Reading Dovid Bergelson’s Opgang (Descent) in the Time of Covid
– creative non-fiction
When the pandemic hit, our leyn krayz (reading circle) moved online. But Seymour, in his mid-eighties, felt overwhelmed by the intricacies of zoom and I never accepted the substitution of flattened, electronic versions of people for their pulsating presences. So he and I set up our private pandemic leyn krayz on his front porch.
Seymour’s comprehension of Bergelson’s eloquent, elliptical prose is impressive. I rely on him to assist me with challenging passages. Meanwhile, I do my best to keep track of the many twists and turns, the many detours and digressions in the novel. Bergelson is not easy reading. He does not provide the expected signposts for the reader. As in life, so in this novel, much that happens feels arbitrary and unconnected to the central plot line. New characters keep appearing, their relationship to the main story line, unclear and unexplained.