelle Furstenberg
Nora Gold’s great gift in this auspicious first collection is to take us deep and mesmerizingly into interior spaces that have never before been explored – the transfiguring trance of a woman, a non-believer, chanting the Hebrew prayers; the hypnotized ardour of a clever Jewish girl who finds a dangerous rabbinic mentor; the oceanic secret life of a female hermit… Gold’s eye for the detail and complexity of women’s lives is sharp, but her touch with her characters, male and female, is generously humane.
– Michele Landsberg
In this powerful debut collection, Nora Gold grapples with the themes which most compel us all: loss, loneliness, betrayal, fear, and faith. With unflinching honesty and thought-provoking insight, she leads us repeatedly to the pivotal point where all seems lost and then digs deeper to discover what remains.
– Diane Schoemperlen
“Flesh” is a richly atmospheric and wonderfully readable novella, a remarkable debut for Nora Gold.
– Robert Fulford[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title="Media Coverage: Television"][vc_column_text]
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Invite Dr. Gold
Dr. Gold is an engaging, dynamic speaker whose talks have been enjoyed by many different kinds of groups and organizations. To invite Dr. Gold for a talk or program, please contact her.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Fields of Exile
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This is the Kindle cover. Click here to see the hard copy cover.
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Fields of Exile
Winner of the 2015 Canadian Jewish Literary Award
Cynthia Ozick: Brave and luminous. I read this novel with nonstop enthralled admiration.
Steve Stern: Poignant, passionate, compelling, and funny. A distinguished novel.
Phyllis Chesler: A novel of ideas in the tradition of George Eliot, Doris Lessing, and Marge Piercy.
Ruth Wisse: I am grateful for this work of fiction.
Thane Rosenbaum: Fields of Exile restores one’s faith in the possibilities of the novel.
Judith is a young woman who lived in Israel for a decade, was a peace activist there, and defines herself as “left-wing,” yet in graduate school back in Canada, she discovers that vilification of Israel is the expected norm. When the keynote speaker for Anti-Oppression Day turns out to be a supporter of terrorist attacks not only against Israeli military targets, but also against Israeli civilians and Jews around the world, Judith protests. As a result, she is marginalized by the faculty and her peers, and her life begins to unravel.
This is a moving novel about love, betrayal, and the courage to stand up for what one believes, as well as a searing indictment of the hypocrisy and intellectual sloth that threaten the integrity of our society.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Purchase" style="classic" shape="square" size="sm" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F1459721462%2Fref%3Ds9_psimh_gw_p14_d18_i1%3Fpf_rd_m%3DATVPDKIKX0DER%26pf_rd_s%3Dcenter-2%26pf_rd_r%3D1Q1Y80SKKRNT1E7ENFRB%26pf_rd_t%3D101%26pf_rd_p%3D1688200382%26pf_rd_i%3D507846||"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Praise for Fields of Exile
[/vc_column_text][vc_accordion][vc_accordion_tab title="READ HERE: Praise from Cynthia Ozick, Phyllis Chesler, Thane Rosenbaum, Ellen Frankel, Steve Stern, Irwin Cotler, Naim Kattan, Nava Semel, Alice Shalvi, Ann Birstein, and Pamela Ryder"][vc_column_text]Brave and luminous. I read this novel with nonstop enthralled admiration.
— Cynthia Ozick
Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile is a gripping tale. It is also a novel of ideas in the tradition of George Eliot, Doris Lessing and Marge Piercy, but one that is filled with real characters, a literary sensibility, and a powerful example of the near-fatal consequences of anti-Israel aggression. The heroine Judith’s vulnerability, dreaminess, erotic imagination, and knowledge of Jewish traditions in both kitchen and yeshiva drew me close and kept me there, and I could not put this book down. I wanted to scream to her, though: “Danger Ahead! Proceed with Caution,” but she could not hear me. I hope and pray that this novel’s readers do.
— Phyllis Chesler, author of The New Antisemitism and An American Bride in Kabul
Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile restores one’s faith in the possibilities of the novel. It is truly a novel of ideas, a brave book that ventures into territory from which nonfiction has shied away and even obscured the truth. With a lyrical flair Nora Gold has delivered a novel that casts a light onto the ivory tower in ways that should unsettle the faculty lounge.
—Thane Rosenbaum, author of The Golems of Gotham and Second Hand Smoke
My God, what a masterful work! What evocative rendering of feelings, what incisive examination of issues, and what well-developed relationships! I was fully engaged the whole time I was reading and have come back to the novel in memory several times since putting it down. And the subject couldn’t be more timely. A fabulous accomplishment!
— Ellen Frankel, former Editor-in-Chief and CEO of the Jewish Publication Society
Nora Gold’s Fields of Exile is a fine novel: poignant, passionate, compelling, and funny, an adventure of the heart and mind. I don’t think anybody has nailed the way anti-Israel feeling gives the license for antisemitism as well as Gold has here, and you won’t find a more unflinching examination of the terrible ironies inherent in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or a more compelling portrait of the personal toll exacted from those who face these ironies with courage. This is an emotionally fraught, distinguished novel, often as humorous as it is harrowing.
— Steve Stern, author of The Frozen Rabbi and The Book of Mischief
An engrossing read. A revealing and searing portrayal of moral courage and commitment amidst hypocrisy and betrayal, seen through a cross-cultural looking-glass.
— Irwin Cotler, Emeritus Professor of Law, McGill University
In Fields of Exile, Nora Gold succeeds fully in making her characters debate social and political themes as an expression of their personal complex contradictions. They are luminously alive. This novel is about men and women who are trying to understand and define their relations to each other, as well as their place in society. Wonderful reading.
— Naïm Kattan, author of Farewell Babylon and Reality and Theatre
The yearning for true peace and human compassion blooms in these fields of exile. Judith, the protagonist, much like Nora Gold the author, searches relentlessly for ways to fix the flaws of our world. This is a novel written with an open heart and a loving hand, and with the hope that literature can somehow make amends. After crossing many fields of exile we, like Judith, shall finally find our way home.
— Nava Semel, author of And the Rat Laughed and Paper Bride
“My heart is in the East and I am in the far, far West.” Seldom has anyone expressed so well as Nora Gold the yearning for Zion that remains within every fibre of one who has been torn away from a life of fulfilment in Israel and condemned unwillingly to return to the anti-Zionism/antisemitism of exile. A brave book that courageously takes on the ambivalences of Jewish life in the Diaspora – ambivalences that mirror those of the protagonist, torn between two very different lovers.
— Alice Shalvi, Israel Prize laureate
A novel about a difficult subject ─ antisemitism in the university ─ written with passion and fervour.
— Ann Birstein, author of Summer Situations and The Rabbi on Forty-seventh Street
A flawless novel. Nora Gold effortlessly melds passion and politics in a read that no one should miss. A great book that deserves a permanent place in the canon of the diaspora.
— Pamela Ryder, author of Correction of Drift and A Tendency To Be Gone[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][/vc_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row parallax_speed="normal"][vc_column][vc_separator type="invisible" size="small"][vc_column_text]
Reviews, Interviews, Articles, Guest Blogs, and Media Coverage
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Pictures
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Video
Acclaimed actors Marilyn Lightstone (Toronto) and David Mandelbaum (New York) read an excerpt from Fields of Exile at the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto, on August 31, 2014, as part of Jewish Fiction .net’s fourth birthday celebration.
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