Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin

Oy gevalt! What to make of this meshugeh geshikhte? Ver vaist? I’m no Yiddisher kop!

This is the chosen book, in this case chosen by my book club. So it’s not something I might normally pick up. As the title promises it offers lots of Yiddish and lots of pirates, but I must admit I wasn’t expecting the Spanish Inquisition. Narrated by a 500 year old parrot, it is a mad rollercoaster ride of persecution, daring escapes, murder, adventure on the high seas, loyalty and revenge. The text is amply punctuated with Yiddish words, and at first I tried to look up each unfamiliar word. A glossary would have been helpful. Seeking to understand the meaning slowed me down and this is not a book to read slowly. The language has the frenetic pace of pirates attacking a Spanish convoy. I eventually relaxed and let the language flow over me, around me and at times through me and this is when I began to appreciate the power of the text: the puns, the word play, and the verbal gymnastics. It can be dizzying and magical and every now and then you need to stop yourself short and spend a few minutes analyzing the layers of meaning, literary and historical allusions and childish puns all toppling over each other to gain your attention. If you like Michael Chabon or Tom Stoppard—or have fantasized about combining the two, this book is for you.

Three and a half out of five smileys 🙂🙂🙂