From the Publisher
From Elie Wiesel, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and one of
our fiercest moral voices, a provocative and deeply thoughtful new
novel about a life shaped by the worst horrors of the twentieth
century and one man's attempt to reclaim happiness.
Doriel, a European expatriate living in New York, suffers from a
profound sense of desperation and loss. His mother, a member of the
Resistance, survived World War II only to die in an accident,
together with his father, soon after. Doriel was a child during the
war, and his knowledge of the Holocaust is largely limited to what
he finds in movies, newsreels, and books-but it is enough. Doriel's
parents and their secrets haunt him, leaving him filled with
longing but unable to experience the most basic joys in life. He
plunges into an intense study of Judaism, but instead of finding
solace, he comes to believe that he is possessed by a dybbuk.
Surrounded by ghosts, spurred on by demons, Doriel finally turns to
Dr. Thérèse Goldschmidt, a psychoanalyst who finds herself
particularly intrigued by her patient. The two enter into an uneasy
relationship based on exchange: of dreams, histories, and secrets.
Despite Doriel's initial resistance, Dr. Goldschmidt helps to bring
him to a crossroads-and to a shocking denouement.
In Doriel's journey into the darkest regions of the soul, Elie
Wiesel has written one of his most profoundly moving works of
fiction, grounded always by his unparalleled moral compass.
From the Jacket
Praise for A Mad Desire to Dance
"A soaring explanation of a soul devastated by horrorism in a
world off its rocker, A Mad Desire to Dance cannot be
called comfy, not by a long shot. But in its own highstepping yet
paradoxically heart-wracking way, it can most assuredly be
considered beautiful (almost beyond belief)."
-Judith Fitzgerald, The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Tales in A Mad Desire to Dance just pour out of the
author like the Talmudic ma'ayan hamitgaber, the
wellspring that never runs dry . . . Wiesel proves again that he is
a master storyteller who can weave a complex tapestry of plots into
an intricately poignant human portrait."
-Ari L. Goldman, Moment magazine
"A Mad Desire to Dance is the novel Elie Wiesel was
born-or more accurately, survived-to write . . . There are many
truths buried in this book; that you have to work a little harder,
dig a little deeper, to find them makes the experience all the more
meaningful."
-Curt Schleier, Milwaulkee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
"Elie Wiesel once more confirms his influence as a master
storyteller who can weave an intricate narrative into a complex
portrait of a man at once obliterated and remade."
-M.E. Collins, Chicago Sun-Times
"Austerely written and . . . thought-provoking."
-Mike Peed, The New York Times Book Review
"Elie Wiesel continues to be the ultimate witness to history's
worst enormity, and its fiercest moral voice for remembrance . . .
[A Mad Desire to Dance] takes patience and close reading,
but those who stay with it will derive a significant level of
satisfaction . . . from the seemingly simple yet stirring reminder
that love can soothe, even if it cannot completely heal, the most
horrendous wounds."
-Gerald Sorin, Haaretz
"Artfully developed . . . Wiesel is a master
storyteller."
-Alvin H. Rosenfeld, The New Leader
"Alternately rough and tender . . . A Mad Desire to
Dance begins ominously and ends beautifully . . . No matter if
your faith lies with science, religion, or both, A Mad Desire
to Dance offers a tantalizing conversion experience for the
philosopher in you."
-Andrew Burstein, The Baton Rouge Advocate
"Vivid . . . This novel is filled with gorgeous prose."
-Kevin O'Kelly, The Boston Globe
"A Mad Desire to Dance shows the sensibility of a
literary wanderer who has not finished searching for answers to his
original anguished questions . . . A reader willing to navigate the
thickets will find rewards. The novel's . . . satisfactions lie in
a sense of shared responsibility between teller and listener, a
confidential yet far-reaching partnership that began four decades
ago with Night."
-Donna Rifkind, The Washington Post
"The novel . . . ends on an affirmative note, a triumph of
life's dance of desire over the madness that is a living death.
Philosophy meets psychology in this profound, often poetic
novel."
-Starred review, Kirkus
"It is once again a survivor's memories . . . that will rivet
readers . . . The terse personal vignettes are gripping . . . The
secrets surprise you to the end."
-Booklist
"Difficult but powerful . . . Wiesel handles the situation
expertly, and . . . a multilayered narrative emerges: the journey
through sadness and toward redemption; a meditation on the hand
dealt to Holocaust survivors; and a valuable parable on the wages
of human trauma. While the novel is not always easy sledding, there
are ample rewards-intellectual and visceral-for the willing
reader."
-Publishers Weekly
And praise from France for A Mad Desire to
Dance
"A Mad Desire to Dance reminds us, with force, that
Wiesel's writing is alive and strong. The master has once again
found here a startling freshness."
-Le Monde des Livres
"A genuine adventure that enriches the reader."
-L'Eclaireur
"A Mad Desire to Dance [is] an interior adventure driven
by the need to know-and the certitude-that only love can heal our
most intimate wounds."
-France Culture
About the Author
Elie Wiesel is the author of more than fifty
books, both fiction and nonfiction, including his masterly memoir
Night. He has been awarded the United States Congressional
Gold Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the rank of
Grand-Croix in the French Legion of Honor, an honorary knighthood
of the British Empire, and, in 1986, the Nobel Peace Prize. Since
1976, he has been the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities
at Boston University.
Hardcover
288 Pages, 5.9 x 8.7 x 1.1 in
February 17, 2009
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
English
0307266508
9780307266507