Richard Zimler

Richard Zimler (born 1956, Roslyn Heights, NY) – American-Portuguese Richard Zimler’s work is profoundly rooted in Jewish history and mysticism, particularly focusing on the Sephardic diaspora. His 5-volume Sephardic Cycle follows generations of the Zarco family, exploring their survival through various periods of persecution. These novels explore such themes as Jewish mysticism; slavery; the devastating effect of the Inquisition on Portugal and its colonies; and the psychological conflict created in people who are forced to hide their faith. The novels are independent works and, according to Zimler, none of them should be considered a sequel. The books that make up the Sephardic Cycle are: The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, set in sixteenth century Portugal; Hunting Midnight, which takes place in Porto, London, New York and South Carolina in the early nineteenth century; Guardian of the Dawn, in which the main action takes place in Goa in the seventeenth century; The Seventh Gate, set in Nazi-controlled Berlin in the 1930s; and The Incandescent Threads, set mainly in New York and Montreal from 1970 to the present but also with two long chapters that take place in Poland during and right after World War II.

Key Jewish elements in his books include:

Kabbalah and Mysticism: Mystical teachings are central to his narratives. In The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, Kabbalah is a tool for understanding a world broken by violence. His most recent book in the cycle, The Incandescent Threads, features a character obsessed with finding “incandescent threads”—mystical fibers he believes link the universe.

The Experience of “New Christians”: Many of his novels, such as Guardian of the Dawn, depict the lives of Conversos or New Christians—Jews forced to convert to Catholicism who practiced their faith in secret while facing the Inquisition.

The Holocaust and Survivor Guilt: Zimler explores the trauma of the Holocaust in The Warsaw Anagrams, which features a Jewish psychiatrist in the Warsaw Ghetto. Later books like The Incandescent Threads examine how survivors and their descendants cope with generational trauma and guilt.

The following books by Zimler are widely categorized as mysteries or thrillers: The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon (a historical “locked-room” mystery set during the Lisbon massacre of 1506, following Berekiah Zarco as he hunts for his uncle’s killer); The Warsaw Anagrams (a dark murder mystery and noir thriller set in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940, involving the investigation of mutilated children’s bodies); The Night Watchman (a contemporary psychological mystery centered on a Portuguese police inspector investigating a construction magnate’s murder); The Seventh Gate (a suspenseful historical thriller set in 1930s Berlin, featuring a race against time to uncover a Nazi traitor); and Guardian of the Dawn (a historical mystery set in colonial India during the Goa Inquisition, focusing on a young man’s quest to find the person who betrayed his family). [Google/AI]

Zimler, Richard, (The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon [hc, The Overlook Press, 1998] 978-0879518349 [pb, The Overlook Press, 2000] 978-1585670222

Zimler, Richard, (Guardian of the Dawn (pb, Delta, 2005) 978-0385338813

Zimler, Richard, (The Seventh Gate (pb, Constable, 2007) 978-1845294878 [hc, Overlook Books, 2012] 978-1590207130

Zimler, Richard, (The Warsaw Anagrams (hc, The Overlook Press, 2011) 978-1590200889 [pb, The Overlook Press, 2012] 978-1590208472

Zimler, Richard, (The Night Watchman (pb, Corsair, 2014) 978-1472109309

Zimler, Richard, (The Incandescent Threads (hc, Parthian Books, 2022) 978-1913640644 [pb, Parthian Books, 2023] 978-1914595332 [featuring survivors Benni and Shelly Zarco]