Tales of the Prague Ghetto
Kapper SiegfriedThe three stories in this collection, which first appeared in the press in the 1840s and were posthumously published as a collection at the end of the century, offer a Romantic and folkloric vision of Jewish culture in Prague. The first story, "Genenda”, displays Kapper's operatic eye for detail and drama with its account of a dutiful rabbi's daughter being swept away by a dashing young man, a Christian nobleman disguised as a Jew, a deceit that ends in tragedy.
"The Curious Guest” is an intricate tale of aquest for wisdom and power that inevitably leads to the undoing of the arrogant protagonist. The final story, "Glowing Coals”, is a supernatural tale of romantic desire and revenge, displaying Kapper's skill at deploying the tropes of folklore for dramatic literary effect. The collection not only provides a colorful snapshot of nineteenth-century Czech-Jewish culture but also resonates with universal human themes that transcend a single national experience.
