My Name is Asher Lev

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Throughout the book, the art of art is described very well and in great detail. Anyone interested at all in the world of art will enjoy the evolution of the child prodigy into a budding successful artist and the influence of his outstanding and likable teacher. My Name Is Asher Lev is a novel by Chaim Potok, an American author and rabbi. The book's protagonist is Asher Lev, a Hasidic Jewish boy in New York City. Asher is a loner with artistic inclinations. His art, however, causes conflicts with his family and other members of his community. The book follows Asher's maturity as both an artist and a Jew. [1] One suggestion that I would make which added huge depth to me, is to Google the names of the various paintings/sculpures/artists that are referenced and that Asher studies intently. Some are more important than others, but just seeing what it is he's seeing and experiencing brought a huge new depth to the book. The protagonist and narrator of the book. The book traces Asher's development as a person and an artist. He is immensely gifted as an artist and, when younger, not in control of himself. He often seems detached from the world around him and generally spaced out. As he grows older, Asher becomes more in touch with himself and learns to channel his feelings into artwork. He is not a typical rebel in the sense that he does not want to rebel. He is simply drawn very strongly to produce art. As he gets older, he outgrows his teacher and becomes more reflective.

Just before his bar mitzvah, Asher meets with the Rebbe. The Rebbe has asked Jacob Kahn, a famous sculptor and non-observant Jew, to mentor Asher. Asher is overjoyed, but Aryeh feels ashamed of the growing distance between himself and his son; he can ’t even rejoice at Asher ’s bar mitzvah. E lo scontro padre/figlio è perfino più forte e risoluto che nel suo esordio Danny l’eletto: direi che per Asher essere fedele alla propria anima è ancora più difficile che per Danny, quest’ultimo inseguendo la psicanalisi, l’altro invece la pittura.

Church Times/Sarum College:

While all of the above seems quite heavy and depressing there were plenty of moments of levity, such as when Asher has to paint his first nude, a task sprung on him by his blunt and crotchety (and awesome) art mentor. Sono sempre storie di ebrei più o meno ortodossi, alcuni religiosi e dotati di fede ma laici e aperti a ogni forma di sapere e cultura, altri strettamente osservanti - di solito chassidim, qui nella variante, se tale si può definire, ladover, una setta fittizia che Potok ha modellato sui reali Lubavitcher.

What particularly upsets Asher’s family is that among his works are some nudes; then, when the novel climaxes with a big show in New York, there is an even greater horror in store for them and other members of this devout Jewish community: the outstanding paintings in the exhibition are two crucifixes. Yitzchok – Asher's wealthy uncle who supports Asher and his art skills. He is kind and generous, and gives Asher a place to stay while his parents are in Europe. Yitzchok is one of the first to recognize that Asher's ability can make a fortune, and he invests in his work. Asher lived with him for a while. un libro che procede lentamente, uno stile quasi freddo e distaccato, discorsi molto brevi e concisi; ciò si contrappone al linguaggio caldo e appassionato che si trova nelle descrizioni di quadri e artisti, e del tormento che Asher riesce a mettere su tela. È come se l'autore, con il linguaggio, seguisse gli stati d'animo di Asher.As an author, Vasbo is known for her non-fiction writing as well as several prize-winning novels, a poetry collection, and short stories. In the 1980s, she spent four years living in Yorkshire during her marriage to Leo Thomsen, a Danish seamen’s chaplain. Hildas Sang (translated as The Song of Hild) was written shortly after her return to Denmark.

My Name Is Asher Lev explores the nature of suffering. The discrimination that Asher's father has against Asher's artistic tendencies can be related to the suffering of the many Jews in Russia and Germany that were oppressed by the government. Just as they were oppressed and punished for their beliefs, Asher is negatively viewed by his father, his teachers, and his peers. Art is Asher's real religion, and not only he, but his mother suffers for it. When Asher tries to portray his mother's suffering, "[his] search for a motif reveals none powerful enough in [his] own tradition, and so [he] turn[s] to the central theme of suffering in the Christian tradition: crucifixion." [8] Beauty [ edit ] Asher spends the summer with Jacob Kahn at his beach house in Provincetown. It is a joyous summer dedicated to painting. Asher maintains his religious observance while there. Toward the end, Jacob Kahn withdraws for a few days, in an awful mood. This was a book I had a hard time finishing. It was too easily put down and, to be truthful, I didn't even like this book until about 3/4 of the way into it. Now, I emphatically say that it is one of the best books I have ever read. The man at Asher's school who is in charge of the spiritual development of the students. He is kind and committed to his community. He expresses concern for the well-being of his students and is genuinely interested in their personal development. Uncle Yaakov

Trivial? I think not. Italics imply a gap between the writer and the reader. They say, "I know these words are foreign to you, so I'll mark them as such and explain them as we go along." But Potok's absence of italics takes away all foreignness; these are words that his characters use every day, as common as "overcoat" and "arithmetic." By using them matter-of-factly, without self-consciousness, Potok's Asher Lev invites us into his world as an equal, erasing any gap between us. He is also denying any sense of religious observance as something special reserved for the Sabbath, rather a part of ordinary life, every hour of every day. Though not Jewish myself, I have read a great many novels with Jewish settings, but cannot think of any that immerse me so deeply in the culture as Potok's novels: this one and The Chosen. After watching the Israeli show "Shtisel" on Netflix this past spring, I wanted to reacquaint myself with a book I had read long ago, "My Name is Asher Lev". In the show, a main character is Akiva, a young man who wants to be an artist, though his decision is not respected by his religious community. Similarly, the book features Asher Lev, a boy born into a Hasidic Jewish family who is an artistic genius. I was looking for a fuller answer to how art is looked at in these deeply religious communities. Qui, in un certo senso, è come se Potok capovolgesse l’interrogativo: giova all’uomo realizzare se stesso se poi perde tutto il (suo) mondo? We see through Asher's eyes what it is like to have a talent that is beyond anything the people around you could ever imagine; a talent that scares people, but a talent that insists on being used. Asher was an artist before he ever knew the meaning of the word, but his ability made life hard for him. How can he learn to make his gift work for him without losing himself in the process?

I was disappointed that Asher didn't have any friends except for older mentors. No girlfriends or buddies. I don't believe that this is the case with most hugely talented artists, but perhaps in part, it is because of his Jewish religion and his strict way of life. In January 2009, Aaron Posner's adaptation for the stage premiered in Philadelphia at the Arden Theatre Company. [10] It was subsequently produced by the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland in March and April 2010. [11] In 2012, the play was staged at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven [12] and by the Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta. [13] The first New York City Off-Broadway production of the play opened at the Westside Theater on November 28, 2012. [14] The play won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play and the John Gassner Award. [15] See also [ edit ]Asher’s father does not understand art and believes that it comes from the Other Side - where things are false and impure. It couldn’t possibly come from the Master of the Universe. I could understand the frustration that Asher experienced as he tried to talk with his father and make him understand. Asher tells his own story. We are with him when he makes his biggest breakthrough which will conflict him even further in regards to his family. His pinnacle is reached and it is devastating. Emotions burst through where they’ve been kept down for the majority of his life finally expressed through the hurt he brings to his parents and visible as their collective hurts. Anna Schaeffer – A very sophisticated woman and owner of the art gallery where Asher's art is displayed. Anna's work to promote Asher's works results in much recognition for Asher. She is introduced to Asher through Jacob Kahn. She is impatient, but cares about her artists. Sitra Achra, literally The Other Side in Aramaic, is the kabbalistic domain of evil. It contains what is false and impure, the most important component of which is the idea that evil is contained in the Master of the Universe. This idea is not only an impiety, it is also the source of countless other horrors that prevent human beings from appreciating their own reality. The struggle against the Sitra Achra is the central theme of My Name Is Asher Lev, established at the outset and pursued constantly throughout the book. Potok in an interview said that the Ladover Yeshiva in the novel was the real life Lubavich Yeshiva. Conversations with Chaim Potok. pg. 17. University Press of Mississippi (July 9, 2001)