For the life of me I couldn’t imagine ever reading a book about a Yiddish speaking parrot riding the shoulder of a Jewish pirate looking for the new world with Christopher Columbus. But that is essentially the plot of local author Gary Bardwins new book, “Yiddish for Pirates”. Mr. Bardwin will be coming to Oakville’s synagogue, Shaarei-Beth El Congregation, on Wednesday January 11, 2017 at 7:30 pm to talk about his inspiration.
This book as something for everyone. If you like adventure, its got high tension scenes of Jews secretly leaving Spain during the Inquisition, attacks by pirates on the high seas and the search for buried treasure, as Robert Pulford of the National Post writes, “a picaresque historical novel that’s both postmodern and magic realist”.
If you like historical fiction, it delves into the events surrounding the Christian rule of Spain from Islam and the search for new worlds by explorers crossing the uncharted oceans.
If you love comedy then this book is full of laughs and unexpected twists, as S. Bear Bergman of the Globe and Mail writes, “more than once I laughed out loud and required whomever was nearby to sit for a dramatic reading of an especially well-made turn of phrase”.
And if you love learning a new language, the Yiddish speaking Parrot throws will fill your brain with sayings like “gei kacken oifen yam” and “mit ayin tuchus ken nit tanzten in tzvei simchas” along with translations and appropriate context.
What is most exciting is getting a chance to meet Mr. Barwin to find out how he dreamed up telling a story from the perspective of a parrot, how he meddled fantasy with history, and how his creative brain must spin to churn out such a delicious story that kept me glued to this book that I couldn’t put it down. If you haven’t read the book head to Different Drummer books in Burlington or your local bookstore to grab a copy, the book will also be available at the author. Gary Bardwin will be available to sign your book.
Meet local author Gary Bardwin, shortlisted for the Giller Prize and Governor-Generals award for literature, at Shaarei-Beth El Congregation, 186 Morrison Road, on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 7:30 pm.