Son of a Smaller Hero
Penguin Modern Classics Edition
- Publisher
- McClelland & Stewart
- Initial publish date
- May 2017
- Category
- Cultural Heritage, Literary, Coming of Age
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780771073373
- Publish Date
- May 2017
- List Price
- $19.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Young Noah Adler, passionate, ruthlessly idealistic, is the prodigal son of Montreal’ s Jewish ghetto. Finding tradition in league with self-delusion, he attempts to shatter the ghetto’s illusory walls by entering the foreign territory of the goyim. But here, freedom and self-determination continue to elude him. Eventually, Noah comes to recognize “justice and safety and a kind of felicity” in a world he cannot—entirely—leave behind. Richler’s superb account of Noah’s struggle to scale the walls of the ghetto overflows with rich comic satire. Son of a Smaller Hero is a compassionate, penetrating account of the nature of belonging, told with the savage realism for which Mordecai Richler’s fiction is celebrated.
About the author
Mordecai Richler (1931-2001) wrote ten novels; numerous screenplays, essays, children's books; and several works of non-fiction. He gained international acclaim with The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, which was later made into a movie. During his career, he was the recipient of dozens of literary awards, including two Governor General's Awards, The Giller Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. Mordecai Richler was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2001.
Editorial Reviews
“Mordecai Richler has proven beyond all doubt that he ranks with
this century’s best novelists.”
—Edmonton Journal
“Richler possesses a powerful and fecund imagination.”
—Hamilton Spectator
“He is a gifted stylist, with a great ear for parody and comic dialogue.”
—New York Times Book Review
“Richler is a comic writer who sprays his personality on his fiction like a tomcat.”
—The Times (U.K.)