Summary of Melnitz
“Melnitz” is a Swiss historical family saga that follows several generations of the Swiss-Jewish Meijer family from 1871 to 1939. The novel begins in the 19th century in the small Swiss village of Endingen and concludes several generations later, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, when the family has become prosperous in cities such as Baden and Zürich.
Reasons to read MelnitzÂ
“Melnitz” is a captivating and evocative family epic that chronicles the lives of a Jewish family in Switzerland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The novel delves into the Meijers’ daily lives, strives, and romances, but also the antisemitic treatment they faced from a part of the Swiss population. Charles Lewinsky is a Swiss novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. “Melnitz” was his breakthrough novel, particularly in the German-speaking countries. In 2008, the French translation won the Prix du Meilleur livre étranger (prize for best translated foreign novel).
Setting: Endingen (Aargau), Baden, ZĂĽrich (Switzerland)
Original title: Melnitz
Year of publication: 2006
Nr of pages: 656
