Sunday, 4 June 2023

Kaddish x 3

Works of fiction resonate with each other and with experience.

(i) In Poul Anderson's Ensign Flandry, Commander Max Abrams recites the Kaddish for young Ensign Dominic Flandry, missing in action. We read on, probably not reflecting much on the Kaddish.

(ii) In John Gardner's Maestro, two Mossad agents recite the Kaddish for an SIS agent shot dead by two rogue CIA agents. Gardner informs us:

"Yit'gadal v'yit kadash sh'me' raba. Amen.
"B'al'ma di v'ra chir'ute. Amen.

"Magnified and sanctified be His great name. Amen.
"Throughout the world which He has created according to His will. Amen."
-John Gardner, Maestro (London, 1993), Book Three, Seven, pp. 541-542.

(iii) The Kaddish was recited at the funeral of my son-in-law, Ketlan Ossowski, who created this blog.

7 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Abrams probably recited to himself the Mourner's Kaddish.

Now I'm wondering, did he use Aramaic or an Anglic translation?

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

This suggested something to me. Thanks!

Mediocre writers have influences. Really good writers -steal-.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

Ha! If you meant me I'm glad I inspired you into thinking of an idea!

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Sean: yup, modified a scene to incorporate that.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!


That is flattering! In one of your Antonine Rome books?

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Yes. Josephus murmurs the first line at one point, and Artorius gives the second -- he learned it in the 21st century, so that he could attend the funeral of one of his men while he was in the Army.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

I thought it might be something like that. Albeit I had a wild moment wondering if you were writing a Dominic Flandry pastiche where he again met Max Abrams! (Smiles)

Ad astra! Sean