The King of Schnorrers: Grotesques and Fantasies

by Israel Zangwill

"The King of Schnorrers: Grotesques and Fantasies" by Israel Zangwill is a picaresque novel published in 1894. Set in England at the turn of the nineteenth century, it follows the cunning exploits of Manasseh Bueno Barzillai Azevedo da Costa, a Sephardi Jew who earns his title as the King of Schnorrers through wit and aristocratic pride. With his Ashkenazi sidekick, Manasseh navigates London's Jewish community, cleverly exploiting traditions of charity to turn begging into an art form where the mendicant becomes master.