In the USSR in the 1930s, under the title “Agasphere,” a translation of the novel by the French writer Eugène Sue, “Le Juif errant” (“The Wandering Jew”), was reissued—done by Elena Ilyina back in the 19th century.
It tells the story of the descendants of a persecuted Huguenot whose fortune was kept by a Jewish banker for 150 years. Scattered around the world, they inherited medals instructing them to meet in Paris on February 13, 1832, to claim their rights to the fortune.
While the Jesuit order manipulates events and puts obstacles in their way, they are protected by the Wandering Jew and his sister—cursed so as to ensure the survival of the family.
Combining adventure, mysticism, and social critique, “The Wandering Jew” became one of France’s greatest literary achievements of that time and helped popularize the feuilleton genre (that is, serial publications). It was the second multi-part novel by Sue after “Mysteries of Paris”; it was originally published from June 1844 to August 1845 in “Le Constitutionnel,” and later appeared as separate volumes. The left-wing newspaper benefited greatly from the novel’s instant success: the number of its readers grew from 3600 to 23,600.
We invite you to listen to the second volume of the novel.