Nina Balatka Anthony Trollope 9781519735669 Books
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Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope. Nina Balatka was a maiden of Prague, born of Christian parents, and herself a Christian — but she loved a Jew; and this is her story. Nina Balatka was the daughter of one Josef Balatka, an old merchant of Prague, who was living at the time of this story; but Nina's mother was dead. Josef, in the course of his business, had become closely connected with a certain Jew named Trendellsohn, who lived in a mean house in the Jews' quarter in Prague — habitation in that one allotted portion of the town having been the enforced custom with the Jews then, as it still is now. In business with Trendellsohn, the father, there was Anton, his son; and Anton Trendellsohn was the Jew whom Nina Balatka loved. Now it had so happened that Josef Balatka, Nina's father, had drifted out of a partnership with Karil Zamenoy, a wealthy Christian merchant of Prague, and had drifted into a partnership with Trendellsohn. How this had come to pass needs not to be told here, as it had all occurred in years when Nina was an infant. But in these shiftings Balatka became a ruined man, and at the time of which I write he and his daughter were almost penniless. The reader must know that Karil Zamenoy and Josef Balatka had married sisters. Josef's wife, Nina's mother, had long been dead, having died — so said Sophie Zamenoy, her sister — of a broken heart; of a heart that had broken itself in grief, because her husband had joined his fortunes with those of a Jew. Whether the disgrace of the alliance or its disastrous result may have broken the lady's heart, or whether she may have died of a pleurisy, as the doctors said, we need not inquire here. Her soul had been long at rest, and her spirit, we may hope, had ceased to fret itself in horror at contact with a Jew. But Sophie Zamenoy was alive and strong, and could still hate a Jew as intensely as Jews ever were hated in those earlier days in which hatred could satisfy itself with persecution. In her time but little power was left to Madame Zamenoy to persecute the Trendellsohns other than that which nature had given to her in the bitterness of her tongue. She could revile them behind their back, or, if opportunity offered, to their faces; and both she had done often, telling the world of Prague that the Trendellsohns had killed her sister, and robbed her foolish brother-in-law.
Nina Balatka Anthony Trollope 9781519735669 Books
Anthony Trollope typically writes long novels with several story lines that come together as the novel progresses. Not so with Nina Balatka. Set in Prague in the middle of the nineteenth century when anti-Semitism made life difficult for the Jews, the story begins with the announcement that a lovely yet desperately poor Christian girl named Nina Balatka is engaged to marry a rich Jewish man named Anton Trendellsohn. Everyone in the Christian and Jewish community is against the marriage and Nina's aunt and cousin do all they can to prevent the wedding from taking place.Nina, a strong willed and completely reliable young woman, is well prepared to defend herself against all of Prague, if necessary. Her chief problem is not the Christians and Jews in Prague, but her betrothed, Anton Trendellsohn. His father owns the house Nina and her father live in, but the Trendellsohns do not have the deed for the property. Anton desperately wants to acquire this document. Nina tells Anton in no uncertain terms that she and her father don't have the deed, but he does not believe her.
The entire novel centers on this lack of trust and its consequences for Nina and Anton. We, the readers, know that Nina is telling the truth. We experience her frustration as again and again she tries to convince Anton that the deed is in the possession of her aunt, uncle, and cousin, who will do anything to prevent her marriage to Anton.
No spoilers here. The reader of this review who wants to find out just what happens to the deed, the great mystery of the story, will have to read the novel to find out. Also, we don't learn until the end of the book if the course of Nina's true love for Anton is rewarded or if Nina throws herself off a bridge in Prague into the Moldau river to drown herself, as she is tempted to do when it appears that she will not marry Anton.
The problem with this novel is that Nina is too good and Anton is clearly unworthy of her great love. All her reason tells her to break off the marriage and we, the readers, are convinced by her logic, even if she is not. When I finally came to the end of this short novel, and none too soon, I was not fully satisfied with the outcome. Even so, this is the work of Anthony Trollope, one of my favorite English authors. Even mediocre Trollope is far superior to anything the reader is likely to find in any modern novel. Nina Balatka is not a place to begin an acquaintance with the novels of Anthony Trollope, but those who love Trollope's work, as I do, are almost certain to find some merit in this novel.
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Nina Balatka Anthony Trollope 9781519735669 Books Reviews
Not one of Trollope's best (although he thought it was pretty good).. He apparently tried to disguise his authorship of it, but the critics soon recognized it as Trolloope's work.
Not Trollope's best, but my bad.
A very good book with Prague as a background. Anthony Trollope was visiting there when he wrote this book, even published under an assumed name.
As a Jew, I thought it gave a fair depiction of what life was like for both Christians and Jews in the 17 - 18 century in England. It is very well written and I kept reading it to see what would be the final fate of Nina, the Christian girl.
I would recommend it to anyone as a good story.
This is an excellent book. Very well written. The plot is not as overly-sentimental, as some Victorian fiction. It reminded me of the play "Abie's Irish Rose" without the comedy overtones.
The plot was a little contrived. Nina's Jewish lover was not helpful and sympathetic enough to her poverty. How could he not see that she and her father were starving and that her clothes were rags. He professed his love but he seemed more concerned for himself.
Nina Balatka doesn’t so much tell the story of love between a Christian and a Jew as it does, the story of two fools a strong fool (the Jewish man, Anton Trendellsohn) and a weak fool (the Christian female, the title character).
What must be Trollope’s image of people in love? A woman in love utterly subjects herself to the man she loves. No insult can upset her subservience; nothing can dull her adoration. This is true, not only for Nina, but also Rebecca, another Anton devotee. Rebecca, if anything, is the more nauseatingly subservient of the two. At least Nina hopes to obtain a husband for her efforts; Rebecca is willing to sacrifice her life for his happiness in return for nothing.
To make matters worse, Anton Trendellsohn is no prize. We never learn why he chronically distrusts Nina. She serially proves her loyalty and love, and still he languishes for a document that will make his life more convenient and that he thinks Nina harbors. Trollope seems to saddle Anton with this character defect solely on the basis of Anton’s religion.
I had occasion to think of the old Virginia Slims slogan (“You’ve come a long way, baby!”) in connection with Jane Eyre. It’s apt for this novel as well. What a long way today’s female has come from the heroine of this novel. And amazing to me that the Trollope who wrote this novel (1867), also wrote the Palliser novels (1865-1880) and the Barsetshire novels (1855-1867).
Anthony Trollope typically writes long novels with several story lines that come together as the novel progresses. Not so with Nina Balatka. Set in Prague in the middle of the nineteenth century when anti-Semitism made life difficult for the Jews, the story begins with the announcement that a lovely yet desperately poor Christian girl named Nina Balatka is engaged to marry a rich Jewish man named Anton Trendellsohn. Everyone in the Christian and Jewish community is against the marriage and Nina's aunt and cousin do all they can to prevent the wedding from taking place.
Nina, a strong willed and completely reliable young woman, is well prepared to defend herself against all of Prague, if necessary. Her chief problem is not the Christians and Jews in Prague, but her betrothed, Anton Trendellsohn. His father owns the house Nina and her father live in, but the Trendellsohns do not have the deed for the property. Anton desperately wants to acquire this document. Nina tells Anton in no uncertain terms that she and her father don't have the deed, but he does not believe her.
The entire novel centers on this lack of trust and its consequences for Nina and Anton. We, the readers, know that Nina is telling the truth. We experience her frustration as again and again she tries to convince Anton that the deed is in the possession of her aunt, uncle, and cousin, who will do anything to prevent her marriage to Anton.
No spoilers here. The reader of this review who wants to find out just what happens to the deed, the great mystery of the story, will have to read the novel to find out. Also, we don't learn until the end of the book if the course of Nina's true love for Anton is rewarded or if Nina throws herself off a bridge in Prague into the Moldau river to drown herself, as she is tempted to do when it appears that she will not marry Anton.
The problem with this novel is that Nina is too good and Anton is clearly unworthy of her great love. All her reason tells her to break off the marriage and we, the readers, are convinced by her logic, even if she is not. When I finally came to the end of this short novel, and none too soon, I was not fully satisfied with the outcome. Even so, this is the work of Anthony Trollope, one of my favorite English authors. Even mediocre Trollope is far superior to anything the reader is likely to find in any modern novel. Nina Balatka is not a place to begin an acquaintance with the novels of Anthony Trollope, but those who love Trollope's work, as I do, are almost certain to find some merit in this novel.
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