The Nachman Stories

A collection of linked stories that follow Raphael Nachman – a simple, aging mathematician whose sensual needs are satisfied by working out maths problems and playing the violin – throughout his later years. From touring Cracow's former Jewish ghetto with a young female guide who may or may not be a government agent, to a barbershop in Santa Monica, where Nachman uses his unwitting hairdresser as a therapist, to a mysterious corporate cryptology conference in Manhattan that makes Nachman long for the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean outside his bedroom window in California.

The last thing Michaels wrote before his death, The Nachman Stories showcase a masterful style of writing, infused with a grace and wisdom that can only come later in life. Each story is delightful and profound – presenting us with a befuddling, comical, and all-too-recognizable portrait of humanity. Featuring a new introduction by David Bezmozgis

'Larky, fitfully brilliant, as profane as they are aphoristic, Leonard Michaels's stories stand alongside those of Grace Paley and Philip Roth. Like theirs, Michaels's vernacular achieves the level of song. The Nachman Stories are seven irregular beauties, to be read again and again.' The New York Times Book Review

'Every page reveals the mark of an extraordinarily original and gifted talent.' William Styron

'These stories are terrific, wonderfully written, shot through with an enigmatic, elusive sense of mystery.' The Millions

'Anyone concerned with the American short story should read and know these stories.'San Francisco Chronicle



Leonard Michaels (1933-2003) was one of the most admired and influential American writers of the last half century. He was the author of five collections of short stories, and two novels: Sylvia (1993), and The Men's Club (1981), as well as numerous essays and screenplays.