Everyjooos, I will go with thee. Jonathon Narvey, A History of the Middle Eastside

English literature has a long tradition of fable, allegory, and, perhaps most English of all genres, the roman a clef, the novel of historical characters presented as fictional, ranging from Everyman, c. late 15th century, and John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, (1678), to that well-known work by Aldous Huxley, Brave New World. Recently, Vancouver writer Jonathon Narvey has added to the canon with his novel, A History of the Middle Eastside.

European and Middle Eastern history is presented in novel form in Narvey's work, beginning with what I take to be the Dreyfuss Affair of 1894, as witnessed by Theodore Herzl, founder of Zionism. Moving through the novel's presentation of events set in fictional Manhattan gangwars, we see tough guy Gruber, (known to us not as Adolph Schicklegruber but as Adolph Hitler,) defeated; his rivals François, Big Ben, and Ivan, with the dedicated help of Washington, then vying for turf; Polanski, (whom I take to be Ze'ev Jabotinsky,) a refugee from the wars, showing up in the traditional Jewish slum of Manhattan's Lower Eastside, here as The Middle Eastside, 1948. Thus begin the gangwars of survival "The Yids" must win, over and over again. Even over a century later, the wars wound down, a celebration in full swing, the war comes to the homes of "The Yids." There is no end to the wars. Such is not fiction.

In the Morality play of Everyman, the main character is a happy fellow beckoned by Death. Everyman's companions in life cheer and offer to go with him on this last journey, Good-looks, Fame, Fortune, and c. "Everyman, I will go with thee," each exclaims; and then, one by one, they fall away, leaving Everyman to accompany Death alone, but for one who remains. In Narvey's work, death comes to "The Yids" in the midst of hope, and he who remains standing is The Fighting Jew. It comes to mind: "Everyjooo, I will go with thee."

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