Writings on Yiddish and Yiddishkayt : a spiritual reappraisal, 1946-1955, Vol. 2 / Isaac Bashevis Singer ; translated and edited by David Stromberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Singer, Isaac Bashevis, 1904-1991, author.

Contributor:

Stromberg, David, 1980 October 8- editor, translator.

Language:

English

Yiddish

Subjects (All):

Singer, Isaac Bashevis, 1904-1991.

Singer, Isaac Bashevis.

Yiddish literature.

Physical Description:

219 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Amherst, MA : White Goat Press, [2025]

Language Note:

In English, translated from the Yiddish.

Summary:

"Isaac Bashevis Singer's trenchant analysis of the modern Jewish experience is uncompromising yet ultimately optimistic. Threaded with universal wisdom and offering a bracing corrective against moral relativism that resonates notably today, this volume is no less than a blueprint on how to live"--Back cover.

"Between 1946 and 1955 Isaac Bashevis Singer underwent a total transformation. During the post-Holocaust period Singer reappraised everything he knew, questioned all his assumptions, and rebuilt his artistic vision. This transformation would soon become evident in his literary fiction, but it was also laid out for readers in essays that appeared in the pages of the Yiddish daily Forverts. Sitting in New York, with the Cold War and McCarthyism gripping American hearts and minds, Singer dove deep into his cultural and spiritual heritage to turn the moral and social principles of the past into workable tools that could build a viable Jewish future. Some of the issues that Singer raises in this collection are not only prescient -- they are more urgent in our day than they were in his. Throughout, Singer reminds us that the human spirit is our greatest treasure and that we are each personally responsible for its safekeeping."--Amazon.com.

Contents:

Introduction: a testament to the spirit

The eternal Jewish question: what's the purpose?

On the question of style in Yiddish literature

They were in the Nazi hell and still did not lose their faith in humanity

The philosophy of our prophets

Jewish tragedy should not be made mundane

Our language, our literature

Modern Jews and their internal conflict

On the revival of Yiddish culture in America

A new Yiddish literary group?

The nature of our literature through the ages

The synagogue and the studyhouse

Old religious books reprinted in America

What is the foundation of Jewish culture?

Righteous and wicked: words we no longer use

Jews and the rule of law

Americanism and Jewishness

Philosophers and the U'Netaneh Tokef prayer

Everyday Jews: yesterday and today

Yiddish literature does not portray the great events of our time

Jews and the world

Small shtetl, big swamp

The concept of beauty among olden Jews

In my father's courtroom

When actions achieve nothing

Is there a way out for Yiddish literature?

Notes:

Publication date from Amazon.com.

ISBN:

9798989452484

9798989452477

OCLC:

1468661537