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For the Relief of Unbearable Urges (Short Story): excerpted from the full collection, 'For the Relief of Unbearable Urges' Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,402 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Already sold in eight countries around the world, these nine energized, irreverent stories from Nathan Englander introduce an astonishing new talent.
In Englander's amazingly taut and ambitious "The Twenty-seventh Man," a clerical error lands earnest, unpublished Pinchas Pelovits in prison with twenty-six writers slated for execution at Stalin's command,
and in the grip of torture Pinchas composes a mini-masterpiece, which he recites in one glorious moment before author and audience are simultaneously annihilated. In "The Gilgul of Park Avenue," a Protestant has a religious awakening in the back of a New York taxi. In the collection's hilarious title story, a Hasidic man incensed by his wife's interminable menstrual cycle gets a dispensation from his rabbi to see a prostitute.
The stories in For the Relief of Unbearable Urges are powerfully inventive and often haunting, steeped in the weight of Jewish history and in the customs of Orthodox life. But it is in the largeness of their spirit-- a spirit that finds in doubt a doorway to faith, that sees in despair a chance for the heart to deepen--and in the wisdom that so prodigiously transcends the author's twenty-eight years, that these stories are truly remarkable. Nathan Englander envisions a group of Polish Jews herded toward a train bound for Auschwitz and in a deft imaginative twist turns them into acrobats tumbling out of harm's way; he takes an elderly wigmaker and makes her, for a single moment, beautiful. Again and again, Englander does what feels impossible: he finds, wherever he looks, a province beyond death's dominion.
For the Relief of Unbearable Urges is a work of stunning authority and imagination--a book that is
as wondrous and joyful as it is wrenchingly sad, and that heralds the arrival of a profoundly gifted new
storyteller.
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"OK I'll say it: you've GOT to read this. But let me qualify that by mentioning that you might not get it if you're not (sigh) Jewish. I think it was Will Smith who said, "Take it from me, gentiles just don't understand." In spite of the Semitic tag, Nathan Englander is as good a young writer as any I can think of. I hope his debut novel which just came out is as good as this. Tremendous short fiction."
— Adam (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Englander's voice is distinctly his own--daring, funny and exuberant.
— Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times"Taut, edgy, sharply observed. . . . A revelation of the human condition.
For the Relief of Unbearable Urges (Short Story) Listener Reviews
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" Highly recommend it, Englander is a great story-teller, and I don't use that word that often. After this book, and after the Ministry of Special Cases, he's become one of my favorite authors (along with DeLillo, Bezmogis, Calvino and Zadie Smith). "
— E., 2/13/2014 -
" unbelievable collection of stories, well crafted and so clever "
— Leslie, 2/10/2014 -
" Tantalizing, delicious, wide open and over the top "
— Beth, 1/20/2014 -
" I particularly enjoyed "The Twenty-seventh Man", "The Wig", and the titular "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges". "
— Karina, 1/5/2014 -
" The stories in his second collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, are much more accessible and less bizarre and disturbing. But apparently this is the book that put Englander on the map as one of the great new Jewish writers of our generation. "
— Rachel, 12/29/2013 -
" Again, it's one of those books that make more sense if you are Jewish, preferably with an Orthodox background. Because if not, the traditions and the culture will just seem weird. But if you are, this book is beautifully told and wonderfully resonating. "
— Ron, 12/26/2013 -
" Love these short stories! Very imaginative, but dark. "
— Leslie, 12/21/2013 -
" Mostly wonderful. "
— C., 10/30/2013 -
" Famazing. I'd rate some of these stories 5+ stars. "
— Susan, 10/25/2013 -
" I found many of these stories funny or poignant, but I didn't feel that any of them concluded strongly. "
— Sarah, 10/24/2013 -
" the story about the wig, A+ "
— lnb, 9/28/2013 -
" Impressive unpacking of often hidden stories. Compelling, rich, unexpected. "
— Leah, 8/19/2013 -
" Apart from one or two stories, I just couldn't get into this. I struggled to engage with any of the characters and felt totally depressed by it ... I'm sure I was missing something! "
— Alan, 6/30/2013 -
" I'm generally not a fan of short stories. All of the stories in this collection were, at the very least, very good. And some of them were great. "
— Adam, 5/15/2013 -
" The last story was my least favorite, but the others were so beautifully written and engaging. I felt a part of the culture that Englander was describing and appreciated his twists, which often went in directions I didn't foresee. The tales were finely executed, but felt effortless. Very enjoyable. "
— Arielle, 4/21/2013 -
" Englander should have kept "Reb Kringle" in a drawer. Skip that story and this collection is five stars. "
— Russellino, 1/3/2013 -
" 3.5. I had heard that this book was amazing but I actually preferred What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank: Stories, the stories felt more resolved and they definitely stuck with me more. "
— Jo, 10/25/2012 -
" I liked this book. I liked the stories. I think I just started reading it at the wrong time, because I couldn't finish it. Since I bought it, I'll just pick it up again later. "
— Sari, 10/14/2012 -
" read this a few years ago and several of the story lines still kick around in the back of my mind. outstanding writing and fascinating characters, i didn't want the stories to end. "
— Jennifer, 4/22/2012 -
" Great Stories. Comparable to Jhumpha Lahiri. "
— Chip, 3/19/2012 -
" These stories have a marvelous dark humor. Englander's imagination is amazing. The situations are absolutely crazy, but Englander makes them seem perfectly plausible. Very unique writing. "
— David, 11/18/2011 -
" Sad and funny, simultaneously. "
— Patti, 9/4/2011 -
" Really enjoyable yet sad characters... "
— John, 8/3/2011 -
" Parents being holocaust survivors I eat up anything having to do with Judaism......... "
— Clara, 7/17/2011 -
" Shorts stories from the Orthodox Jewish community. Touchingly personal and different. "
— Sandy, 1/9/2011 -
" The last and the first stories in this collection are the strongest, most acute. Englander is a talent for sure, but the subject matters of his stories fail to disarm. "
— Sabrina, 1/4/2011 -
" Rarely have enjoyed short stories more. A detailed and loving inside look at Jewish culture, and humans, too. Funny, sharp, kind, unflinching, and beautifully written stories. "
— Colleen, 12/28/2010 -
" Apart from one or two stories, I just couldn't get into this. I struggled to engage with any of the characters and felt totally depressed by it ... I'm sure I was missing something! "
— Alan, 12/27/2010 -
" A beautifully wrought collection of short stories. "
— Telaina, 12/3/2010 -
" I now see what all the fuss was about. By the very first story, you will be hooked. These characters and stories will stay with me for a very long time. "
— Andrea, 11/25/2010 -
" Interesting stories on modern Jewish life. The first story, though, of Yiddish writers in Stalinist USSR waiting for their execution is great. "
— Je, 7/2/2010 -
" The last story was my least favorite, but the others were so beautifully written and engaging. I felt a part of the culture that Englander was describing and appreciated his twists, which often went in directions I didn't foresee. The tales were finely executed, but felt effortless. Very enjoyable. "
— Arielle, 6/10/2010 -
" I love good short stories, and these are great short stories. "
— Wyatt, 1/13/2010
About Nathan Englander
Nathan Englander’s short fiction has appeared in the New Yorker, Atlantic, and numerous anthologies, including The Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories. He is the author of the novel The Ministry of Special Cases and the story collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, which earned him a PEN/Malamud Award and the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
About Arthur Morey
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.