Simone Zelitch was born and raised in Philadelphia. She received her MFA from the University of Michigan. In the early 1990's she was on the first Peace Corps contingent to Hungary. She has traveled extensively in England, Central Europe, and Israel to research her novels. She teaches creative writing at college level in Philadelphia.
"In this dark follow-up to her critically acclaimed novel Louisa,
Zelitch returns to her first publishing house to offer a literary
impression of the biblical hero Moses, painting his life as one
continuous horror. In an opening scene, the baby Moses is abandoned
for dead by his father, Amram, then disfigured and left with a
stutter when his adoptive mother, the mad Egyptian princess Bityah,
persuades him to suck on a live coal. After murdering an overseer
as a young man, Moses wanders in despair amid poisonous snakes in
Sinai until he returns to lead the Hebrew slaves to an unhappy
freedom. There are more ghastly events to come; as Zelitch wryly
observes, "Moses was doomed to live for a long time." The insane
Bityah has a significant role, treating Moses as a pet and "my good
baby" even as he approaches manhood. Later, her mad love for Moses
and her bereavement after his desertion turns her brother/husband
Merneptah's affection for Moses to hatred. Moses' family is harshly
treated by Zelitch: his sister Miriam is "queen of the witches,"
while his brother Aaron serves in the temple of Seth, where he
becomes the voice of the "god" and has homosexual relations with
his mentor Nube. Zelitch excels in crafting atmosphere and
descriptions, but even dedicated readers who are familiar with the
biblical account will have difficulty following the story because
of the multiple points of view and obscure symbols." -- From
Publishers Weekly, Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information,
Inc.
"When Zelitch tells the biblical story of Moses and the journey he
led of the Hebrew people to Sinai, Moses is more truth seeker than
leader. The mysteries of faith provoke him to philosophize and
question God, hindering his desire to lead the slaves out of Egypt.
His brother, the high priest Aaron, speaks for him and helps
mobilize the people and guide them to their destination, but he,
too, begins to question his capability. Ultimately, the people and
the faith endure, but the theological questions that haunt the
major characters in the novel-in particular, what is the name of
their God? -humanize these larger-than-life figures. Occasionally
one glimpses Zelitch's imaginative and romantic style, but the
story line dominates the novel, which is unfortunate. In Louisa
(2000), Zelitch more impressively showed her talent for combining
harsh and earthy subject matter with graceful and picturesque
prose. Still, those who care for her writing and fans of biblical
fiction like Anita Diamant's The Red Tent (1997) will enjoy this
book." -- Michelle Kaske, From Booklist, Copyright (c) American
Library Association. All rights reserved
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