Have I Got a Story for You: More Than a Century of Fiction from the Forward
by Ezra Glinter (Editor)
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Collects forty-two short stories translated into English, originally published in the American Yiddish newspaper, the Forward. "The Forward, founded in 1897, is the most renowned Yiddish newspaper in the world. It welcomed generations of immigrants to the United States, brought them news of Europe and the Middle East, and provided them with sundry comforts such as comic strips and noodle kugel recipes. It also published some of the most acclaimed Yiddish fiction writers of all time: Nobel show more Prize laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer on justice slyly being served when the governor of Lublin comes to town; celebrated Forward editor Abraham Cahan on how place and luck can change character; and Roshelle Weprinsky, setting her story in Florida, on the rupture between European parents and American children. Cahan described the newspaper as a "living novel," with good reason. Taken together, these stories reveal the human side of the challenges that faced Jews throughout this time, including immigration, modernization, poverty, assimilation, the two world wars, and changing forms of Jewish identity. These concerns were taken up by a diverse group of writers, from novelists Sholem Asch and Chaim Grade to short-story writers like Lyala Kaufman and Miriam Karpilove. Ezra Glinter has combed through the archives to find the best stories published during the newspaper's 120-year history, digging up such varied works as wartime novellas, avant-garde fiction, and satirical sketches about immigrant life in New York. Glinter's introductions to the thematic sections and short biographies of the contributors provide insight into the concerns of not only the writers but also their avid readers. The collection has been rendered into English by today's best Yiddish translators, who capture the sound of the authors and the subtleties of nuance and context."--Publisher's description. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This is a fantastic collection of stories by Yiddish writers - some as well known as Issac Bashevis Singer and Chaim Grade, some forgotten. I found the most enjoyable ones to be set in the shtetls (small villages) of so many countries that turned into other countries that they deserve a mention:
Podberezhi, in what is now Belarus
Stare Boksze, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire)
Ivankiv, in what is now Ukraine
the Polish town of Mszczonow, known in Yiddish as Amshinov, home to a prominent Hasidic movement of the same name
Belaya Tserkov, in present-day Ukraine
Slonim, in what is now Belarus
Okhrimovo, in what is now Ukraine
Pinsk, in what is now Belarus
Tsartorisk, in what is now Ukraine
Shklov, in what is now Belarus
Byaroza, in what is now show more Belarus
Khorostov, in what is now Ukraine
Zguritse, in what is now Moldova
Belts, in what is now Moldova
The women and men write of happy and miserable marriages, poverty, deprivation, progroms and oppression by soldiers of every nationality, and then of the same (except for the soldiers) in America, the Goldene Medina (The Golden Country). My favorite was Grandfathers and Grandchildren, about a small shul (temple) and its diminishing, aging base of congregants, whose own offspring reject their piety and dedication to learning. When young children and scholars unexpectedly join them in study, their lives are filled with light. This is a brilliant collection with universal appeal. Read it and learn about Jewish life and Jewish lives. show less
Podberezhi, in what is now Belarus
Stare Boksze, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire)
Ivankiv, in what is now Ukraine
the Polish town of Mszczonow, known in Yiddish as Amshinov, home to a prominent Hasidic movement of the same name
Belaya Tserkov, in present-day Ukraine
Slonim, in what is now Belarus
Okhrimovo, in what is now Ukraine
Pinsk, in what is now Belarus
Tsartorisk, in what is now Ukraine
Shklov, in what is now Belarus
Byaroza, in what is now show more Belarus
Khorostov, in what is now Ukraine
Zguritse, in what is now Moldova
Belts, in what is now Moldova
The women and men write of happy and miserable marriages, poverty, deprivation, progroms and oppression by soldiers of every nationality, and then of the same (except for the soldiers) in America, the Goldene Medina (The Golden Country). My favorite was Grandfathers and Grandchildren, about a small shul (temple) and its diminishing, aging base of congregants, whose own offspring reject their piety and dedication to learning. When young children and scholars unexpectedly join them in study, their lives are filled with light. This is a brilliant collection with universal appeal. Read it and learn about Jewish life and Jewish lives. show less
Forty-two stories from America’s greatest Yiddish newspaper, in English for the first time. Introduction by Dara Horn.
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- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 839.130108 — Literature & rhetoric German & related literatures Other Germanic literatures Yiddish literature Fiction
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- PJ5191 .E8 .H38 — Language and Literature Oriental languages and literatures Oriental philology and literature Hebrew Other languages used by Jews Yiddish
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