Cultural Messages in Solomon Gursky Was HereSolomon Gursky Was Here is an epic novel spanning nearly a century and a half, from the mid-1800s to the 1980s. C t is the story of Moses Berger, a Rhodes scholar turned alcoholic,'s obsession with Solomon Gursky, the charismatic son of a poor immigrant. Salomon, with his brother Bernard and Morrie, built the immense liquor empire of McTavish Industries. Moses attempts to write a biography of Solomon, which will become his life's work. Through his investigations, the complex story of five generations of Gursky is revealed. The eldest is Ephraim, Solomon's criminal and perpetually scheming grandfather. Ephraim, constantly associated with the Raven, escaped imprisonment in England in the mid-1800s by falsifying documents, also allowing him to join a crew searching for the Northwest Passage, called the Franklin Expedition. The expedition turns into a total disaster, Ephraim being the only survivor. The youngest Gursky appearing in this story is Isaac, Solomon's grandson. This complex story reveals, as Moses recalls, all the events of his life that relate to it. The theme of filial relationships and the exploration of Solomon and his reincarnation as Sir Hyman Kaplansky, in conjunction with his family and his exploits, are ever present in this Canadian cultural satire. Every character in this novel is in some way corrupt or a failure. Moses is an alcoholic who has not fulfilled his potential; Bernard is a greedy, self-centered bastard; Solomon is a cheater, when it comes to gambling, women and everything else you can think of. Richler, through this exaggeration of corruption, a family...... middle of paper ......ursky and its various interests, lifestyles and businesses allows Richler's readers to understand many regions of Canada in many different periods. This in turn allows him to satirize stereotypes of Canada, its people and its culture. Added to the idea of ​​corruption that reinforces this satire are the filial relationships that occur in this novel. The fact that all of these relationships are unsuccessful and non-cordial reinforces the idea that the roots of all Canadians are somehow corrupted or failing. Richler, shows how these traits are passed down from generation to generation. There is no doubt that Solomon, one of the most corrupt characters in the book, becomes Sir Hyman after his staged death. Richler linked his complex story of Solomon Gursky, his family and their exploits to his cultural messages.