Matvey Natanzon, who was known as Falafel because he subsisted on deep-fried chickpea balls hustling gullible opponents in Washington Square Park in Manhattan while he groomed himself to be the ...

IT WAS THE best of times; it was the worst of times. That was the beginning of a book he had heard about somewhere. He didn’t remember which one. Or perhaps it was “It was the worst of times, it was ...