The Hebrew Hobbit, or Tricked into the World

In “ The Hebrew Hobbit, or Tricked into the World ,” Craig Svonkin attempts to read J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and his own youth in a typological fashion, with Gandalf as the type or pre-text for his childhood Hebrew School pal Isaac “Izzy” Green—part bosom friend, part trickster, part Gandalf in a yarmulke. Or was it the other way around, with Izzy acting as a John the Baptist preparing the way for Gandalf ’s arrival? Either way, this creative nonfiction essay offers a loving tribute to Craig’s departed friend and to the importance of having friends who might coax sub-sub-librarian types out into the wild world every now and then.