The Golem is the story of Athanasius Pernath, a Jewish gem cutter living in Prague's ghetto in the late 1800s. The people say he's mad, and with no memory of his past, it's hard to be sure. The story follows him as he grapples with difficult personalities and situations, and the golem- that mysterious faceless man that appears every 33 years and often foretells disaster. Will that prove true here?
Though I liked parts of it, and enjoyed seeing one interpretation of the Golem of Jewish lore, this one was weird. Really weird. Critics mention the story had similarities to Kafka and the admiration of Lovecraft, so you get the idea. You come away not knowing which parts (if any) actually happened in the story, and which were imagined. The ending in particular left a bad taste in my mouth, wondering what was the point of this. Was it a vehicle for Meyrink to explore different philosophies? A tale questioning reality itself? Or just . . . weird fiction?
Rating: C
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