The Convert

A brilliant reconstruction of an incredible journey across middle ages Europe to Egypt, and an untold story of forgotten documents and forbidden love.

In a small town in Provence, people have spoken of an ancient pogrom and a hidden chest since time immemorial. Then, at the end of the 19th century, a startling collection of Jewish documents was found in a synagogue in Cairo. Stefan Hertmans has based The Convert on historical fact, and he traces the life of a distinguished Christian noblewoman who abandons her life for the love of a Jewish boy. He follows in her footsteps as they flee together, undertaking a dazzling journey full of hardship, hunted by everyone and everything.

Bringing the middles ages to life with immense imagination and stylistic ingenuity, The Convert portrays a chaotic world of passion, hate, love and death, taking us from Cairo back to the small village in the Provence where Hertmans has made his home for decades.