Mordecai MacCobber, The Story of a Scotch Jew in Australia, His Many Successes and his More Dismal Failures

Description

The author was President of Fiji Islands Federal Senate. The story purports to describe the adventures of a young Russian Jew who spends a few years in Britain and then sails for Australia, where he sometimes finds success, but more often life defeats him. He learns English and discovers its vagaries. He takes part in historic events. He becomes mayor of a way-out township. He stands for Parliament. His meanderings take him all over the country, including Tasmania. He gives speeches. His name appears in the papers. His Jewishness is not hidden but neither is it particularly evident. The name is a parody of Dickens’ “Mister Micawber”; the only indication that he is Scottish is that “Micawber” becomes “MacCobber”. Like his namesake he is a dreamer who never quite makes it – a schlimmazel, the pen-name the author adopts for himself.