Grotesques and Fantasies

Israel Zangwill (1864 - 1926)

A set of often funny, sometimes tragic stories by Israel Zangwill. Most famous for his scathingly accurate portrayals of the Jewish ghetto, these stories have a wider stage, poking fun at social conventions and society itself, both high and low. The real and the fantastic collide to produce a world uniquely Zangwill's.

These are the tales of figures as diverse as a pantomime dragon, an excellent butler, a man living his life in the wrong order and a Jewish maiden who knows exactly what she is worth. Well observed and original, the satire is biting and the wit sparkling.

Many of the stories in this volume are accompanied by excellent illustrations, which are well worth a look. They are available in the Gutenberg e-text.

The novella, King of Schnorrers, which began this collection when it appeared in print, has already been recorded separately. As such it is omitted from this collection, and only the shorter stories are included. (Summary by Lucy Perry)

Genre(s): Myths, Legends & Fairy Tales, Humorous Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Foreword Mike Pelton
00:02:23
Play 01 The Semi-Sentimental Dragon Arie
00:23:27
Play 02 An Honest Log-Roller Mike Pelton
00:08:49
Play 03 A Tragi-Comedy of Creeds Mike Pelton
00:11:40
Play 04 The Memory Clearing House John Van Stan
00:32:55
Play 05 Mated by a Waiter. Chapter I, Black and White ToddHW
00:16:38
Play 06 Mated by a Waiter. Chapter II, A Difficult Opening ToddHW
00:21:34
Play 07 Mated by a Waiter. Chapter III, The Queen Comes Into Play ToddHW
00:16:39
Play 08 Mated by a Waiter. Chapter IV, The Winning Move ToddHW
00:10:02
Play 09 The Principal Boy Sandra Cullum
00:33:47
Play 10 An Odd Life Lynne T
00:27:06
Play 11 Cheating the Gallows Tim Quinn
00:28:59
Play 12 Santa Claus Greg Giordano
00:08:23
Play 13 A Rose of the Ghetto Lucy Perry
00:29:01
Play 14 A Double-Barrelled Ghost John Van Stan
00:24:32
Play 15 Vagaries of a Viscount Greg Giordano
00:16:11
Play 16 The Queen's Triplets Lucy Perry
00:25:33
Play 17 A Successful Operation Greg Giordano
00:10:06
Play 18 Flutter-Duck. Chapter I, Flutter-Duck in Feather Matthew Nerger
00:13:09
Play 19 Flutter-Duck. Chapter II, A Migratory Bird Matthew Nerger
00:08:01
Play 20 Flutter-Duck. Chapter III, Flight Matthew Nerger
00:18:09
Play 21 Flutter-Duck. Chapter IV, Poor Flutter-Duck Mike Pelton
00:12:03