The New Joys of Yiddish: Completely Updated - Hardcover

Rosten, Leo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0609607855 ISBN 13: 9780609607855

Publisher: Crown, 2001

Synopsis

More than a quarter of a century ago, Leo Rosten published the first comprehensive and hilariously entertaining lexicon of the colorful and deeply expressive language of Yiddish. Said “to give body and soul to the Yiddish language,” The Joys of Yiddish went on to become an indispensable tool for writers, journalists, politicians, and students, as well as a perennial bestseller for three decades.

Rosten described his book as “a relaxed lexicon of Yiddish, Hebrew, and Yinglish words often encountered in English, plus dozens that ought to be, with serendipitous excursions into Jewish humor, habits, holidays, history, religion, ceremonies, folklore, and cuisine–the whole generously garnished with stories, anecdotes, epigrams, Talmudic quotations, folk sayings, and jokes.” To this day, it is considered the seminal work on Yiddish in America–a true classic and a staple in the libraries of Jews and non-Jews alike.

With the recent renaissance of interest in Yiddish, and in keeping with a language that embodies the variety and vibrancy of life itself, The New Joys of Yiddish brings Leo Rosten’s masterful work up to date. Revised for the first time by Lawrence Bush in close consultation with Rosten’s daughters, it retains the spirit of the original–with its wonderful jokes, tidbits of cultural history, Talmudic and Biblical references, and tips on pronunciation–and enhances it with hundreds of new entries, thoughtful commentary on how Yiddish has evolved over the years, and an invaluable new English-to-Yiddish index. In addition, The New Joys of Yiddish includes wondrous and amusing illustrations by renowned artist R.O. Blechman.

About this title

About the Author:

The late LEO ROSTEN was the author of The Return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, Captain Newman, M.D., and countless other books, articles, and screenplays.

LAWRENCE BUSH is the author of several books about American Judaism and is the editor of Reconstructionism Today. He lives in Accord, New York.

R.O. BLECHMAN’s illustrations have appeared on nineteen covers of The New Yorker and have been exhibited in New York, Paris, Berlin, and Munich. The author/artist of seven books, he lives in New York City.

From AudioFile:

THE JOYS OF YIDDISH is hard to characterize. Not purely humor, not truly historical, the book is a tribute to and demonstration of the way this seemingly forgotten language invades everyday English language and culture. In this newly revised edition of Rosten's classic, an ensemble featuring actor Ron Rifkin and others brings to life the sprit of Yiddish, with examples of how this language's use of accent and nuance impacts American culture. While some readers speak too quickly, they should be forgiven. As Leo Rosten might say, "What else would you expect?" (Of course, depending upon which word you accent, this sentence, like the depth of Yiddish itself, may have widely differing meanings.) D.J.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0609607855
• ISBN 13: 9780609607855
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 496
• Editor: Bush Lawrence