Elie Wiesel is a remarkable writer who doesn't rely on elaborate language. His work, "Twilight," tells the story of Raphael Lipkin, a Holocaust survivor and literature professor. The book's style, characteristic of Wiesel, jumps between different times in the past and Lipkin's present at the Mountain Clinic. One of the intriguing aspects is the recurring character of "the man with the veiled eyes," who acts as a mentor to young Raphael. Wiesel also introduces us to Lipkin's family from the small village of Rovidok, Galicia. Their tragic fate is a significant part of the story. Another interesting character is Pedro, whose connection to Raphael is revealed gradually. The two major themes in the book are madness and God/religion. The juxtaposition of these themes makes the book truly captivating. Overall, "Twilight" is an incredible book, although the unresolved accusations against Pedro left the reviewer feeling a bit unsatisfied. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended.

Elie Wiesel
Twilight

I only read the first 46 pages of this book.

After that, I made up my mind that I didn't want to finish it.

The reason was that it really hadn't managed to capture my interest by that stage.

The narrative skipped back and forth between the past and the present, which made it rather disjointed.

As a result, I felt no connection whatsoever with the characters or the story.

Perhaps I might have enjoyed it if I had persevered and finished it.

However, when reading a book starts to feel like a tiresome chore, then it simply isn't worth putting in the effort.

I would rather spend my time on something that can truly engage and excite me.

Maybe this book just wasn't the right fit for me at this moment in time.

This novel is written by the famed and prolific author Elie Wiesel, who is most widely known for his book "Night," which details his harrowing experiences during the Holocaust. However, many readers are unaware that he authored numerous other books.

Most of these works are fiction, yet they can also be regarded as semi-autobiographies, delving deep into profound philosophical subjects such as the very meaning of life. Wiesel himself has stated on multiple occasions that writing served as his therapy, helping him cope with his PTSD while simultaneously enlightening generations of readers about the Holocaust and its aftermath, as is the case with this particular book.

The book was clearly written with this intention in mind. It seems to touch upon many themes that Wiesel himself grappled with in an attempt to find some form of acceptance, if not resolution, after his nightmarish experiences as a boy in Auschwitz.

The short novel begins with the story of Raphael, a quiet ten-year-old boy at the time of the Nazi invasion of his homeland. Raphael "feared madness but was drawn to madmen." Ostensibly out of some charitable impulse, he spends his Shabbat afternoons at an insane asylum (!), where he meets an almost Messianic madman who regales him with somewhat perplexing worldly wisdom during his visits. The madman's words haunt Raphael throughout his troubled life.

During a bout of delirium after contracting typhus, Raphael has a dream (or delusion) in which he sees an apparition of the madman. The madman tells him that he offered himself to spare not only the boy but the entire town from the epidemic. True to his word, the madman is later accused of attacking a German soldier shortly after the invasion and is hanged for the crime, fulfilling the prophecy he made to Raphael. But did the event actually occur? It is often difficult to determine what is real and what is imagined in Raphael's mind.

After emigrating to the United States after the war, Raphael journeys to a mountain clinic to confront his own demons. Now a professor, he enters the sanatorium in New York under the pretext of conducting research for a scholarly publication. Specifically, he tells the director that he is interested in the relationship between madness and prophecy (recalling his experience with the old inmate madman from his youth), and the portrayal of madness in the Bible as opposed to that in modern times. In reality, he is searching for a mysterious caller who may be able to shed light on the whereabouts of a man Raphael credits with saving his life and taking him to Paris, a man he considers to be his savior and that of many other Jewish children in similar circumstances.

The book is a somewhat challenging read, particularly due to the non-sequential presentation of events. However, most of the vignettes speak for themselves. One of the most profound for me is the account of Raphael's brother Yoel, who left behind his parents and fiancée and managed to reach the Soviet Union after the war. But he is then arrested and interrogated on suspicion of being a spy, despite the fact that his fiancée was a devout communist, even during the war when such affiliations, if discovered, would almost certainly mean death.

Yoel is arrested and interrogated endlessly, held in prison with other suspects without charges, until he devises a strategy, perhaps divinely inspired. He recalls a passage from the book of the prophet Jeremiah and becomes Jeremiah to his interrogators, who think him mad... perhaps correctly. Thus, madness has touched Raphael and his family, who seem to be representations of the madness of war, even in survival.

Another prominent theme, as in the writings of many Holocaust survivors, is that of futility and fate. Another patient at the clinic, Boris, plays the role of the scapegoat, in the physical sense, as the one of two kid goats spared from sacrifice and released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities to expunge the entire community. Although there are some parallels in other ancient societies, including those of Greece, the practice is first attested in the ancient Hebrew context in Leviticus (16:21-22).

Many also continued to struggle with survivor's guilt for a lifetime, another prominent theme in the book and in Holocaust literature in general. Back to the allegory of the scapegoat: why was one kid chosen to die and the other to live? By what chance was one chosen over the other? "Why this goat rather than another?" muses Boris, another patient. "Only God has the answer. Why me and not my neighbor?" This is a question that continued to haunt many survivors for the remainder of their lives, especially if they were the only surviving members of their entire families, which, tragically, was not uncommon.

Even after the war, the suffering did not end for many of the "survivors." I can't recall the exact source, but one of the most poignant statements I've ever read regarding life after trauma by someone who didn't consider themselves a survivor went something like this: "we didn't survive... we just didn't die." Thus, many who did not die during the war did not consider themselves survivors. Some simply lived longer than others but were ultimately victims of the war, the same as those who died in the camps. One prominent example is another renowned author, Primo Levi, who reportedly (though it is somewhat disputed) committed suicide at age 67.

Like Yoel's experiences of continued suffering at the hands of a new enemy, discovering that, in fact, no family members survived, led many to a belated end. It is with these weighty themes that Wiesel so eloquently struggles and communicates to future generations, albeit in a different manner in his fictional writings than in his own personal experiences, which are equally impactful.

-To refuse to live is an act of treason not only toward the living but also toward the dead.

I became deeply fascinated by this exploration of how people of unwavering faith conduct themselves when faced with the unfathomable horrors of the Holocaust.

Gradually, it is unveiled that the patients in a mental hospital who believe they are Abraham, Cain, and the Messiah have withdrawn into these personas as a reaction to the brutal Nazi torture.

During this dark period of history, the question of who is truly mad and who is sane looms large.

Regarding the query of why God permits such atrocities, the response is: at what precise moment should He intervene - before a killer is brought into the world? Before a gun is discharged?

This thought-provoking exploration forces us to grapple with the profound mysteries and moral dilemmas that emerged during one of the most tragic chapters in human history.

I probably should not have expected anything different from a novel about a Holocaust survivor who thinks he may be going mad.

After all, the Holocaust was an unfathomable tragedy that left deep scars on the lives of those who endured it.

This novel delved into the psyche of the survivor, exploring his inner turmoil and the demons that haunted him.

However, it was very dark and very confusing.

The writing was dense and at times difficult to follow, as if the author was trying to convey the survivor's fragmented and tortured mind.

The story jumped around in time and perspective, making it hard to keep track of what was happening and who was who.

Despite its flaws, there were moments of great beauty and poignancy in the novel.

The author's descriptions of the survivor's memories and emotions were powerful and moving, and I found myself empathizing with his plight.

Overall, this was a challenging but ultimately rewarding read.

What can one say about Elie Wiesel’s Twilight?

When it was first recommended to me, my mind immediately conjured up images of teenage vampires. Little did I know that this book would have a far more profound and chilling effect on me.

The harrowing stories of a Holocaust survivor are not only told but also artfully skirted, with the book instead focusing on Lipkin’s examination of his mental state many years later. The narrative is beautifully woven through time, creating a seamless and captivating reading experience.

I happened to start reading this book while backpacking in Poland, a completely accidental but perhaps fortuitous timing. This added an extra layer of depth to the book’s effect on me, as I was able to immerse myself in the very landscapes and history that Wiesel was writing about.

For those who, like me, are late to the party in discovering Wiesel, I highly recommend this read. It is a powerful and moving testament to the human spirit and the horrors of war and persecution.

Amazing!

I absolutely loved it!

This is a truly great exploration of the problem of evil.

The way it delves into the complex and often controversial topic is both thought-provoking and engaging.

It makes you stop and consider the various aspects and perspectives surrounding the existence of evil in our world.

Whether you are a believer or a skeptic, this exploration is bound to leave an impact on you.

It challenges our assumptions and forces us to grapple with the difficult questions that evil presents.

Overall, it is an outstanding piece that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in exploring the deeper mysteries of life and the human condition.

This is undoubtedly a book that I will return to time and again as the years progress.

I truly relished the in-depth exploration of madness and religion. Although the connections between these two ideas have been something I have contemplated previously, this book delved into the topic with captivating profundity.

There was an abundance of aspects to pause and reflect upon, aside from just madness and religion. For instance, intergenerational trauma, the nature of good and evil, how we perceive others, and one's quest for truth, among many others.

Elie Wiesel demonstrates that he is not merely an outstanding author or a skilled storyteller, but also an individual who is profoundly philosophical and highly intelligent. His ability to weave together these complex themes and present them in a thought-provoking manner is truly remarkable.

This book has left a lasting impression on me and I look forward to uncovering new insights and interpretations with each subsequent reading.

Dawn was truly remarkable, and this new endeavor aimed to take everything that made it great and expand upon it.

We decided to stretch out those wonderful elements, to explore their full potential. And not only that, we also added an unexpected twist by throwing the concept of "god" into the mix.

The changing narratives throughout this process were extremely cool. It added an element of mystery and excitement, constantly keeping us on our toes.

Overall, this has been a great challenge for me. It has pushed me to think outside the box and explore new ideas. I'm looking forward to seeing where this journey takes us.

I believe that by continuing to build on the foundation of what made dawn great and adding these new and interesting elements, we can create something truly special.

So let's keep going, embrace the challenge, and see what amazing things we can achieve.

Let’s start with this statement: I truly adore Elie Wiesel. He was not only a brilliant author but also an incredibly remarkable man. One of the most memorable highlights of my adult life was having the opportunity to hear him give a lecture one evening.

With that being said, I have to admit that I didn’t quite get this particular book. The writing was beautifully crafted, with Wiesel’s signature style and elegance. However, it just didn’t seem to make sense to me on a fundamental level. It felt as if the story was going nowhere, and there was no clear conclusion or resolution. Maybe I’m just not intellectually bright enough to fully follow the path that he was trying to lead his readers down.

I picked up this book when we visited the Dachau concentration camp near Munich last summer. Even though it left me confused and a bit frustrated, I’m still glad that I read it. In a way, it felt like a completion of sorts, as it was the only thing that Wiesel had written that I hadn’t yet read. Despite its shortcomings, it still offered some insights into the horrors of the Holocaust and the human experience during that dark time.

This book had great potential.

Unfortunately, it did not deliver in the end. There was little character development, even with the main character of Raphael.

The juxtaposition of 'present day' and the past was also hard to follow as there was little to 'warn' the reader other than possibly a line break before switching to another perspective.

Given that the book was originally published in French, I do have to wonder if perhaps something was 'lost in translation'.

Perhaps the translator struggled to convey the nuances and subtleties of the original text.

It's also possible that the writing style simply didn't translate well.

Whatever the reason, it's a shame that a book with such promise didn't live up to its potential.

Maybe with a different translation or a more thorough editing process, this book could have been a great read.

As it stands, however, it falls short in several key areas.

A Deep and Philosophical Journey of a Book

A book can often take us on a deep and philosophical journey. In this particular work, profound questions are raised. If there is a God, is He a madman? Does He suffer because His creation has gone awry? What a thought-provoking idea that is.

However, as we progress through the book, the questions that plagued us from the beginning do not resolve themselves. Who was the caller? Were his accusations true? Why did he insist on Raphael's coming to the clinic? Perhaps it may seem shallow of me, but I still long to know the answers. I yearn for a conclusion, any conclusion to the mystery that permeates the entire book.

I understand that in the grand scheme of things, these questions may not matter. AND YET, they continue to linger in my mind, making me reflect on the nature of the story and the deeper meanings that may lie within.