"The Last Jew"

Margaret Butterworth

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2013 (Pamplona to Burgos)
2014 (Burgos to Villafranca del Bierzo)
2015 (Villafranca to Santiago)
2016 (Le Puy to Conques; SJPP To Pamplona)

• May 17, 2018

• #1

On the VDLP, I visited several medieval Jewish quarters, including Hervas and Cordoba. Since returning home, I've been reading "The Last Jew" by Noah Gordon. This concerns the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. The hero travels all around Spain in disguise. This book is highly recommended if you are a fan of historical fiction.

 

Micah26

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Camino France's (2018)

• May 17, 2018

• #2

Thanks for the recommendation! Always need a good book on hand.

 

E

Ellen the Pesto

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Cami Sant Jaume (2017)

• May 18, 2018

• #3

Margaret Butterworth said:

... the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492.

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... It was a very bad year for oppressed people, both in Spain and in the New World.

 

William Garza

Veteran Member

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Camino Frances, The Jakobsweg

• May 18, 2018

• #4

Read the physician..

 

Ed Aster

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2019

• May 20, 2018

• #5

Interesting that you would call it historical fiction, the families of those dispossessed might think differently.

 

C clearly

Moderator

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Most years since 2012

• May 20, 2018

• #6

Ed Aster said:

Interesting that you would call it historical fiction, the families of those dispossessed might think differently.

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It IS historical fiction, by definition. The characters are fictional (created by the author), but they are put in setting that is described in a way that is generally consistent with historical fact. However, the author may play with historical details a bit, so it cannot be relied as a non-fiction history book. For example, does anyone really know if King Whoever actually had that conversation with his mistress on that day? Or a rainy day might be invented for some date in history, in order to help the author with the story line.

The term "historical fiction" in no way suggests that the historical context is a fabrication. Au contraire - the historical context is generally true but the details of the characters' lives and conversations are invented, and the historical details may also be adjusted for convenience.

The families of the dispossessed would surely prefer that we understand what is fact and what is fiction. There is a valuable role for both, but it is good to understand the distinction.

 

Marcus-UK

Old Git

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Camino Ingles 2016 Camino Portuguese 2017

• May 20, 2018

• #7

Many of the Sephardi Jews from Spain ended up in Istanbul, where they prospered. It is quite strange to hear people in Istanbul speaking a version of Spanish called Ladino on the streets. They are quite happy to show you round their Synagogue. There are also Sephardis in Gibralter, which may have made them the only legal Jews in the Iberian peninsular for a period of time.

 

Margaret Butterworth

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2013 (Pamplona to Burgos)
2014 (Burgos to Villafranca del Bierzo)
2015 (Villafranca to Santiago)
2016 (Le Puy to Conques; SJPP To Pamplona)

• May 21, 2018

• #8

As a Librarian and a History Graduate, I've always believed in fiction as an effective means of explaining historical fact to a wider audience.