Joseph Roth (1894-1939) was a Ukrainian journalist and novelist, considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. The book ‘Job: The Story of a Simple Man’ was originally published in 1930 and, along with ‘The Radetzky March, ‘ is one of Joseph Roth's most well-known works.
The story of Job, a simple man, begins in a Jewish village in the region that is now Ukraine. There, Mendel Singer lives his life, obeying the precepts of the Torah, when his fourth son is born weak and epileptic, seen as a punishment from God to a man who had previously been devout. In ‘Job: The Story of a Simple Man, ‘ Joseph Roth presents us with the ethical and moral dilemmas of a religious man, who sees the birth of his problematic son as a divine punishment. His novel is a humanistic plea, a profound treatise on the choices we all confront throughout life. It is one of those books that, once read, is never forgotten.
About the author
Joseph Roth, born Moses Joseph Roth (September 2, 1894 – May 27, 1939), was an Austrian journalist and novelist, best known for his masterpiece: ‘The Radetzky March’ (1932), which depicts the decline and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.