It is the debut novel of writer Richard Zimmler in our country that portrays a historical period when the Church was omnipresent in all facets of everyday life. It's the beginnings of the infamy that was the Inquisition.
Richard Zimmler writes his books in English, later translated in Portuguese. The themes of his novels, however, transpose the reader to the various realities of Portuguese society a product of a rigorous research. The Last Cabbalist of Lisbon is the result of this study, a dark age dominated by fear and terror that was the Inquisition. Being an American of Jewish origin, the writer of course researched the life of Jews in this period and the result is a very interesting novel about a New Christian, Berekiah Zarco, a young disciple of the famous Cabbalistic school of Lisbon who sees his family involved in crime. It is a sort of historical thriller that depicts the life of Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism, but continued to maintain their traditions and habits in the twilight of their secular homes. It is a fictionalized portrait of the time, although all the historical facts are known based on the year of the Lord 1506. It is a very interesting book, because it addresses the Cabbala, a branch of Judaism very trendy recently, thanks to Madonna. Above all it is a novel full of action, with a murder to uncover and in the middle we have a kingdom that reluctantly has to implement a dogma that seeks to pursue all who profess a different faith, imposed by a castrating church. All the ingredients for a good read.
