The Empire of Kalman the Cripple

It takes a shtetl. Or so it seems in this absorbing tale of Jewish life in Dombrovka, Poland, on the outskirts of Warsaw just beforeWWII, when anti-Semitism was rampant and everyday life was a struggle. Paralyzed and orphaned as a child, Kalman was not easy to love; ""he learned his spitefulness early."" After a troubled childhood and Yeshiva education, he assumes an innovative role as the first shopkeeper in Dombrovka to open a general store that houses a variety of goods, from wedding trousseaus to baking pans. His plan to build a generating station and bring electricity to the village leads him into negotiations with the mayor, the president and local squires, who are all reluctant to help a Jewish man, especially a disabled one, succeed in business. This act of modernization seems to be a symbol for the Jews of the village as well, their old world customs clashing with the rapidly changing society around them. Gradually, Kalman's personality shifts from spite, cruelty and revenge to acts of kindness when he becomes a wealthy man. Kalman's long-suffering girlfriend and fiancee, Kayleh, also has a disability, a speech impediment. She has their child out of wedlock, denies that Kalman is the father and lives as a single mother in another town. Elberg illuminates his Polish world with Dickensian skill, through larger-than-life characters whose eccentricities are endearing. The poignancy of this portrait is enhanced by the reader's knowledge that Kalman's world will soon vanish. The book concludes in 1933, the year in which Hitler became chancellor of Germany. Initially written in Yiddish and published in Israel in 1983, the novel is well served by Galli's vivid translation. (May)