Welcome to bookpleasures.com, where we delve into the world of literature with passion and expertise.

Meet Ben Gonshor, a multifaceted talent whose creative prowess spans writing, acting, music, and entrepreneurship.

As a cherished member of The Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre in Montreal, Ben has graced the stage in iconic productions such as "The Dybbuk" and the original musical adaptation of Ted Allan’s acclaimed film, "Lies My Father Told Me." Notably, his play "When Blood Ran Red" garnered prestigious recognition, winning the David and Clare Rosen Memorial International Play Contest at the National Yiddish Theatre in New York. Amidst his artistic endeavors, Ben also leads FLUIDS iQ, a pioneering wellness laboratory in Canada.

Join us as we explore Ben's recent novel, “The Book of Izzy.”

Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind "The Book of Izzy"? What led you to explore the themes of mental health, creative struggle, and Jewish identity in this novel?

Ben: The main inspiration behind The Book of Izzy derived from the fact that for many years people who knew me as a writer and my family background – Holocaust survivors, very involved in the Yiddish cultural world, Yiddish Theatre specifically as well as Jewish musical entertainment - said that I should write a memoir or a family history. 

As a dramatist, neither of these interested me but the notion of memorializing my history in one fashion or another did interest me. So in time, after thinking about ways in which I could do this I settled on a novel, if only because it seemed the most appropriate medium to explore the various themes I felt needed looking into. 

Indeed, the confluence of the mental health piece with the creative struggle and Jewish identity have mostly to do with the realities I was confronting during the time that I was writing the manuscript. It was in the form of a novel that I felt I could weave them all together coherently and with a breadth of scope that the medium allows.

Norm: As a playwright and actor, why did you choose to transform "The Book of Izzy" into a novel rather than keeping it as a play? How did this shift in format influence the storytelling process?

Ben: First and foremost, at the time that I was conceiving of how to best approach the topic, I was coming from a position of no longer wanting to rely on external factors to get my work produced. 

Meaning that if I wrote a theatrical play or a screenplay I would invariably require a theatre or production company to want to take on the project…and I had had enough of a history of not getting projects produced. 

I therefore promised myself that I would choose a format that would at the very least allow me to be in control of the project’s destiny. 

I had this mantra that no matter what, if I wrote a novel I could always self-publish. Not that that was the goal, of course. But I was comfortable with the idea that at the end of the day the project would see the light of day no matter what. 

Once I chose the platform of the novel, and to tell it from the perspective of the first-person narrator, I felt that it provided me a freedom of expression that I don’t think a theatrical play or screenplay would have afforded me, if only due to the technical constraints of those two mediums. 

There is a much more rigid economy of language that those two mediums require by their nature that the novel is not quite as constrained by. 

Norm: Your involvement in Yiddish theatre is evident in "The Book of Izzy." Can you speak to the significance of preserving Yiddish language and culture, especially in the context of post-Holocaust Jewish identity?

Ben: I’m first generation North American. My first language was Yiddish. A rarity. From the earliest I can remember I was keenly aware of what was lost in the Holocaust and the need, the rush almost, to preserve what was left. 

It probably informs my lifelong involvement in the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre company in Montreal. Moreover, something that has begun to crystallize for me as I’ve thought about this project and why I took all the years that I did to make it happen, is that I felt that I had no choice. 

I’ve known, if only subconsciously, that as I was seeing the last generations with a direct connection to the world before the Holocaust pass away, I needed to say my goodbyes in a way that acknowledges who they were and the place they occupied in history. And maybe the novel was a way of saying goodbye and to have it preserved for posterity in writing. 

Norm: Izzy faces numerous challenges throughout the novel, including failed relationships and a faltering career. How did you approach writing about these struggles, and what message do you hope readers will take away from Izzy's journey?

Ben: I think one of the scary things as an artist, maybe even just as a human being, is allowing yourself to be vulnerable and exposed. 

Certainly in writing the novel and the character of Izzy specifically, I knew that I had to infuse him with a truth that was both authentic and dramatic. 

I drew on personal experience, but in order to make Izzy an engaging dramatic character I of course had to take those personal experiences and heighten them in order to make him as interesting as he could possibly be.

I hope I’ve succeeded where that’s concerned and that readers experiencing Izzy’s story – his ups and downs, his vulnerability - will not only find him entertaining but will perhaps see a bit of themselves in him and his experiences and agree that life is about the challenges we face and our struggle to overcome them as best we can. 

Norm: The novel has been compared to works by Philip Roth and likened to "Fleishman Is in Trouble." How do you feel your novel fits within the landscape of contemporary literary fiction, and what sets "The Book of Izzy" apart?

Ben: It’s humbling to be compared to Roth and to recognized contemporary fiction like “Fleishman.” I don’t know that I’m qualified as to where to place the novel within the contemporary literary landscape. I leave that to the experts. 

As to what I think sets it apart, I would venture to say that my choice of highlighting Izzy’s Yiddish background both thematically and stylistically in the manuscript is something that not many authors choose to do these days, though I’m by no means the only one. 

Similarly, to my knowledge, the spotlight I’ve shined on the Yiddish Theatre hasn’t been given the same kind of platform in fiction like I’ve tried to do in the novel. But don’t quote me because I’ll no doubt be proven wrong ?

Norm: "The Dybbuk" plays a crucial role in Izzy's life, both as a theatrical production and as a cultural touchstone. How did you weave elements of Jewish theatre and heritage into the narrative, and what significance does "The Dybbuk" hold for Izzy?

Ben: I’ll start my answer with the end of your question. I think for Izzy it begins and ends with The Dybbuk. It is without a doubt the greatest play in the canon of Yiddish theatre and Izzy knows this to his core. 

So when he is confronted with the fact that a production of the play is going to take place and he’s been asked to play the lead role he has a very difficult time saying no, if only because in his heart he really wants to see how it’s going to turn out. 

But I also think he wants to be a part of it because the play, as the apotheosis of all that Yiddish attained it, allows Izzy to touch a part of himself that lies dormant. I’ll let readers discover what happens to Izzy and how the narrative unfolds when he agrees to take part in the play and all that transpires as a result. It’s quite mystical and otherworldly, like the play itself. 

Norm: The mysterious bird that visits Izzy adds a fantastical element to the story. What inspired the inclusion of this supernatural element, and how does it contribute to the novel's themes?

Ben: Again, I don’t want to give too much away to the reader but the conceit of the bird is a mechanism I played with to represent a number of themes that I explore in the novel.  

Readers will come to uncover what the bird represents both literally and figuratively, but I will say that the bird represents one of the foundational reasons I chose to write the story in the first place and that has to do with legacy, history and memory and is tied closely to Yiddish folklore. 

The use of the bird is also a device that helped me deal with the mental health piece that I explore in the book and I hope that I used it successfully.

Norm: "The Book of Izzy" incorporates Yiddish words and phrases. How did you balance authenticity with accessibility for readers who may not be familiar with Jewish culture or language?

Ben: Well, the truth is that I used a glossary of Yiddish words and phrases that are used throughout the manuscript. Which is not an unusual approach and I hope that answers the accessibility piece. 

But you’re right, I wanted an element of authenticity and for that reason I let Izzy speak in a language that was more familiar to him and that meant using Yiddish words and turns of phrase.

I hope that by combining both the authentic language and the accessibility mechanism of the glossary presents a comfortable balance for the reader that hopefully doesn’t take them out of the narrative too much.

Norm: Izzy's journey involves rediscovering his Jewish identity. How do you see this exploration of heritage intersecting with the broader themes of the novel, such as creativity and self-discovery?

Ben: I may disagree with you slightly there. Izzy doesn’t rediscover his Jewish identity so much as he’s confronted with the fact that Jewish identity in the narrative is being expressed by other individuals in ways that make him confront his own preconceptions and biases. That is one of the broader themes of the novel you speak of; new, creative ways of exploring Jewish identify that Izzy interacts with and asks himself whether he can be comfortable with it. 

Norm: Family plays a significant role in Izzy's life, particularly in their concern for his well-being. Can you discuss the dynamics of Izzy's relationships with his family members and how they influence his decisions throughout the novel?

Ben: One of the nice things I discovered about Izzy’s character and his world is that he’s incredibly close with his mother. I was glad to uncover that. 

They share a journey of mental health that they’re extremely open about with one another and it’s quite beautiful, I think. 

They’re each other’s home. I would say that because of this, Izzy is keenly aware of how his life decisions could impact his mother. In other instances of family, Izzy has a confrontational relationship with those who don’t have as much of an appreciation, indeed a sensitivity, for what he struggles with from the mental health piece and as an artist as well, a writer. 

To that extent, Izzy’s interactions with his family members are representative of what we as individuals go through in life both in general and in more intimate, private instances when we interact with those near and dear to us.  

Norm: Your experiences with anxiety, depression, and psychotropic medications are a prominent aspect of "The Book of Izzy." Could you discuss the importance of addressing mental health issues in literature, particularly through your own narrative?

Ben: I’m really excited to be living at a time when we’re breaking down the barriers to discussion of mental health. My adding the mental health piece as one of the layers to The Book of Izzy is, I hope, my contribution to the ongoing discussion that we’re having more and more in society. 

While I could have added my voice to the many who are speaking out in various media including non fiction writing, my choice was to do it within the context of literary fiction, in the form of a protagonist facing a mental health journey. To the extent that I succeeded or otherwise I will leave to the reader to judge.  

Norm: As we end our interview, in what ways do you believe "The Book of Izzy" can bridge the gap between younger Jewish generations and classic Yiddish theatre? How does it contribute to the preservation of your heritage?

Ben: One of the challenges we face in transmitting Yiddish culture in general and Yiddish theatre in particular to future generations is one of language. Specifically, if you do not speak Yiddish, you can’t access the majority of Yiddish culture. 

The sad reality with Yiddish is that most native speakers perished in the Holocaust and the remnants who survived simply struggled to keep the language going. So if you’re new to Yiddish, unless you have a commitment to learn the language the door to that world is simply closed. It’s sad but true. 

To the extent that in some way, however small, "The Book of Izzy," written in English but dealing with Yiddish culture in general and Yiddish theatre in particular, can inspire its readers to want to explore them further, then I’ve succeeded.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.