Tom Lynch

Lev Nussimbaum, a Jew who escaped the Russian Revolution to become one of Europe's most celebrated authors under various pseudonyms, lived a life of absurd mystery. Transformed into a Muslim prince once he found safety in Germany, Nussimbaum wrote adventures, tales of Islam, revolution, love stories--he was even hand-picked to be Mussolini's biographer, until his true identity was discovered--stories he lived and breathed, in the dark shade of fascist Europe. New York writer Tom Reiss took half a decade to research Nussimbaum--from diaries to love letters to the records of the secret police--and found that the author's life was more turbulent than his fiction. "The Orientalist," Reiss' book on the subject, tells the incredible plot--a biography that's just as strange and nervous as any James Bond. Except, of course, that this is real--Nussimbaum truly befriended the leading Nazi agent in the U.S., and though so much of it overwhelms, Reiss' lessons in history are treasures.

Tom Reiss reads from "The Orientalist" on March 10 at 57th Street Books, 1301 East 57th Street, (773)684-1300, at 7pm.

(2005-03-08)

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