The Messiah by Marek Halter

After the success of his bestselling The Book of Abraham, The Wind of the Khazars and The Canaan Trilogy (Sarah, Zipporah and Lilah), Marek Halter returns with a remarkable tale—based in truth—of the little-known crusade by a 16th-century Jew to marshal support for a Jewish state, four centuries before the creation of modern-day Israel.

David Reubeni is a Jewish prince from the lost kingdom of Chabor. Arriving in Venice, he begins spreading his own gospel of the return of the Jews to a homeland in Palestine. Reubeni scours the European courts for support, ultimately pleading his cause to Pope Clement VII, to whom he promises control of the holy sites of Jerusalem in return for the Pontiff’s aid. Upon his arrival at each new country on his quest, Reubeni attracts throngs of followers, mostly comprised of Jews longing for and expecting the Messiah. Will Reubeni attain his vision and lead his people to regain their homeland? The Messiah entices with the marvelous improbability of its subject and its vivid portrait of 16th-century Europe.

Translated from the French by Lauren Yoder.

Marek Halter was born in Poland in 1936. During World War II, he and his parents narrowly escaped from the Warsaw ghetto. After a time in Russia and Uzbekistan, they emigrated to France in 1950. There Halter embarked on a career as a painter that led to several international exhibitions. He is also the author of several internationally acclaimed, bestselling historical novels, including The Book of Abraham, which won the Prix du Livre Inter.

Hardcover
Pages: 350
Publication date: April 2008
ISBN: 978 1 59264 216 8