Memoirs of a Fortunate Jew

An Italian Story

Vittorio Segre Dan

"I was probably less than five years old when my father fired a shot at my head". From this first line, Dan Vittorio Segre's memoir moves from one startling turning point to the next. The child of aristocratic parents, Segre fled Fascist Italy and Mussolini's anti-Semitic laws only to be thrust into the pioneering culture of Palestine, completely unprepared for the dangers of life in Israel during World War II. Beautifully narrated, "Memoirs of a Fortunate Jew" is an ironic, philosophical meditation on the historical reverberations of the twentieth century.

Reviews

"Taut and illuminating... memorable... written with the humility of he who confesses himself and with the honesty of he who bore witness" – Primo Levi

"The writing of memoirs is a difficult art that Dan Segre fully possesses. Under his pen, history and psychology merge in one captivating narrative which illuminates the turmoils, fears, and triumphs of his generation" – Elie Wiesel

"[A] beautifully written autobiography" – Adrain Lyttelton, New York Review of Books

"[The author] comes to learn... that life 'is stronger than evil'. Such knowledge, in a book that registers moments of profound alienation and pain, is no small achievement. That Mr. Segre has been able to accomplish so much in a story filled with significant historical as well as personal detail is everyone's gain" – Alvin Rosenfield, New York Times

"An unusually attractive book – attractive in its irony, its energy and its moral insight. Mr. Segre has some rich material to work with, and he has done it justice" – John Gross

"This book is unique and a sort of masterpiece" – Patrick Parrinder, London Review of Books

"A haunting tale, beautifully written and with a talent, reminiscent of Proust, to endow the past with a deep psychological meaning... A stunning exercise in self-awareness" – Amos Elon

"A spellbinding biography of genuine literary value that reads like an adventure story. Those familiar with the bitter and depressing tone of the Jews' misfortunes in the maelstrom of wars and holocausts will derive a unique freshness from the irony, humour and sensuality of Dan Segre" – A. B. Yehoshua

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