FEATURED ESSAYS 1. Mordecai Richler`s Solomon Gursky... 2. Solomon Gursky Was Here 3. The Street Lawyer 4. Duddy Kravitz 2 5. Livvie 6. The Culture Of American Advert 7. Creative Writing: The Gift Of Wis... 8. King Solomon 9. Relations Between God And Man 10. Song Of Solomon 11. April Morning 12. Immortal Beloved 13. The Apprentiship Of Duddy Krav 14. The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kr

Mordecai Richler`s Solomon Gursky Was Here

Solomon Gursky Was Here  is an epic novel spanning nearly a century and a
half, from the mid 1800's to 1980's.  It is the story of the obsession of 
Moses Berger, a Rhodes scholar turned alcoholic, with Solomon Gursky, the
charismatic son of a poor immigrant.  Solomon, with his brother Bernard and
Morrie, built the massive liquor empire of McTavish industries.  Moses is
attempting to write a biography of Solomon, which becomes his life's work. 
Through his investigations the complex story of five generations of Gurskys
is revealed.  The eldest is Ephraim, Solomon'scriminal, perpetually
scheming grandfather.  Ephraim, is constantly associated with the raven, he
escaped imprisonment in England in the mid 1800's by forging documents,
also allowing him to join a crew searching for the Northwest passage,
called the Franklin Epedition. The expedition turned into a total disaster,
Ephraim, the sole survivor.   The youngest Gursky appearing in this story
is Isaac, Solomon's grandson.  This complex tale unravels, as Moses recalls,
all of the events in his life which pertain to it.  Ever present in this
Canadian cultural satire is the theme of filial relationships and the
exploration of Solomon and his re-incarnation as Sir Hyman Kaplansky, in
conjunction with his family and their exploits.  Every character in this
novel is in some way corrupt or failure.  Moses is an alcoholic who did not
live up to his potential; Bernard is a greedy self-centered bastard;

Solomon is a cheat, when it comes to gambling, women and anything else you
can think of.   Richler, through this exaggeration of corruption and
failure, is satirizing the idea that Canada is a second rate nation.  One
character, in conversation with Moses, once said:

"Canada is not so much a country as a holding tank filled with the
disgruntled progeny of defeated peoples.  The French-Canadians consumed by
self-pity; the descendants of Scots who fled the Duke of Chamberlain; Irish
the famine; and Jews the black hundreds. Then there are the peasants from
the Ukraine, Poland , Italy and Greece, convenient to grow wheat and dig
out ore and swing the hammers and run the restaurants, but otherwise to be
kept in their place .  Most of us are still huddled tight to the border,
looking  into the candy store window, scared by the Americans on one side
and the bush on the other."(P.'s398-399)

This says, in no uncertain terms, that Canada is compromised of people not
worthy of other countries.  The satirical nature of this statement is
alluded to by harsh words, such as "holding tank" and "scared".  Also by
impersonal words, such as "progeny". Most Canadians do not, as this says,
envy the Americans and think of America as a "candy store".   Richler is
attacking some typical stereotypes of Canada and Canadians by exemplifying
them.

Moses, who is Richler's voice in the novel, exhibits many autobiographical
characteristics: English speaking resident of Montreal, raised on Jean
Mance street.  He has a strong religious backround (Jewish), smokes a
cigars, writes professionally and lived in London, England for a period. 
Moses and his father L.B. do not get along well.  L.B., a failed poet, is
resentful of his son's literary talent.  This leads to leads to L.B.
treating his son with contempt.  On one occasion, Moses, home from school
at Balliol, tells LB that he submitted a short story, which LB said "showed
promise"(p.129), to "the New Yorker.  L.B. belittled Moses for his attempt
which he suspected to fail and demanded that he be given the mail upon it's
arrival, to open it in private.  When the package from "the New Yorker"
arrived, L.B. opened and read it in private, then later invited Moses into
the room.  L.B. proceeded to tell Moses that he also had been rejected by
"editors who print crap, so long as it is written by their friends, but who
couldn't tell Pushkin from Ogden Nash."(P.  132).  Moses later learned that
the magazine had accepted his story and had sent it back requesting a few
small revisions.  He, supposedly, ha d written back saying "'the New
Yorker' regularly prints crap so long as it is written by their friends,
they couldn't tell Pushkin from Ogden Nash, and he was withdrawing his
story." (P. 309).  This filial relationship is typical of all others in
this novel.  All are full of anomosity and dislike.  Many times they
escalate of cruelty as seen in this instance.  Solomon Gursky led a
prolific life consisting of gambling, traveling, bootlegging, military
service(WWI) and many women.  Through his teenage gambling exploits, the
first in a chain of hotels, which would lay the foundation for the Gursky
empire, was acquired in a high stakes poker match, in which he risked the
deed to his fathers store.  A character in the novel once said that
"without Solomon that bastard would have ended up like he started. 
Sweeping up in a warehouse."(P.253).  This was stated in reference to
Bernard who had been left as the sole man in charge of then Gursky empire,
after the apparent death of Solomon in an airplane crash. Evidence exists,
though, which shows that Solomon is actually alive.  For example, soon
after the death of Bernard, "a raven skewered and harpooned" (P.257) was
found on his grave.  Upon further examination.  The harpoon was declared to
"clearly be an Eskimo artifact" (P.158).  Also caved into the harpoon was a
gimle (a Hebrew symbol).  This evidence points to Solomon because he, as
his grandfather was, is continually associated with the raven. Solomon as a
child was hand-picked by his grandfather Ephraim, as the chosen one of the
three brothers and  was taken to the arctic to learn the Inuit way of life.
Solomon's ability to make and use this Inuit harpoon, strengthens his
association with the desecration of his brother's grave.  Moses discovers 
Solomon's most used alias after his apparent death as Sir Hyman Kaplansky.
Sir Hyman is a rich well-traveled Jewish Englishman, who is intelligent and
witty.  He is a good piano player, an aviation buff and a good
impressionist.  He is always carrying a malacca cain and is associated with
the raven.  He shares all these characteristics and mannerisms with Solomon.
 Moses, while at school in England, meets Sir Hyman, who becomes a father
figure to him.  Sir Hyman was responsible for Moses looking towards the
Franklin Expedition and the arctic for information about Ephraim and the
Gursky beginnings in Canada.  After being constantly fed a wealth of 
information pertaining to the Gursky's.  Moses realizes who Sir Hyman
really is.  Moses finds a portrait of a lady with "one eye brown, one eye
blue." (P.498).  This lady, Moses knew, was Solomon's one true love.  Sir
Hyman confirmed this fact to Moses when asked.  The next day he was
reported to have drowned. Moses was given a package which contained
Solomon's journals and a letter from Sir Hyman which stated that Moses
would receive $30 000 a year.  Sir Hyman's clue and money donation shows
that he wants Moses to learn more about his life and of the Gursky family. 
On occasion Solomon, who did not actually drown, contacts Moses with small
clues as to his whereabouts.  Moses, constantly trying to track him down,
seems to be, being led on a wild goose chase.  Solomon enjoys Moses'
obsession and encourages it, although no matter what he will always stay
one step ahead of Moses, not allowing him to learn everything.

Richler, through his complex tale of Moses Berger and his obsession with
Solomon Gursky, is able to paint a picture of Canadian culture.  The Gursky
family and their diverse interests, life-styles and undertakings allows
Richlers readers to grasp many parts of Canada in many different time
frames.  This in turn allows him to satirize the stereotypes of Canada, its
people and their culture.  Adding to idea of corruption, which enhances
this satire, are the filial relationships occurring in this novel. The fact
that all these relationships are unsuccessful and non-cordial, enhances
the idea that all Canadians roots are in some way corrupt or failures. 
Richler, shows how these traits are passed through generation after
generation.   There can be no doubt that Solomon, one of the most corrupt
characters in the book, becomes Sir Hyman after his staged death.  Richler
has tiedhis complex story of Solomon Gursky, his family and their exploits
together with his cultural messages