The Border Guard (page 97)
Like many of the shorter stories in this book, versions of this tale are often attributed to Sufi trickster Mullah Nasrudin. Sometimes, instead of a bicycle, he has a wheelbarrow full of sand.
I had heard this story long before Lenny told it to me, from my friend Charlie Lenz, an Austrian who lives in Switzerland near the Austrian border, where he teaches karáte.
The Appointment (page 107)
Known in many variations throughout Middle Eastern folklore, this tale became the namesake for John O’Hara’s 1934 novel, Appointment in Samarra. O’Hara heard the stories from William Somerset Maugham who also wrote a well-known literary version of the tale, with the story told from Death’s perspective.
I knew the story before Lenny told it to me, having first heard it in 1989 from Dr. August Zemo, headmaster of the Riverside School in Thalwil, Switzerland, where I served briefly as a storyteller-in-residence.
The Wisdom of Chelm (page 127)
These are but a few of the many tales about the mythical Jewish town of fools. There is, in fact, an actual city of Chelm in modern-day Poland, forty miles to the east of Lublin. Though the city once had a sizable Jewish population, no one knows just how it came to be associated with foolishness.
Many of the tales told of Chelm are told of other villages of fools as well, including Gotham in England, Mols in Denmark, Schildburg in Germany, and Kampen in Holland. After hearing my mother refer to the Chelm stories, I was formally introduced to them by Mrs. Bertha Molatsky, my second-grade religious-school teacher and the librarian at the Temple City Library. Seeing I was bored stiff, she sent me to read Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer, for which I am forever grateful.
Buried Treasures (page 137)
This is my version of a Jewish story, often attributed to Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav. A very similar story is told in England as “The Peddler of Swaffham,” in which a poor peddler lives in a house with a cherry tree in front, and dreams of a bridge in London. He travels there, findng nothing, but learns of a guard’s dream, which sends him back to find that the treasure he sought was buried under his very own tree.
All these stories express one of the great themes in folklore: returning home to find what you had not seen before. I first learned of the story from my father.
The Strawberry (page 156)
Attributed to the Buddha, this is a classic Zen tale—very short, with an ending that may sound unresolved to a Western mind. Like Zen koans, these stories are meant to open up the listener’s heart and mind.
I first learned of this story from the book Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings, compiled by Paul Reps (Anchor Books, 1989).
Hershel’s Last Laugh (page 171)
A literary cousin to Mullah Nasrudin, Hershel of Ostropol was an actual person, though many of the stories are undoubtedly apocryphal. An early stand-up comedian, he served as the official court jester to Rabbi Baruch of Medzibozh, the grandson of the great storyteller, Rabbi Israel, the Baal Shem Tov. According to legend, Rabbi Baruch lacked the wisdom of his grandfather and appointed Hershel to distract from his many mistakes. This, itself, turned out to be a mistake, as Hershel spent the rest of his life making Rabbi Baruch the butt of his jokes.
As with the Chelm stories, I first learned of Hershel from my mother’s references.
The Happy Man’s Shirt (page 180)
This story, which was originally told about Alexander the Great in the Greek literary work Pseudo Callisthenes, was popular in medieval times. Many variations exist around the world, including a Jewish version from Afghanistan and a Danish version, which became the basis for Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Shoes of Happiness.”
The version in this book is adapted from several tales, including one, collected in Italy in 1912, from a housewife by the name of Orsola Minon, which appears in Italo Calvino’s book, Italian Folktales (Pantheon, 1981). I learned of the background of the story from Wisdom Tales From Around the World by Heather Forest (August House, 1996).
The Fox in the Garden (page 193)
Many variations of this tale are known, including one of Aesop’s Fables and a tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, in which a wolf overeats in a smokehouse and cannot escape through the same hole he had entered. Other versions have been found in Hawaii, Italy, and throughout Africa.
The double bind in this story, where the fox must first fast to enter, then fast again to leave the garden, seems to be a peculiarly Jewish twist. I first heard the tale at my father’s funeral, from Rabbi Frank Ackerman, esq.
The Secret of Happiness (page 206)
Arguably the most famous trickster in the world, Nasrudin is known in the folklore of the Middle East, North Africa, India, and China. He goes by many names, including Hodja, Hoca, Khaji, Jocha, or simply Mullah, which is Persian for teacher. Though his stories are often secular, they are most treasured by Sufis, the mystical sect of Islam.
Although many countries claim to be his home, he is generally believed to have been born in Turkey, sometime around the year 1208. Legend has it that he is buried there, in a grave that has a heavily locked gate, but with no fence around it.
I first heard “The Secret of Happiness” from Elisheva Hart, a puppeteer and storyteller in San Francisco.
Acknowledgments
I began this book thinking of writing as a solitary pursuit. This could not have been farther from the truth. It has only been through the efforts of many talented and generous people that I have been able to tell my tale. I am deeply grateful to the following: Jane Anne Staw; Rand Pallock; Rich Fettke; Jerry and Loreli Sontag; Mark Pinsky and Jennifer Paget; Rob Saper; Andrew Hasse; Zahava Sherez; Susan Helmrich; Frances Dinkelspiel; Josephine Coatsworth; Mary Mackey; Chris Ritter; fellow fathers Brett Weinstein, Rick Goldsmith, Dave Fariello, and David Hershcopf; Ruth Halpern; Sharon and Peter Leyden; Mark Berger; Miriam Attia; Kelly Miller and Ranu Pandey; Rachel and David Biale; Sid Ganis and Nancy Hult Ganis; Adrianne Bank; my cousin, Cindy Wedel; my aunt, Norma Glad; and to Rabbi Jack Riemer, who graciously permitted me to reprint his story. My appreciation as well to Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, for opening its doors to me when I needed a peaceful and quiet place to write.
Both academics and storytellers have been helpful in researching “About the Stories,” and I am indebted to Professors Alan Dundes of the University of California, Berkeley, and Elliott Oring of California State University, Los Angeles. My thanks also to Ruth Stotter, Pleasant DeSpain, Heather Forest, and Howard Schwartz, and to the librarians at the Berkeley Public Library, for their help in tracking down the origins of stories.
I am thankful to my agent, Barbara Lowenstein, who first envisioned the book that lay buried within my story. She passed the mantle of agentry on to Dorian Karchmar, and I have been blessed by her wisdom and compassion every step of the way.
Everyone at Algonquin has welcomed this book with open arms. Elisabeth Scharlatt and Ina Stern, publisher and associate publisher, provided insight and guidance exactly when needed, while Antonia Fusco, my editor, took on the daunting task of helping this first-time author figure out which parts of the story to include and which to omit. To this challenge she brought vision, tenacity, and good judgment.
Some people have given me gifts that call for special mention: my parents, for passing on to me a love of story; my children, Elijah and Michaela, for providing the constant inspiration that let me tell this one; and my in-laws, Hezi and Ruthie, for their solidity and belief in me. I am particularly indebted to my great friend and writing partner, Jeff Lee, who provided a wellspring of advice and encouragement that kept me going. Finally, my thanks to Taly, a true woman of valor, who not only stood by my side through the challenges described in this book, but also through the writing of it. This she did with unwavering support, love, and editorial acumen, for which I am deeply grateful.
Published by
ALGONQUIN BOOKS OF CHAPEL HILL
Post Off
ice Box 2225
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515-2225
a division of
Workman Publishing
225 Varick Street
New York, New York 10014
© 2003 by Joel ben Izzy. All rights reserved.
First e-book edition, October 2012.
Jack Riemer’s piece on Itzhak Perlman first appeared in the Houston Chronicle, February 10, 2001. Used by permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for a previous edition of this work.
E-book ISBN 978-1-56512-854-5
Praise for The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness:
“This is a beautiful book full of old tales—from China, India, Persia, Jerusalem—that help storyteller Joel ben Izzy through the dark times of silence and back into light and sound once more. Wonderful!”
—GRACE PALEY
“It’s really the only important story there is—a story about finding light within darkness. That Joel ben Izzy is fantastic! What a gift, what a blessing, funny, brilliant, wise.”
—ANNE LAMOTT
“Who knew people like Joel ben Izzy existed in today’s world? He deploys ancient stories gracefully to illuminate his own story.”
—IRA GLASS, host of NPR’S This American Life
“In this altogether original book, ben Izzy takes us on a journey inside the world of stories and the lessons they teach us through their timeless wisdom.”
—DR. LAURA SCHLESSINGER
“[The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness] invites readers to see their own lives as stories, overflowing with meaning and never predictable. One of the book’s tacit ironies is that after losing his voice, ben Izzy told a tale that might be heard by his widest audience yet; they would be wise to pick up the book and listen.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“Izzy’s considerable verbal storytelling skills translated well onto the page. His narrative ability and unusual personal story serve to illustrate the maxim the author’s mother was fond of quoting: ‘When God closes a door, He opens a window.’”
—The Watsonville (California) Register-Pajaronian
“The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness is Joel ben Izzy’s own story of his journey into the world of silence and the lessons he learns along the way. But it is also much more.”
—Denver Intermountain Jewish News
“A timeless tale. . . . This story will speak to the humanity of the reader.”
—Jewish Book World
“Storyteller Joel ben Izzy brings us a powerful message. . . . Be prepared to open your life and let your secret of happiness move in.”
—DOROTHY LAW NOLTE, coauthor of
Children Learn What They Live
“A beautifully written memoir.”
—The Sanford (North Carolina) Herald
“I love this book. I love this book. I love this book. . . . Most heartwarming books are—let’s face it—kind of simplistic or sappy or both. But Joel ben Izzy is a professional storyteller, this is his true story, and he really knows how to tell it.”
—MARTA SALIJ, Detroit Free Press
“Heartfelt. . . . Joel ben Izzy is a gifted teller of tales. . . . This brief book speaks to people in trouble, but not in a simple-minded way. It provides edifying advice, intimately given, like the bestselling Tuesdays with Morrie.”
—The Dallas Morning News
“Shines with brisk suspense as well as [ben Izzy’s] unerring, precise eye for including only the elements of his hard-won wisdom that matter the most.”
—Publishers Weekly
Praise for Joel ben Izzy:
“If you like (a) Garrison Keillor or (b) Daniel Pinkwater or (c) both, check out Joel ben Izzy.”
—Washington Post Book World
“Joel ben Izzy is a master at telling his smoothly woven, smiling tales.”
—Los Angeles Times
“A cross between a cowboy and a rabbi.”
—The Jerusalem Post
The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness Page 15
