This second collection of the illustrated adventures of a North African Rabbi’s cat (inspired by Joann Sfar’s father’s Sephardic heritage) may not be This second collection of the illustrated adventures of a North African Rabbi’s cat (inspired by Joann Sfar’s father’s Sephardic heritage) may not be quite as witty or humorous as the first collection, but it is deeper, more nuanced, and more ambitious, and I like it just as much.
In the first third of the book, the cat—while his owner the Rabbi is away somewhere “slaughtering chickens”—travels with Malka of the Lions, the venerable teller of tales. The cat visits various North African villages, camps out in the desert, and learns many things from Malka’s old pet lion (and a few things from their companion, a venomous snake). Two things he learns: 1) Malka is a hero who of the Jewish faith, who stands up not only to a a fundamentalist sheikh but also to “Father Lamber,” ant anti-Semitic mayor of the town of Oran, and 2) he (with the assistance of his lion) is also a bit of a conman.
The final two thirds of the book consists one a single adventure, featuring a wandering young painter from Russia (here Sfar’s mother’s Ashkenazi heritage comes in). The painter goes on a quest—accompanied by the Rabbi, the cat, and a few other interesting characters—to discover the fabled black Jews of Ethiopia. Eventually they find what they seek, but they have many extraordinary adventures along the way.
The is volume is definitely darker than the one that precedes it, for it treats of both the rise of Nazism and the effects of racism on human relationships. But the whimsical illustrations and bright bold colors—suggestive of both Chagall and Soutine—ensure that the comforts of beauty are never far away.
Oh, speaking of the comforts of beauty: the Rabbi’s lovely daughter—the only person that the cat truly loves—makes appearances (alas, too briefly) in both adventures. ...more
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