PAUL'S PICKS [Book Reviews of Publications by Local Authors]: "Cafe Scheherazade" by Arnold Zable

PAUL'S PICKS


 Book Reviews of Publications Penned by 

Our Community's Local Authors

Visit Paul Karp's Poetry Website at:

Mentone Public Library is committed towards promoting local history and the local literary talent of the City of Kingston and surrounding municipalities of Bayside, Glen Eira and Port Phillip in the Bayside region of Melbourne Australia.


Mentone Public Library is pleased to have recruited 
Paul "Percussion & Poet" Karp 
to source and review the local literary pearls of publications you might be yet to discover.

This month Paul's book review pick is by 
local-but-currently-based-abroad author: 

Arnold Zable




And the book:


Cafe Scheherazade by Arnold Zable Text Publishing 2001


Cafe Scheherazade was established at 99 Acland Street St Kilda by Avram and Masha Zeleznikow in 1958. They sold the business in 1999. It is now a women's clothing store. 
Their vision was to provide the best old-European style gourmet food, cakes and coffees to a clientele who readily appreciated their authentic recreation. Its reputation attracted survivors of war-torn Europe resettled in Melbourne.

Cafe Scheherazade became a haven where ageing former freedom fighters reminisced, and argued both in English and in mother tongues, finally hugging each other in gratitude for their shared survival of horrors endured and relived; the recollection of such memories at times more real to them than present day life. 

Survivors tortured and imprisoned by Nazis and Soviets fondly remembered their loved ones killed, and marvelled at their fortune in finding refuge when there was no refuge in Europe. Zable revealed at the end of the novel that the characters were fictional composites of men and women who frequented Cafe Scheherazade. 

Arnold Zable's faithful and sympathetic accounts of stories he collected over many visits to Cafe Scheherazade made compelling and fascinating reading. His novel is a most worthy moving tribute to survivors' memories of their Europe lost forever to war.            



About the Author

Arnold Zable was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and grew up in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton. He has travelled and lived in the USA, India, Papua New Guinea, Europe, Southeast Asia and China, and now lives in Melbourne with his wife and son. 

Source: Text Publishing


















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