The Gospel According to Lazarus

Description

From the international best-selling author of The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon comes a dazzling new work of historical fiction. According to the New Testament, Jesus resurrected his friend, but the Gospel of John omits details of how he achieved this miracle and whether he had any special purpose in doing so. The acclaimed novelist Richard Zimler takes up the tale and recreates the story of the Passion from Lazarus' point of view. Restored to physical health, he has difficulty picking up his former existence; his experience of death has left him fragile and disoriented, and he has sensed nothing of an afterlife. As he turns more and more to Jesus for guidance, while observing his friend's growing mystical powers and influence, he finds their lives becoming dangerously entwined. Zimler places Jesus in the historical context of ancient Jewish practice and tradition; he is at once a charismatic rabbi and a political activist who uses his awareness of a transcendent reality - culminating in the Kingdom of Heaven - to inspire compassion for humankind and try to bring justice to his people. With The Gospel According to Lazarus, Richard Zimler brings the familiar story vividly to life and finds fresh meaning in the Passion and Crucifixion. 'Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this brave and engaging novel, though, is that Zimler manages to make the best-known narrative in western culture a page-turner. I simply had to keep going to the very end in order to know on earth what would happen.' - Peter Stanford, The Guardian

Richard Zimler was born in New York. After gaining degrees from Duke University and Stanford University, he worked as a journalist in San Francisco for nearly a decade. He is the author of six other novels, including The Search for Sana, The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon and The Seventh Gate. He has won many prizes for his writing and has lectured on Sephardic Jewish culture all over the world. He now lives in Porto, Portugal, where he teaches journalism and writes.

"A brave and engaging novel ... a page-turner" --The Guardian ; "Rich in detail and perception ... a biblical thriller" --The Jewish Chronicle