The Inflected Letters
ten sabbatean tales
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The Inflected Letters: Ten Sabbatean Tales is a collection of ten interlocking short stories at
the intersections of faith and desire. They derive inspiration from the heretical Kabbalah of Sabbetai Tzvi and his followers,
which was particularly concerned with issues of sexual desire and the maintenance of faith in a time at which redemption
had already appeared, in secret.
Reminiscent of the early work of Isaac Bashevis Singer, The Inflected Letters is a uniquely informed, hauntingly written journey into the shadows of sexual desire and spirituality. And since they are written by Jay Michaelson, currently a doctoral student studing Sabbatean Kabbalah, The Inflected Letters speaks in a voice steeped in authentic Kabbalah, and informed too by such diverse influences as the tales of Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav, queer theory, the Words of the Lord by Jacob Frank, Isaac Babel, the pantheistic philosophy of Chabad Hasidism, and Jorge Luis Borges. One of the stories, The Night Watchman and the Hundred Thousand Golems recently won the Dornstein Prize in short fiction. Four of the tales -- The Place of Anger, The Night Watchman & the Hundred Thousand Golems, The Erotic Mikva, and The Verse -- have been published. The anthology as a whole is presently under review for publication; more information is available by emailing Jay directly. The tales:
The Beard The Tree The Secrets of Nakedness The Sabbatean of Central Park The Night Watchman and the Hundred Thousand Golems The Erotic Mikva Rabbi Elimelech's Trumpet The Alchemist, or The Reincarnation of Jacob Frank
For more information on reprinting or publishing this work, click here to send Jay an email.
All stories (c) 2006 Metatronics Inc.
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