The Fig Tree...

The Fig Tree (2002) - Arnold Zable


to be Jewish
is to be
a wandering Jew

to sing
as a Jew
is to sing of lost worlds

and perhaps
seek the poetry
in new worlds

but always
there is

the question

where is home

can there ever be
a place

a lasting place

called

home

MY GOODREADS REVIEW
 The Fig Tree by Arnold Zable
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Fig Tree spins the unsung stories of Jewish people. The stories may initially centre in 1930's -1950's Carlton, Melbourne, the author's home base now, but they fan out to connections with Poland, Greece, Russia, Thessaloniki and Austria. There's a mother's story, a father's, a poet's story and the story of lovers - to name a few. Each one symbolises a picture of yearning, a limbo, a feeling that home is a question still waiting for an answer. Maintaining some semblance of allegiance to old values and adapting to new ones becomes a tension, a struggle and a hope to reach some kind of balance. Zable offers perspectives from a range of age groups. Each one has its own unique narrative, strength and view of life. The result is an intriguing insight into the life of wanderers, shunted out of their own worlds, by such as the Holocaust, and seeking a sense of place and value.


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