The Story of Yiddish: How a Mish-Mosh of Languages Saved the Jews - Softcover

Karlen, Neal

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060837128 ISBN 13: 9780060837129

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2009

Synopsis

A delightfully unconventional tale of a people, their place in the world, and the fascinating language that held them together.

Yiddish is an unlikely survivor of the ages, much like the Jews themselves. Incorporating antique German dialects and elements from more than a dozen other tongues, the Yiddish language bears the imprint of the many places where European Jews were briefly given shelter. Neal Karlen's unique, brashly entertaining, yet thoroughly researched telling of the language's story reveals that Yiddish is a mirror of Jewish history, thought, and practice—for better and for worse.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

The Last One Thousand Years of Jewish History is Inseparable from The Story of Yiddish.

Yiddish --an oft-considered "gutter language--is an unlikely survivor of the ages, much like the Jews themselves. Its survival has been an incredibly journey, especially considering how often Jews have tried to kill it themselves.

Underlying Neal Karlen's unique, brashly entertaining, yet thoroughly researched telling of the language's story is the notion that Yiddish is a mirror of Jewish, history, thought, and practice--for better and worse.

From the Back Cover:

"Hilarious, insightful, touching, informative....Karlen is simply one of the best, most sophisticated, and literate practitioners of journalism we have." Philip Lopate

"In 2007, if college students are still taking a course call 'The Literature of Fact,' now taught by John McPhee at Princeton, Jen-X, written by Neal Karlen, should be required reading....Both a classic piece of pop-culture ephemera and a grand record of it. Grade A.--Entertainment Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0060837128
• ISBN 13: 9780060837129
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336