Showing results by author "Paul M. Levitt" in All Categories

Harry Houdini's story is the classic American tale of an immigrant who from impoverished beginnings made it big in the United States. Born in Hungary as Erik Weisz, he was brought up in Wisconsin, USA and first developed his acts at the age of 17 after a childhood in poverty. Captivated by magic shows, he began performing tricks on stage with one of his brothers, and then with his wife. From being bound in chains to massive locks and straight jackets, Houdini found fame with his dramatic escapes.

Avraham Bahar leaves debt-ridden and depressed Albania to seek a better life in, ironically, Stalinist Russia. A professional barber, he curries favor with the Communist regime, ultimately being invited to become Stalin’s personal barber at the Kremlin, where he is entitled to live in a government house with other Soviet dignitaries. In the intrigue that follows, Avraham, now known as Razan, is not only barber to Stalin but also to the many Stalin look-alikes that the paranoid dictator circulates to thwart possible assassination attempts - including one from Razan himself.