Jewish Book Festival Opening
A Major Writer Tackles Antisemitism: JOHN IRVING
Opening Night – A Major Writer Tackles Antisemitism
Saturday February 21, 7:30pm
JOHN IRVING – Queen Esther
In Conversation with Marsha Lederman
$36 ticket; $65 ticket + book
After forty years, John Irving returns to the world of his bestselling classic novel and Academy Award–winning film, The Cider House Rules, revisiting the orphanage that takes in his protagonist, the Jewish orphan Esther Nacht, born in Vienna in 1905. She is eventually taken in by the Winslows, a generous and loyal family in New England (where Irving grew up and where many of his novels are set). Despite not being Jewish, the Winslows respect Esther’s commitment to her roots. Like her namesake, this Esther is heroic, traveling as a young woman to British Mandatory Palestine, where she plays an important backstage role in the building of the state of Israel.
Queen Esther is not just a story of survival but a profound exploration of identity, belonging, and the enduring impact of history on our personal lives, showcasing why Irving remains one of the world’s most beloved, provocative, and entertaining authors—a storyteller of our time and for all time.
Queen Esther is a historical novel with a political theme, as antisemitism shapes Esther’s life. In the end, her story is fated to intersect with Israel’s history.
JOHN IRVING has written sixteen novels over the course of his prolific career, the majority of which have been international bestsellers. He won a National Book Award for his novel The World According to Garp and an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. His books have been translated into more than thirty-five languages.
CO-SPONSORED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER VANCOUVER