By dissecting guilt with patience and wisdom, Rio Grande do Sul writer and doctor, Moacyr Scliar, involves his readers in this enigma: why is guilt, after all, a universal phenomenon, prevalent in all cultures and so human? With knowledge and solid research, Scliar traces the origins of guilt from personal, historical, religious and psychoanalytical perspectives. In (Enigmas of guilt), the author elicits laughter by recalling tragicomic situations and sparks reflection by discussing Freud and Marx.
To present the various aspects of guilt in cinema and literature, Scliar turns to Kafka, Dostoevsky, Woody Allen, Philip Roth and Mel Brooks, among other artists of Jewish origin.
“The Jewish mother. Ah, the Jewish mother. Here is a character who lives on the border between reality and fiction, as in the books of Philip Roth and the films of Woody Allen. She is a relatively new figure in Jewish history. The Jewish mother is born in the villages of Eastern Europe. Constantly alarmed by the threat of pogroms, hunger, and disease, she turns to the universal antidote: food. Overprotective, the Jewish mother translated her protection into food. Eat!” was her watchword. If we were not hungry, we were guilty. If we didn’t eat, we were rejecting her.”
