THE MAGIC BARREL

In this collection of thirteen short stories, four are excellent- Angel Levine, The Lady of the Lake, The Last Mohican, and the title story. All are beautifully written, direct, economical, and informed with intelligence and feeling. Most deal with Jews in the lower income brackets (shoemakers, tailors, storekeepers, students, unsuccessful writers or artists) either in New York or abroad. Each creates its own atmosphere and characters completely, and has a valid and serious point to make. They are almost parables of a very personal kind..... The stories have appeared in Commentary, Partisan Review, Harper's Bazaar, etc. - and the critical success of The Assistant may bring them a wider readership than the genre usually attracts.