Sunday, September 05, 2010

Ten of the best religious zealots in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best religious zealots in literature.

One entry on the list:
Henry Zuckerman

In Philip Roth's The Counterlife, Nathan Zuckerman tells several mutually contradictory stories of his brother Henry, a dentist. In one of these Henry has upped sticks to join an ascetic community in Israel, renamed himself Hanoch and become "a real Jew". Nathan thinks he can talk sense into him...
Read about another zealot on Mullan's list.

The Counterlife appears on Erica Wagner's list of the best of Philip Roth.

--Marshal Zeringue