Narrated through the perspectives of his contemporaries-those who revere him, those who revile him, the friend who betrays him, the lone woman who sees him for what he is- The Books of Jacob captures a world on the cusp of precipitous change, searching for certainty and longing for transcendence. The story of Frank-a real historical figure around whom mystery and controversy swirl to this day-is the perfect canvas for the genius and unparalleled reach of Olga Tokarczuk. In the decade to come, Frank will traverse the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires, throngs of disciples in his thrall as he reinvents himself again and again, converts to Islam and then Catholicism, is pilloried as a heretic and revered as the Messiah, and wreaks havoc on the conventional order, Jewish and Christian alike, with scandalous rumors of his sect’s secret rituals and the spread of his increasingly iconoclastic beliefs. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following.

In the mid-eighteenth century, as new ideas-and a new unrest-begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. The Nobel Prize-winner’s richest, most sweeping and ambitious novel yet follows the comet-like rise and fall of a mysterious, Messianic religious leader as he blazes his way across eighteenth-century Europe. Book-bundled tickets are still available. PLEASE NOTE: We have sold out of signed bookplates.

This author talk is free! You can sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book. A recording of the event will be made available and emailed to all who register. During the event, you can ask questions using the Q&A feature, or chat with fellow attendees. Registering will provide you with a unique access link in an email within 48 hours of the event.

This event will be broadcast live on Brookline Booksmith's Zoom platform. Tokarczuk and Croft will be joined by Rabih Alameddine, National Book Award finalist and the author, most recently, of The Wrong End of the Telescope. Third Place Books is proud to partner with Community Bookstore and the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith to welcome Nobel Prize–winner Olga Tokarczuk and her translator Jennifer Croft for a discussion of their latest book, The Books of Jacob-the astonishing, 900-page volume from Poland's most well-regarded novelist.

This is a virtual event taking place via Zoom Webinar.

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