My Name Is Asher Lev

I've heard wonderful things about Potok's "Chosen", and it seems to be the book of his that most people have read. I really enjoyed his writing style in this work, and I suspect that I'll pick up The Chosen to read in the future.

\n  Content/Theme\n

Before discussing anything else, I must comment on the theme and content of the book.

This book is deeply rooted in Jewish culture, and it contains many references that are likely very familiar to those within the Jewish culture but were quite foreign to me. I was able to understand the general meaning of most things from the context, but I still have a long list of terms, phrases, and actions that I need to look up and better understand.

This book also provides a great deal of detail about the art world. This is another area in which I am an inexperienced observer. I had a better understanding of art than Judaism, but there were still numerous names, periods, phrases, and theories that I didn't understand immediately.

One suggestion that added great depth for me was to Google the names of the various paintings, sculptures, and artists that are referenced and that Asher studies intently. Some are more important than others, but simply seeing what he is seeing and experiencing brought a whole new level of depth to the book.

\n  Characters\n

Obviously, Asher is the main character. He is a very complex character with a great deal of internal conflict and a lot of passion that he doesn't fully understand or know how to direct. His development throughout the novel is very subtle. I found it very interesting that he is portrayed largely as a pawn in his own life. Several times, he tells his father that he "can't control it", referring to his art. In much of the "dialogue" that occurs between Asher and most characters, he is largely a character who isn't in control of the actions in his world. He is often silent and allows others to make their assumptions and decisions. And yet, through that silence, he imposes his will on those who are closest to him.

Asher's parents are also very vivid characters. Asher's mother is passionate and torn between her devotion to her husband and her son. The final climactic work of Asher truly captures his mother's character. His father was also very well-portrayed. I found myself frustrated with him at times but also sympathizing with him. There was a section where Asher tries to explain art to his father, using technical artistic terms and phrases. That scene was a very profound description of the huge gap between their two worlds.

The other characters in the book served largely as tools for either Asher's own development or for exploring the gap between Asher's two worlds, art and Judaism.

\n  Plot/Writing/Pacing\n

There were times when I would have liked the story to move a bit faster. The descriptions were excellent (very artistic), and the depth that the scenes added to Asher and his family and friends was significant. I'm not sure which scenes I would have cut or tightened up, but there were times when I would have liked it to pick up the pace a little.

The plot itself was intense. The novel was divided into "books" that outlined different parts of Asher's life and development. Each "book" built on the previous ones, and none of the sections came to a final "conclusion" or at least a "happy ending". Even though I wouldn't want to see them split into standalone books, looking back, I can see that as a possibility. They each had their own rising action, climax, and hint of resolution. And together, through the course of the novel, they provided an overall rising action, with the final book having the greatest climax before the final "resolution".

\n  Overall\n

Even though this book focuses on the conflict between art and Judaism, it delves much deeper than that. I found myself relating to many of the things that Asher would say or think. He was conflicted between his religious heritage and the "carnal" world. He was conflicted between respecting his parents and becoming his own person. He was conflicted between Tradition and Growth. He was conflicted between two things that were both "good". So much of his character development embodies principles that apply to all of us.

The story and the writing were very interesting and thought-provoking. I enjoyed reading it. The final climax made my heart race as I realized there was no "happy" way for things to be resolved. I'm not one to demand happy endings, but after becoming so attached to Asher, I had hoped that things would turn out better. Still (not to spoil the ending), things didn't end up as bleak as they could have. I believe Potok wrote a second book about Asher Lev. I may have to read that as well to see what becomes of him after this novel.

The reading isn't overly "heavy", but the tone of the book is serious. But it is definitely recommended.

****

4 Stars

**Title: The Complex World of Asher in "Disegnare sulla Torah"**

Disegnare sulla Torah


The story takes place in the Hasidic Jewish community of New York and is extremely interesting as Potok belonged to it, so everything he tells is true and vividly recounted.

However, the reading has a much broader interest as it concerns all families and societies where the destiny of the young seems marked by the elders for various reasons.

Why must you wear the veil by force even if you have left the rural village and live in Paris? Why must you get married and have many beautiful children even if you are gay and want to live with other priorities? Why does your father want you in his law firm but you want to be an architect? As a child, Asher has a heavy family situation and to escape, he draws everywhere, even on the Torah books. Now, for the Hasidim, an occupation is honorable only if it is related to the study and defense of the Torah and the people of the Book: drawings are not foreseen, not even if the artist is Chagall.

From my secular point of view, it is difficult for me to understand how a family with great culture like Asher's can have such narrow views and how one can suffer and make others suffer acutely just because a young person wants to follow his own path, without harming anyone and in an honorable way. Asher is supported morally and economically by his jeweler uncle - considered sufficient because he is a shopkeeper.

Between father and son is the mother, who has always been the mediator, tempering the dissatisfaction of the head of the family (“draw something charming?”). This idea is represented in a painting, the most appreciated in Asher's large personal exhibition in New York; a painting that causes a great scandal in the Hasidic community because it suggests an image of crucifixion.







Brooklyn crucifixion



The author of the painting is Chaim Potok and the book is partly autobiographical in the sense that Potok cultivated writing and painting while remaining in the Hasidic community.

Reading about Asher's trip to Florence had a strange effect on me: I almost don't recognize it. It is a city seen with completely different eyes from mine, partly because the book was published in 1972 when tourism did not have the current numbers, partly because what is daily for me was a trip to the Italian Renaissance for Asher, with the complication of having to get kosher meals.

It is a reading of great satisfaction for art lovers because Potok devotes ample space to the perception of the world of a budding artist, to his search for the way to express on paper or canvas what he has in mind.

The story of Asher is a complex exploration of identity, family, and the pursuit of one's passion within the constraints of a traditional community. It makes us think about the importance of respecting individual choices and the power of art to break boundaries and challenge conventions.

Potok's writing is engaging and his descriptions are so vivid that we can almost feel the emotions of the characters and see the world through their eyes. "Disegnare sulla Torah" is not just a story about a young artist but also a reflection on the human condition and the universal struggle for self-expression and acceptance.

Whether you are interested in art, Judaism, or simply a good story, this book is definitely worth reading. It will take you on a journey through a different world and make you see things from a new perspective.

GOOD

I thought, "What do You want from me? I'm just a ten-year-old boy. Ten-year-old boys play in the streets, chasing each other back and forth. They run through the hallways of apartment houses, full of energy. They ride up and down elevators, finding entertainment for the afternoon. They even run after cars along New York Avenue. If You don't want me to use the gift, why did You give it to me? Or maybe it came from the Other Side. The thought that my gift might have been given by the source of evil and ugliness was horrifying. How could evil and ugliness create a gift of beauty?" - 119

I didn't know what to say when he asked, "'How should a father feel in such a matter, Asherel?' So I remained silent. I had the impression that I wasn't expected to respond. But I wondered, how should I feel? Would he ask me how I felt? And why was it so dark outside? I thought, 'Asherel, you have a gift. The gift makes you think only of yourself and your own feelings. No one would care if these were normal times, Asherel.' But when have times ever been normal for Jews?" - 133

"Every great artist is a man who has freed himself from his family, his nation, his race. Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel, a 'universal' without patriotism, without a home, who has found his people everywhere." - 203

"It pleases me that you have chosen not to abandon things that are meaningful to you. I don't have many things that are meaningful to me. Just my doubts and fears. And my art... Asher Lev, sometimes I find your presence a little - upsetting. You carry with you too much of my own past. Come. Walk with me along the beach. We will look at your Hopper sunlight on the houses. You will contemplate God and I will contemplate futility." - 206

“Asher Lev,” she murmured. “Asher Lev.” That was all she seemed able to say.

It was as if those two words held a world of meaning and emotion for her. Maybe it was a name that carried a special significance, a memory that was deeply etched in her heart.

Perhaps Asher Lev was a person she had known long ago, someone who had made a profound impact on her life. Or maybe it was a character from a story or a book that had touched her in a way she couldn't quite explain.

Whatever the reason, those two words, “Asher Lev,” seemed to hold a power over her that was both mysterious and captivating. As she repeated them softly, it was as if she was lost in a trance, unable to break free from the hold they had on her.

One could only wonder what secrets and emotions lay hidden behind those simple words.

Devo dire che è un libro scritto molto bene. Non so se l'autore, Chaim Potok, abbia seguito il consiglio di Cechov di scrivere soltanto quando si è freddi come il ghiaccio. Perché qui e là trapelano punte di nostalgia scottante, bollori e schegge arroventate di rivalsa personale. Ma gli ebrei scrivono sempre per espiare colpe come in un inferno, mai trionfalmente.

Non è quello che propriamente si potrebbe considerare un romanzo, con una trama vera e propria. Ma una specie di autobiografia artistica (fittizia) con tanto di anelito e di ostacolo. Numerose sono le frasi a uso dei giovani artisti presenti. Asher Lev si scontra con una tradizione, quella del suo popolo, per rimanere fedele a un'altra tradizione occidentale, quella della pittura e dei suoi soggetti. Questo lo spunto drammatico che ci accompagnerà per tutto il libro.

Così che si avvicina al soggetto per eccellenza, la crocifissione di Cristo. Perché il suo ebraismo è così ben assorbito che sa bene quanto la teologia ebraica sia solo una teologia negativa, come diceva Steiner. Persino il mondo divino dei greci è tanto vicino alle nostre sofferenze, poiché riempie la natura delle sue manifestazioni. Ma il monoteismo ebraico stacca come la vetta del Sinai, e solo una capacità estrema di astrazione potrebbe figurare quel dio ammonitore vicino a noi. Egli rimane lontano e non ci consola nei nostri piccoli tormenti quotidiani.

Però quanto più è lontano, tanto più invade il presente, in maniera insopportabile, come un occhio perennemente puntato, e sparge ovunque i suoi dettami, i suoi decreti, le sue regole e precetti. Castiga fino alla terza generazione. Potok, benevolmente, è affianco ad Asher Lev, a raccontare la sua piccola grande battaglia contro il dio invisibile.

“In the entire history of art, there are only two ways to paint the world: one - the world of Greece and Africa - sees the world as a geometric design; the other - the way of Persia, India, and China - sees the world as a flower. Ingres, Cézanne, and Picasso paint the world as geometry; Van Gogh and Renoir, Kandinsky and Chagall paint the world as a flower.”

A splendid journey in the Hasidic world, seen through the eyes of a child who grows up and becomes a man.

Asher is a special child. He lives the world with his eyes, feels the world through his gaze. And the pencil moves between his hands unconsciously, it is a primordial instinct for him. He draws and lives by drawing. He detaches himself from everything, he doesn't care about anything but his lines, his colors, the form that his hands give to his gaze. Despite everything, Asher is integrated into his world of observant Hasidic Jew, with a father who travels the world to create schools where he can teach and revive the Jewish traditions, and a mother with a broken heart who lives waiting, first for a husband to return from his travels at the window, then for a son, and who finds herself in the middle of the two, in their contrasts, in their different ways, yet so carnal and human of seeing life.

According to the Jewish doctrine, thinking of living for one's own passion without serving one's brother is a sin. This is the first contrast that Asher has to overcome. And once “the world” takes notice of his inability to do otherwise, Asher dedicates himself to his passion. But every painting is a torment, a desire to express himself and at the same time go against his origins, his tradition, his roots. He lives trying to find a balance between the two parts of himself, not to betray and not to betray himself until a final break.

“Become a great artist. It is the only way to justify what you do to the life of everyone.”

This is the first book I read by Potok and it was love at first sight. Powerful words that recall images, like the trees that turn black under the rain or the veil of water on the beach that describes an absence, and that have within them the history of his people. Hints, simple but painful, brief but effective. And the dissent that tears Asher's soul reaches us, in a feeling that makes us understand it and at the same time love it.

“If your enemy falls, do not rejoice.”

My mind completely came to a halt with that ending.

It was as if all the gears in my brain had suddenly seized up. I was left in a state of shock and confusion, wondering how the story could just end like that.

However, my disappointment was short-lived when I discovered that there is a sequel.

This revelation brought a sense of relief and excitement. Now, I know that there is more to the story, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

I'm sure that further thoughts will be forthcoming as I delve deeper into the sequel.

I'll be able to analyze the characters, the plot, and the themes in more detail, and perhaps gain a better understanding of the story as a whole.

Overall, I'm glad that there is a sequel, and I'm looking forward to continuing my journey with this story.

Many moons ago, my dear friend, Elyse (alas, she has left Goodreads and I truly miss her), strongly recommended that I read this book. At that time, I had never even heard of the book or its author. However, she assured me that it was truly marvelous. Having complete faith in her, I promptly bought the book. But, as is often the case with me, I easily got distracted. I set the book on a shelf and moved on to something that seemed to be twinkling brighter at that moment.

Asher Lev, a Hasidic Jew, was born with an extraordinary talent for drawing and painting. By the age of six, his uncle was comparing him to Chagall, and it was no exaggeration. Sadly, his father viewed drawing at best as a foolish pastime and at worst as a pull from the "Other Side," which was considered evil and ungodly.

Asher's father was a significant figure, not only in their Brooklyn community but also as an emissary for Hasidism worldwide. He came from a long line of such men and desired his son to follow in his footsteps. Asher was devout, yet he was uncontrollably drawn by his artistic gift. He simply could not refrain from painting; he had to express himself through art. He had little interest in his studies and only cared about learning everything there was to know about capturing light. The price of Asher's talent was high for all those involved, especially for his mother, who tried to bridge the gap between father and son.

Although much of what happened in the story was far beyond my own experience, as I knew nothing about Hasidism before reading this book, there was so much that was relatable to anyone who has struggled between pleasing the world and pursuing their own dreams and individuality. We are left wondering what we owe to our parents, society, and community. What do we owe to our ancestors, who may have sacrificed so much for us to be here and thrive? Are there aspects of ourselves that are beyond our control? Things that we are meant to be, regardless of the price we have to pay to achieve them? And, is there a point where we go too far? Are there limits to how much we should express our feelings to the world, out of respect and privacy for those who might be hurt by our openness?

While reading this novel, I couldn't help but think about Vincent Van Gogh. Although the situations were not the same, Van Gogh was also driven to paint, despite the lack of support and approval from the public or his contemporaries. His choice was painful for himself and for his brother, Theo, who could only watch his anguish and try to support him in any way he could. True talent can indeed be an obsession.

If you have ever made your father sad or ashamed, or your mother cry, you will understand the anguish of the choices Asher has to make. If you have ever felt the joy of doing exactly what you were born to do, you might be able to comprehend his drive. The price of greatness can sometimes be devastating.

This is my first encounter with Chaim Potok, but it will definitely not be my last. This is the kind of writing that truly touches the soul. I am eagerly looking forward to reading more of his works.