A well-crafted anthology of musings from a giant of Jewish literature.
Stromberg offers newly translated essays by Nobel laurate Isaac Bashevis Singer that shed light on the Polish American author’s postwar transformation.
Singer’s novels, short stories, and essays not only garnered him the Nobel Prize for Literature, but also two National Book Awards, among a host of other accolades. He’s a leading figure in 20th century Yiddish literature, and his major works have been published in English translations, but not all of his mid-20th century musings. In this, the second volume of select Yiddish essays by Singer, translator and editor Stromberg focuses on a pivotal era of the writer’s intellectual development, from 1946 to 1955. Although The Family Moskat (1950) and other novels have driven much of the scholarly understanding of Singer during this period, Stromberg suggests that the writer’s lesser-known essays, published in the Yiddish newspaper Forverts under the pseudonym Yitskhok Varshavski, reveal a “total transformation,” as he questioned “everything he knew” about his Jewish faith and identity. This theme of “spiritual reappraisal” is seen throughout these essays, which blend an orthodox understanding of Jewish history and faith with frustration regarding contemporary Jewish movements and organizations, particularly among American Jews. Singer’s 1951 essay “What Is the Foundation of Jewish Culture?,” for example, highlights the growing number of people who “say they just happen to be Jewish” and “have the sense that being Jewish obliges them to nothing.” Another essay on Yiddish literature notes the dearth of writings on immigration, socialism, and other topics central to Jewish diasporic histories. “When Actions Achieve Nothing” offers a powerful reflection on the tension between religious systems that prioritize “the thought itself” and the more secularist prioritization of taking action.
Stromberg, a literary scholar who’s served as editor of the Isaac Bashevis Singer Literary Trust, has an intimate familiarity with the nuances of Singer’s idiosyncratic beliefs. The book’s introductory essay offers an astute survey of the author’s postwar changes, contextualizing this period by not only considering his seven decades of writing, but also by putting them in historical context. Singer’s inner tumult, Stromberg argues, paralleled the chaos of events in the world around him, from the Cold War and McCarthyism to the formation of Israel and post-Holocaust Zionism. Similarly, short editorial introductions place each essay in specific contexts within Singer’s life, such as his travels to Europe and Israel, and emphasizes their relevancy to 21st-century debates within Jewish communities. The translations themselves are accessible and admirably reflect Singer’s iconic style and vision of Jewish idealism. At the heart of this vision, reflected in both the author’s essays and Stromberg’s analysis, is the Yiddish language. Critiques of contemporary Jewish movements aside, Singer viewed Yiddish as both practically and spiritually important, hoping to “ensure not only that it will be possible to learn Yiddish but that people will want to learn it so they can gain access to its treasures.” By offering a glimpse of Singer’s own literary treasures, this volume usefully adds to readers’ understanding of a 20th-century icon.
A well-crafted anthology of musings from a giant of Jewish literature.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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