Yiddish literature, despite its remarkable achievements during an era bounded by Russian reforms in the 1860s and the First World War, has never before been surveyed by a scholarly monograph in English. Classic Yiddish Fiction provides an overview and interprets the Yiddish fiction of S. Y. Abramovitsh, Sholem Aleichem, and I. L. Peretz. While analyzing their works, Frieden situates these three authors in their literary world and in relation to their cultural contexts. Two or three generations ago, Yiddish was the primary language of Jews in Europe and America. Today, following the Nazi...
Yiddish literature, despite its remarkable achievements during an era bounded by Russian reforms in the 1860s and the First World War, has never befor...
The author of Yiddish novels and short stories, Sholem Aleichem, evokes the voices of Yiddish speakers in these monologues written between 1901 and 1916. In each piece, a man or a woman comes forward to tell the story.
The author of Yiddish novels and short stories, Sholem Aleichem, evokes the voices of Yiddish speakers in these monologues written between 1901 and 19...
Two novellas by S. Y. Abramovitsh open this anthology, the first comprehensive overview of works by the three classic Yiddish authors. They describe Jewish life in Eastern Europe during the nineteenth century and introduce the reader to Abramovitsh's alter ago, Mendele the Book Peddler. Here he presents a diverse cast of characters including Isaac Abraham as tailor's apprentice, choirboy, and corrupt businessman, and Fishke traveling through the Ukraine with a caravan of beggars. Sholem Aleichem reintroduces us to Tevye the Dairyman's beloved daughters Hodel and Chava, known to everyone...
Two novellas by S. Y. Abramovitsh open this anthology, the first comprehensive overview of works by the three classic Yiddish authors. They describe J...
Meir, the narrator of the story, is the personal servant of Nathan, a rich tycoon consumed with his obsessions. The deep connection between Meir and Nathan takes its toll on the relationships each man has with the women in his life, revealing issues of national identity and human weakness.
Meir, the narrator of the story, is the personal servant of Nathan, a rich tycoon consumed with his obsessions. The deep connection between Meir and N...
Two early works by S.Y. Abramovitsh introduce the reader to Abramovitsh s alter ego Mendele the Book Peddler. Mendele narrates both The Little Man and Fishke the Lame. In different voices, he also presents a diverse cast of characters including Isaac Abraham as tailor s apprentice, choirboy, and corrupt businessman. Reb Alter tells of his matchmaking mishap and Fishke relates his travels through the Ukraine with a caravan of beggars.
Sholem Aleichem s Tevye reemerges from new translations of "Hodel" and "Chava" in all of his comic splendor. Notes enable students to follow Tevye s...
Two early works by S.Y. Abramovitsh introduce the reader to Abramovitsh s alter ego Mendele the Book Peddler. Mendele narrates both The Little Man ...
Hilarious and sad at the same time, Ehrlich s collection of short stories, Who Will Die Last is an original and moving work of fiction. Ever deeply humane, the author takes his characters on a tantalizing journey through their souls. His understated style transforms even a heartbreaking plot into an uplifting and funny story. Israel s special history, landscapes, and conflicts add to the drama and passion of the book. Ehrlich s themes relate to gay life in Israel, the pull of loneliness, and the power of community. Rather than a single translator, this collection employs a variety of...
Hilarious and sad at the same time, Ehrlich s collection of short stories, Who Will Die Last is an original and moving work of fiction. Ever deeply hu...
For centuries before its "rebirth" as a spoken language, Hebrew writing was like a magical ship in a bottle that gradually changed design but never voyaged out into the world. Isolated, the ancient Hebrew ship was torpid because the language of the Bible was inadequate to represent modern life in Europe. Early modern speakers of Yiddish and German gave Hebrew the breath of life when they translated dialogues, descriptions, and thought processes from their vernaculars into Hebrew. By narrating tales of pilgrimage and adventure, Jews pulled the ship out of the bottle and sent modern Hebrew...
For centuries before its "rebirth" as a spoken language, Hebrew writing was like a magical ship in a bottle that gradually changed design but never...
