The Mighty Walzer
A Novel
By Howard Jacobson
April 2011
$16.00
400 pp
5.5 x 8.25 in
ISBN-13: 9781608196852
ISBN-10: 1608196852
ISBN-10: 1608196852
The Mighty Walzer
A Novel
By Howard Jacobson
From the acclaimed author of the Man Booker Prize winner The Finkler Question, a coming -of-age novel involving table tennis that is "poignant, moving, hilarious…the sort of book that might change your life."--Observer
From the beginning Oliver Walzer is a natural--at ping-pong. Even with his improvised bat (the Collins Classic edition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde) he can chop, flick, half-volley like a champion. At sex he is not a natural, being shy and frightened of women, but with tuition from Sheeny Waxman, fellow member of the Akiva Social Club Table Tennis team, his game improves. And while the Akiva boys teach him everything he needs to know about ping-pong, his father, Joel Walzer, teaches him everything there is to know about "swag." Unabashedly autobiographical, this is an hilarious and heartbreaking story of one man's coming of age in 1950's Manchester.
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Reviews/Media for The Mighty Walzer:
The Washington Post's Lifestyle section features a piece with 2011 Finkler Prize Winner Howard Jacobson, author of The Mighty Walzer. Listen to Finkler's interview with Jeffery Brown of The Newshour (PBS)
“A riotous, sometimes poignant coming-of-age story that takes ping-pong to a whole new level.” —Booklist
“Jacobson chronicles the mordantly funny (and highly autobiographical) coming-of-age of Oliver Walzer as he contends with his neurotic Jewish family in 1950s Manchester, England; struggles to find his way with the ladies; and, most crucially, develops into a Ping-Pong champion … Jacobson spares no painful or uncomfortable moments, and while the notion of a novel of Ping-Pong may not sound like the most enticing offer, Jacobson writes with such verve, and his sense of humor is so sharp, that he could turn a novel of basket weaving into a ripsnorter.” —Publishers Weekly
“An entertaining Jewish picaresque novel … This roman à clef is a Rothian romp, a Goodbye, Columbus across the water in Manchester, where we find young Oliver Walzer desperately trying to do what young men try to do, namely satisfy their baser urges while grappling with whoever the hell they are … A delight from start to finish, and a note-perfect evocation of the gray 1950s.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review)
“Funny and perceptive…Readers of literary fiction should be acquainted with one of Jacobson’s works, and Finkler may be the easiest choice. Beyond that, this new work is brilliant, funny, engaging, and strongly recommended.”—Library Journal