An antique man

the long version

This is the poignant story of a loving, gentle man, "antique" by virtue, "an antique man" by profession. It is the story of his lingering death, of his transcendent courage, of the agony and solitude of those who must watch-his wife and two daughters. It is everyone's story in that it tells in specific and particular terms the general human experience of love and loss, suffering and death. It is agony redeemed by art. An Antique Man is also an extraordinary portrait of a tightly knit Jewish family and makes a strong comment about the phenomenon of human isolation, for in death this little family realizes how totally alone it is in the middle of Los Angeles, city of strangers. The events are described through a curtain of courage and the added dignity of shattering, strengthening love. It answers the question, "What use is there in reading fiction'" To experience the love and pain in this book is of the deepest private value