Satan in Goray

First edition (publ. Noonday Press)

Satan in Goray (1955) is a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902–1991). It was originally published in installments in a literary magazine called Globus and was Singer's first published work. The English translation was made by Jacob Sloan with the author's help. It is set in the years following 1648, when the Chmelnicki massacres, considered one of the greatest Jewish catastrophes, occurred. The story describes the Jewish messianic cult that arose in the village of Goraj and the effects of the 17th century faraway false messiah Shabbatai Zvi on the local population.

Dar Williams' song "And a God Descended" (from The Green World album) uses imagery from the story to contemplate faith gone awry.

Sources

• http://darwilliams.net/library/gw-songbysong.html