Since his first public appearance in the late 1590s, Shylock has been synonymous with antisemitism. Many of his bon mots remain common currency among Jew-haters; among them "3000 ducats" and the immortal "pound of flesh". But Shakespeare, being Shakespeare, was incapable of inventing anyone so uninteresting; instead he affords Shylock such ambiguity that some of his other lines have become keynotes for believers in shared humanity and tolerance.

Following Shakespeare's example these stories - all inspired by The Merchant ofVenice - range from the comic to the melancholic. Many pivot on significant productions of the play: Stockholm in 1944, London in 2012, and Venice in 2016. Some are concerned with domestic matters, others with the political, including one - more outrageous than the others - that links Shylock via Israel with the American presidency; most combine both.

Running through these linked stories - of which there are seven, like the ages of man - is the cycle of family life, with all its comedy and tragedy.

About the Author

Clive Sinclair's first novel was published in 1973, his first collection of stories in 1979. Since then his books have won the Somerset Maugham Award, the Jewish Quarterly Prize for Fiction, and the PEN Silver Pen. He was in Granta's first list of Best of Young British Novelists. He lives in London with his partner - the painter, Haidee Becker - and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

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Housing Works Used Book Cafe is an independent open bookstore in New York City that presents great used, new and antiquarian books, good coffee, the opportunity to hear from many of the best writers and performers in America and the chance to make a difference in the fight against AIDS and Homelessness, in New York City and the world. We are a non-profit bookstore relying on volunteers to help run the store. Housing Works provides housing, health care, job training and advocacy for people living with HIV and AIDS. Fighting AIDS One Book At A Time

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