Alroy

Benjamin Disraeli built this romance around David Alroy, a real 12th-century Jewish figure from the mountains of Kurdistan who was hailed by his followers as a deliverer. In Disraeli’s telling, the young prince is urged by the mystic Jabaster to reclaim the sceptre of Solomon and restore the fortunes of a scattered people. Alroy wins improbable battles, takes Baghdad, and marries the half-Jewish princess Schirene, only to watch his cause unravel through jealousy and betrayal. First issued in 1833 under the fuller title The Wondrous Tale of Alroy, it is the novel in which Disraeli, later Britain’s prime minister, wrote most directly about Jewish identity and national ambition. It rewards readers as an early example of the Jewish historical novel and as a window onto its author’s own imagined destiny.