About book My First Two Thousand Years: The Autobiography Of The Wandering Jew (2001)
Imagine: A man named Cartaphilus taunts Jesus on the way to the crucifixion, telling Jesus to hurry up. Jesus turns to the man and says, "I shall go but you shall tarry until I return." 30-year-old Cartaphilus ceases to age. The Good: Cartaphilus meets many historical figures through the centuries: Appolonious, Mohommed, Atilla, Leonardo da Vinci, Spinoza, Pope Alexander VI (a Borgia), Peter the Great, Martin Luther, and many, many more. He participates in and influences various fulcrums of history. He grapples with loneliness and ennui. He creates an immortal companion named Kortikokura. He pursues a two thousand year courtship of another immortal named Salome (yes, the Salome from the Bible, somewhat re-imagined). It's a fun adventure which also lightly explores the downsides of living forever.The Bad: This is definitely a man's fantasy, and not today's male but rather a man from a century ago. (The author was born 1884.) Cartaphilus travels to China where he masters the secret of "unendurable pleasure indefinitely prolonged." (Cliché, anyone?) He travels to Baghdad after being rebuffed by Salome, and he drowns his sorrow by purchasing a palace and filling it with his own harem. Some of the attitudes of a century ago are, by today's standards, obvious belittlement and mistreatment of women. So, there's that. The science and philosophy are dated, of course.The Final Verdict: A tough call between two and three stars. I loved the plot, and I mostly enjoyed the story. However, the tale hasn't aged as well as we might hope. It's "ok". No, strike that. We'll give it three stars.
Do You like book My First Two Thousand Years: The Autobiography Of The Wandering Jew (2001)?
