Four out of five Dutch Jews murdered by the Nazis! The Spinoza Problem: A Novel (Book Review) The connection and dialogue between these two men serve to convey Spinoza’s main ideas to the reader. He is punished by having to memorise passages from the autobiography of Goethe — and is stunned to discover that his idol was a great admirer of the seventeenth-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Vermeer nods to his miniature self. Its author, Dr. Irvin Yalom, a psychiatrist, examines the minds and behaviors of two people: Baruch Spinoza, a 17 th century Jewish philosopher, and Alfred Rosenberg, a 20 th century Nazi anti-Semitic ideologue. Jacob interjects. ", Franco, who had been staring at the ground as Jacob spoke, now lifts his eyes and utters his first words: "I ask for little, for only a few words with you. Or just some? . Rosenberg is stunned to discover that Goethe, his idol, was a great admirer of the Jewish seventeenth-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza. All this gives Irvin Yalom plenty room. Herr Epstein drums his fingers on the long table, then continues. ", "No, here. ", "Sir, I say only what all Germans think. Little is known about the psyche of either Baruch Spinoza or Alfred Rosenberg, yet using his extraordinary ability to peer into the minds of his patients, Dr. Yalom has produced a … As a psychiatrist, I felt convinced that he could not have written this section unless he had experienced a conscious struggle with his own passions. Is that not so?". A firestorm outside! Spinoza’s curiosity took him beyond his cultural and customs, and even his community when he was ex-communicated. Can we meet tomorrow? "Sir . Alfred silently hangs his head again. The only remotely personal items were the 151 volumes of Spinoza's own library, and I turned immediately to them. "You're saying that because of this Spinoza problem, they protected these books rather than burn them, as they burned so much of Europe? But just before entering, he hesitates, turns back to Alfred, and in a not unkind voice whispers, "Rosenberg, you disappointed me, all of us, with your poor judgment in your speech last night. All this gives Irvin Yalom plenty room. 57, only two blocks from the auction preparations at Rembrandt's home, a twenty-three-year-old merchant (born only a few days earlier than Vermeer, whom he would admire but never meet) prepares to close his import-export shop. ", "A salt mine? Little is known about the psyche of either Baruch Spinoza or Alfred Rosenberg, yet using his extraordinary ability to peer into the minds of his patients, Dr. Yalom has produced a rare gem in existing literature. I only said there were rumors—", "Rumors you were glad to spread, to your own personal advantage in the election. That we must preserve our race and our culture.". First, the prostitute in a gloriously yellow jacket. In eight years he will travel from Reval to Munich and become a prolific anti-Bolshevik and anti-Semitic journalist. If they refused to pay, then they might receive ridiculous names, such as Schmutzfinger or Drecklecker. Even so, I continue to believe you are not without promise. He wants to gaze out the window, midway down the table, but looks up apprehensively at the headmaster. Tell me, Rosenberg, when that happens, how will you answer them? Jeudi 21 Juin 2012. "And yet you called me and my wife Jews," the headmaster continues. He told us that Rabbi Mortera is severe with doubters, that he believes all Jews in Portugal who converted to Christianity face eternal damnation, even if they were forced to choose between conversion and death. Do you refuse a fellow Jew? The structure of the story consists of alternating chapters describing the lives of Benedict Spinoza and Alfred Rosenberg. Lange wurde gerätselt, ob der glühende Antisemit Rosenberg möglicherweise selbst jüdische Vorfahren hatte. No response. And my wife, too, is Jewish, is she? Most of the Jews agreed to pay for a prettier or more elegant name, perhaps a flower—like Rosenblum—or names associated with nature in some way, like Greenbaum. ", "And where was the library kept during the war? ", Place: A bench in the main corridor outside Headmaster Epstein's office in the Petri-Realschule. You must go to him. Even the presence of God. The twenty-five-year-old Johannes Vermeer takes a final look at his new painting, The Procuress. Perhaps an encounter with the spirit of Spinoza. Why Spinoza, now? Good. ", "So then these books are twice removed from Spinoza?" It's merely an image from some artist's imagination, derived from a few lines of written description. Don't be a fool now.". Complete unto Himself. "I am Jacob Mendoza," says the taller of the two. The solution came to him when he discovered that the entire private library of Spinoza was stolen by the Nazis in under orders of Alfred Rosenberg, in many ways the ideological leader of national socialism. ", Glancing at Herr Schäfer and with a prayer in his voice, Alfred answers meekly, "Eighteenth century and . '", "What talk is this? In The Spinoza Problem, Irvin Yalom spins fact and fiction into an unforgettable psycho-philosophical novel. He walks outside and commences his daily duel with the rusted padlock on the shop door. Inhaling the dusty air, Bento Spinoza identifies, with resignation, the fetid rat droppings accompanying the odor of dried figs, raisins, candied ginger, almonds, and chickpeas and the fumes of acrid Spanish wine. It had been spared because, Rosenberg, too, apparently had a Spinoza problem to which he tried to find a solution. ", Psychotherapist   •   Writer   •   Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Psychotherapist • Writer • Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry. Only his eyes move, darting like frightened tadpoles. 'Rabbi Mortera,' he said, 'will only make Franco feel worse. NEW LOW PRICING! Is your name a Jewish name also? ", "You mean that despite your education in science and philosophy in our school you never think about how you know what you know. His fingers never touched these books. I wandered amid the construction debris through the modest kitchen and living room and then climbed the narrow, steep stairway to the small, unremarkable bedroom. Amazing!" Good. Swinging between one and the other keeps the reader entertained awakens his curiosity in the story. "But why did Rosenberg even bother with these books in the first place? The Spinoza Problem by Irvin D. Yalom. You can see the report on the web, if you like—it's in the official Nuremberg documents. All Epsteins are Jews, is that it? ", "Strange." He had a large correspondence, but after his death his colleagues followed his instructions and removed almost all personal comments from his letters. "Never have I heard such a request. No, not much external drama in his life: most scholars regard Spinoza as a placid and gentle soul—some compare his life to that of Christian saints, some even to Jesus. When sixteen-year-old Alfred Rosenberg is called into his headmaster's office for anti-Semitic remarks he made during a school speech, he is forced, as punishment, to memorize passages about Spinoza from the autobiography of the German poet Goethe. This is my cousin, Franco Benitez, whom I've just brought from Portugal. My cousin is in danger. His clothes are of good quality but soiled and wrinkled. He anticipated secularization, the liberal democratic political state, and the rise of natural science, and he paved the way for the Enlightenment. ", "And who has misled you by sending you here? But the last family member had recently died, and the Spinoza Society had promptly purchased the property and was just now beginning reconstruction to incorporate it into the museum. It swarms with bidders anticipating the auction of all of the artist's possessions. These are some of the ideas examined in The Spinoza Problem. He holds his chin high. I stepped back into the library. Tomorrow midday? Yes? Usant tot el seu bagatge professional, ha confegit una ficció empeltada d'assaig filosòfic, d'especulació històrica i d'estudi mèdic. An unfamiliar voice speaking in stilted Portuguese startles him. What did he mean? I have a meeting I must attend. He was the head of the NSDAP Office of Foreign Affairs during the entire rule of Nazi Germany (1933–1945), and led Amt Rosenberg ("Rosenberg's bureau"), an official Nazi body for cultural policy and surveillance, between 1934 and 1945. ", "You're going to the Sabbath service at the synagogue? Die persönliche Faszination des Autors für Spinoza führt ihn selbst schließlich zu weit in die Geschichte hinein. Neben der biographischen Entwicklung Rosenbergs zeigt der andere Handlungsstrang des Romans das Leben Spinozas von seinem Cherem-Ausschluss aus der jüdischen Gemeinde in Amsterdam 1656 bis kurz vor der Veröffentlichung seines ersten Werkes „Der Theologisch-Politische Traktat“. The house, destined three centuries later to become his museum and memorial, is on this day witness to his shame. He scans from right to left. Alfred Rosenberg en Spinoza: de nazi en de vrijdenker Michiel Wielema In Irving D. Yaloms nieuwste roman Het raadsel Spinoza wordt verhaald hoe de ideoloog van het naziregime Alfred Rosenberg (1893-1946) zijn leven lang gefascineerd was door de problematische genialiteit van Spinoza. Spinoza has long intrigued me, and for years I've wanted to write about this valiant seventeenth-century thinker, so alone in the world—without a family, without a community—who authored books that truly changed the world. He was in charge of looting for the Third Reich, and under Rosenberg's orders, the ERR plundered all of Europe—first, just the Jewish things and then, later in the war, anything of value. Perhaps it will loosen your tongue if I tell you that my lineage and that of my wife are pure German, and our ancestors came to the Baltics in the fourteenth century. Alfred looks dumbfounded. During World War II, Ro… Irvin Yalom revine cu un roman despre minţile a doi oameni care au intrat în istorie la trei secole distanţă unul de celălalt: filosoful olandez de secol XVII, Baruch Spinoza, şi Alfred Rosenberg, unul dintre ideologii nazismului şi un apropiat al Why does He permit such things? His features are perfect, his olive skin unblemished, his dark eyes large, and soulful. Or are they suspended in thin air? And, I gather, certainly not be elevated to headmaster?". What was the Nazi Spinoza problem?". Spinoza’s portrait is fictional. He has decided to discover, through logic alone, essential truths that are not buttressed by political fears, social prejudices or theological conventions. And of course no one lives without an inner life of fantasies, dreams, passions, and a yearning for love. In twenty years he will lay down his pen and grin triumphantly as he finishes the last page of his book, The Myth of the Twentieth Century. He talks of killing himself. If there were drawings of Spinoza made during his lifetime, none have survived.". Excellent—each could easily stroll off the canvas and begin a conversation. He is frightened all the time. I can offer nothing. ", "My father was burned at the stake just a year ago. Its author, Dr. Irvin Yalom, a psychiatrist, examines the minds and behaviors of two people: Baruch Spinoza, a 17 th century Jewish philosopher, and Alfred Rosenberg, a 20 th century Nazi anti-Semitic ideologue. His reverie is interrupted by the opening of the massive ten-foot-high door and Headmaster Epstein's booming voice, "Herr Rosenberg, bitte, herein.". Author: Yalom, Irvin D. Publisher: Basic Books, 2012, 336 pages.ISBN: 978-0465029631 Reviewed By: J. Scott Lewis, PhD, Penn State University. Bestselling novelist and psychiatrist Irvin Yalom explores the mindsets of Jewish philosopher Spinoza and Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg. No Jew would ever again speak to him, have commerce with him, read his words, or come within fifteen feet of his physical presence. They carted it all away, then sealed and expropriated the museum. Spinoza In The Spinoza Problem, Irvin Yalom contrasts the courage and confidence of Spinoza with the insecurity and pettiness of Alfred Rosenberg. The other, dressed in tattered peasant's clothes, stands behind his companion. Spinoza wurde aus der jüdischen Gemeinde … September 2020. He doubts everything. I had none of the material that ordinarily lends itself to narrative—no family dramas, no love affairs, jealousies, curious anecdotes, feuds, spats, or reunions. Alfred Rosenberg (January 12, 1893–October 16, 1946) was one of the most influential Nazi intellectuals. A psychiatrist with a deep interest in philosophical issues, Yalom jointly tells the story of the seventeenth-century thinker Baruch Spinoza, his philosophy and subsequent excommunication from the Jewish community, and his apparent influence on the Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg, whose einsatzgruppewas dispatched during the Second World War to investigate a mysterious “Spinoz… Though almost all forty members of his senior class had been there—mostly Baltic Germans with a sprinkling of Russians, Estonians, Poles, and Jews—Alfred had pointedly directed his campaign comments entirely to the German majority and stirred their spirits by speaking of their mission as keepers of the noble German culture. What's more, we are devout Lutherans.". The books were sold and scattered far and wide, but fortunately, the notary made a complete list of those books prior to the auction, and over two hundred years later a Jewish philanthropist reassembled most of the same titles, the same editions from the same years and cities of publication. Bestselling novelist and psychiatrist Irvin Yalom explores the mindsets of Jewish philosopher Spinoza and Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg. It's not my affair. I have a question. . Other recent fiction on the subject includes Irvin Yalom’s 2012 The Spinoza Problem, which connected Spinoza’s life to the Nazi philosopher Alfred Rosenberg. Alfred always feels small in the presence of Headmaster Epstein, over six feet tall, whose stately bearing, piercing eyes, and heavy, well-tailored beard embody his authority. "But the Sabbath? fictional foray into philosophy connects Baruch Spinoza and an agent of the Holocaust.The Nazi is Alfred Rosenberg, historical figure, war criminal sent to Nuremberg’s gallows, and philosopher-manqué and self-styled intellectual catalyst of German fascism. His crime? But he got carried away. Late in that century, measures were passed in Germany to transform Jews into German citizens, and they were compelled to choose and pay for German names. Out of the corner of his eye, Alfred sees Herr Schäfer slump in his chair, take off his glasses, and rub his eyes. The Nazis were here? uh, sir, I spoke too hastily. My cousin," Jacob clasps Franco's shoulder, "is in crisis. Alfred shakes his head. I doubted that this small, sparse museum could bring me closer to Spinoza. Usant tot el seu bagatge professional, ha confegit una ficció empeltada d'assaig filosòfic, d'especulació històrica i d'estudi mèdic. You spoke in a general way? One is tall, with a massive, burly head that hangs forward as though it were too heavy to be held erect. But how to write about a man who lived such a contemplative life marked by so few striking external events? For example, the castle of Epstein had noble connotations and belonged to a great family of the Holy Roman Empire, and its name was often selected by Jews living in its vicinity in the eighteenth century. Alfred Rosenberg en Spinoza: de nazi en de vrijdenker Michiel Wielema In Irving D. Yaloms nieuwste roman Het raadsel Spinoza wordt verhaald hoe de ideoloog van het naziregime Alfred Rosenberg (1893-1946) zijn leven lang gefascineerd was door de problematische genialiteit van Spinoza. I had to flee Portugal just as your father and your family had to flee, to escape the Inquisition. My hosts took me to look at the rest of the house. He is a near-man with a whole life ahead of him. Baruch Spinoza contre Alfred Rosenberg . Baruch Spinoza contre Alfred Rosenberg Jeudi 21 Juin 2012 Dans un ouvrage osé et palpitant, Irvin Yalom fait se rencontrer le prince des philosophes et l’un des inspirateurs du mouvement nazi. Erst der Naziideologe scheint dem … And tell me, Rosenberg, the rumors are grounded in what facts? Maybe a story about sheer elusiveness, I wondered. And what was their Spinoza problem? ", "My younger brother, Gabriel, represents the Spinoza family at the synagogue. ", Spinoza turns and speaks gently, as a teacher to a young student, "Tell me, Jacob, do you believe that God is all powerful? "Irvin Yalom's The Spinoza Problem is an amazing novel that combines fact and fiction in a spell-binding manner. "Then," Spinoza continues, "I submit that God has no wishes about how, or even if, we glorify Him. "Surely a man named 'blessed'—Bento in Portuguese and Baruch in Hebrew—will not refuse to speak to me? Go see Bento Spinoza. ", "Amazing!" ", "Then one of your required pregraduation research projects shall be to learn the details of genealogical research and then carry out a search of your own ancestry. But our landlord, a distant cousin, advised against it. ", "I will follow your example, sir, and speak of my ancestry. Headmaster Epstein pauses and then barks, "Rosenberg, do you know when and what the Enlightenment was? "Keep our race pure," he had told them. Little is known about the psyche of either Baruch Spinoza or Alfred Rosenberg, yet using his extraordinary ability to peer into the minds of his patients, Dr. Yalom has produced a … When Einstein spoke of God, he spoke of Spinoza's God—a God entirely equivalent to nature, a God that includes all substance, and a God "that doesn't play dice with the universe"—by which he means that everything that happens, without exception, follows the orderly laws of nature. Baruch Spinoza (1632 - 1677) war ein Außenseiter in der jüdischen Gemeinschaft/Gesellschaft. Alfred hits the side of his head with his palm. Like a mime duo, my hosts hunched their shoulders and turned up their palms. Allow me, then, Jacob, to love God in my own fashion. Das Interesse an dieser Frage entstand erstmals im Monat der Veröffentlichung seiner antisemitischen Schrift Der Mythus des 20. This is a book that will appeal more to the rational and analytical reader. All religious ritual. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart and held several important posts in the Nazi government. When sixteen-year-old Alfred Rosenberg is called into his headmaster’s office for anti-Semitic remarks he made during a school speech, he is forced, as punishment, to memorize passages about Spinoza from the autobiography of the German poet Goethe. I am taking Franco, for he must return to his faith. '. He holds himself stiffly. ", "Facts?" ", "No—miraculously these books survived and were returned here after the war with just a few missing copies. I had come at a fortunate time—few visitors had ever seen the other half of the building, for it had been occupied for centuries by a working-class family. In his official report, Rosenberg's officer, the Nazi who did the hands-on looting of the library, added a significant sentence: 'They contain valuable early works of great importance for the exploration of the Spinoza problem. And this strange sense of kinship with Spinoza was strengthened by the knowledge that Einstein, one of my first heroes, was a Spinozist. Darüber hinaus verliert die liebevolle Hommage auf Spinoza durch die Überbetonung des Alfred Rosenberg an Wirkung. "Irvin Yalom's The Spinoza Problem is an amazing novel that combines fact and fiction in a spell-binding manner. The other aspect of it lies in his discovery that the Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg had, during the German occupation of Holland, confiscated, but not destroyed, Spinoza’s library, and it survived the war almost intact. And not very profitably, as you see." That was where my personal expertise might help in telling Spinoza's story. Little is known about the psyche of either Baruch Spinoza or Alfred Rosenberg, yet using his extraordinary ability to peer into the minds of his patients, Dr. Yalom has produced a rare gem in existing literature. I meant these remarks only in a general way. He is punished by having to memorise passages from the autobiography of Goethe — and is stunned to discover that his idol was a great admirer of the … In the course of his career, he held a number of important German state … These are some of the ideas examined in The Spinoza Problem. The stone in a former graveyard, does not mark the exact place of his grave. But entering the museum, I was immediately disappointed. Of course—that is why I am ordered here. Some Jews paid lesser sums for traditional Jewish names like Levy or Cohen. But then my host said, "You may not know this, but that's not really Spinoza's likeness. "Now your name, Rosenberg, is a very old name also. It was there I had an epiphany. I also believe that Spinoza, like Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, on whose lives and philosophy I have based two earlier novels, wrote much that is highly relevant to my field of psychiatry and psychotherapy—for example, that ideas, thoughts, and feelings are caused by previous experiences, that passions may be studied dispassionately, that understanding leads to transcendence—and I wished to celebrate his contributions through a novel of ideas. “Irvin Yalom’s The Spinoza Problem is an amazing novel that combines fact and fiction in a spell-binding manner. He is wise in such matters. Jahrhunderts und seiner Wahl in den Reichstag im Oktober 1930. Isn't that one of the major lessons of the Enlightenment? By admin September 27, 2020. "We fed them and took good care of them.". When sixteen-year-old Alfred Rosenberg is called into his headmaster’s office for anti-Semitic remarks he made during a school speech, he is forced, as punishment, to memorize passages about Spinoza from the autobiography of the German poet Goethe. Have you? Separated in history by years, the lives of philosopher Baruch Spinoza and Nazi propagandist Alfred Rosenberg intertwine in fascinating and unexpected ways. In 1909, sixteen-year-old Alfred Rosenberg is called into his headmaster's office for making anti-Semitic remarks. So we call it Spinoza's library, but it's really a replica. I know they have some modest value—being seventeenth-century and older—but why didn't they just march into the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum and pluck a single Rembrandt worth fifty times this whole collection? "Yes, of course you can't answer. “Irvin Yalom’s The Spinoza Problem is an amazing novel that combines fact and fiction in a spell-binding manner. Psychotherapy.net is pleased to publish this exclusive excerpt, as well as offer signed copies of this book. About a fourth of Spinoza's major work, Ethics, is devoted to "overcoming the bondage of the passions." This is the man I seek. I asked. Perhaps the only one. Alfred exhales, tries to shrink further into his chair, and hangs his head. In nine years he will hear a stirring speech at a meeting of the German Workers' Party by a new prospect, a veteran of World War I named Adolf Hitler, and Alfred will join the party shortly after Hitler. Herr Schäfer's instruction has not been entirely lost on you. He has long, matted hair, dark eyes, a strong chin and forceful nose. ." This is a book that will appeal more to the rational and analytical reader. Even more popular were the names of noble castles. ", "Yes—several months after the blitzkrieg of Holland, the ERR troops drove up in their big limousines and stole everything—the books, a bust, and a portrait of Spinoza—everything. Upon the bench fidgets the sixteen-year-old Alfred Rosenberg, who is uncertain why he has been summoned to the headmaster's office. ", "No, that's not the point. A novel by the masterful storyteller and psychotherapist Irvin Yalom interweaves the philosophical life of Benedict Spinoza with the story of the obsessive Nazi philosopher” Alfred Rosenberg Let me give you some facts about names. . ", Spinoza nods solemnly. ", I turned away from the library and gazed at the portrait of Spinoza hanging on the wall and soon felt myself melting into those huge, sad, oval, heavy-lidded eyes, almost a mystical experience—a rare thing for me. It is your duty to a traveler. The headmaster wastes no time getting to the point. ", "But the holy Torah," Jacob insists, ignoring Franco's tugging at his sleeve, "states God's wish that we not work on the Sabbath, that we must spend that holy day offering prayers to Him and performing mitzvahs. In his official report, Rosenberg's officer, the Nazi who did the hands-on looting of the library, added a significant sentence: 'They contain valuable early works of great importance for the exploration of the Spinoza problem.' . Spinoza points at the dusty window through which the half-empty shelves are visible. By imagining the unexpected intersection of Jewish philosopher Spinoza’s life with that of powerful Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg, bestselling novelist Irvin Yalom explores the mindsets of … Spinoza shakes his head. He bends closer to catch the tiny but piercing gaze of the leering young man with the foppish hat. ", "Franco has lost his faith. ", I felt stunned. Consider this world where a son smells the odor of his father's burning flesh. The secretary of the Dutch Spinoza Association and a leading Spinoza philosopher agreed to spend a day with me visiting all the important Spinoza sites—his dwellings, his burial place, and, the main attraction, the Spinoza Museum in Rijnsburg. "I did not say that. ", "What other kind?" We must talk to you. ", Young Alfred hears the echoing sound of approaching footsteps in the corridor, and spotting Herr Schäfer, his advisor and German teacher, he bolts to his feet to greet him. By imagining the unexpected intersection of Jewish philosopher Spinoza’s life with that of powerful Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg, bestselling novelist Irvin Yalom explores the mindsets of two men separated by 300 years. ", "The shop? "We must see you. ", "Then surely you would agree that, by definition, a perfect and complete being has no needs, no insufficiencies, no wants, no wishes. He looks like everyone and no one. For a generation, the Spinoza family operated a prosperous import-export wholesale business, but now the brothers Spinoza—Gabriel and Bento—are reduced to running a small retail shop. And downstairs, the tiny Spinoza Museum was looted, sealed, and expropriated by an officer of the Rosenberg task force, who believed that its library could help the Nazis solve their "Spinoza problem." Destined to become a million-copy best seller, it will provide much of the ideological foundation of the Nazi party and offer a justification for the destruction of European Jews. He must have had a strong emotional response to being excommunicated, at the age of twenty-four, by the Jewish community in Amsterdam—an irreversible edict that ordered every Jew, including his own family, to shun him forever. The dyers gather up their magenta and crimson fabrics drying on the stone banks of the canal. ", "No one knows. ", "I have personally done my family's genealogical research back for several centuries.