Gimpel the Fool - Softcover

Singer, Isaac Bashevis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0449206777 ISBN 13: 9780449206775

Publisher: Fawcett, 1985

Synopsis

Singer's first colleciotn of stories, Gimpel the Fool, is a landmark of world literature and attracted international attention when it was first published in 1957. The title story, beautifully translated by Saul Bellow, follows the exploits of gimpel, an ingenuous baker, who is universally deceived but declines to retaliate. Other protagonists are not so innocent. Hodel, of "The Gentleman from Cracow, " is wed to Ketev Mriri, Chief of the Devils, and Nathan, of "The Unseen," leaves his wife for a demon in the form of a young woman. Enlightened or condemned, all characters inhabit the pre-World War II ghettos of Poland, and take shape in Singer's distinctive prose.

About this title

About the Author

Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991) was the author of many novels, stories, children's books, and memoirs. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978 and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Fiction in 1989.

From AudioFile

These four stories show Jewish shtetl life at the turn of the century. "Gimpel the Fool" knows more than he lets on; "Esther Kreindel the Second" is the sad story of a girl whose soul and body are possessed by the first Esther; "The Spinoza of Market Street" is about a sickly scholar who is seduced by the spinster of the community; and "The Black Wedding" is about demons and evil spirits most horrible to contemplate. Each story is read in the clear, melodious voice of Theodore Bikel, who accentuates the Yiddish words and worlds forgotten in today's society. His European accent reflects shtetl life and its people, drawing the listener into careful contemplation of the underlying themes. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Fawcett
• Publication date: 1985
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0449206777
• ISBN 13: 9780449206775
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback