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Realism, Caricature, and Bias: The Fiction of Mendele Mocher Sefarim (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization) - Hardcover
Synopsis
Realism, Caricature, and Bias explores the psychology of prejudice and self-hate in the fiction of Mendele Mocher Sefarim (Mendele the Bookseller, pen name of S.J. Abramowitz, 1836-1917), one of the key figures in modern Yiddish and Hebrew literature. It presents a full-length analysis of the tension between realism and caricature in Mendele's description of the Russian Jews under tzarist rule, of the conflict between the author's passion for social change and his often-undisguised loathing for his own people. Mendele's seven novels, five of which he wrote separately - not merely translated - both in Yiddish and Hebrew, constitute the most important and influential body of work in modern Jewish prose fiction prior to World War II. He created the first character in modern Yiddish and Hebrew fiction, the character from whom his pseudonym derives.
His works are a devastatingly satiric portrait of Jewish life in 19th century Russia and give social and psychological insight into the forces which led to the mass migration of Russian Jews to the United States, to the rise of Zionism as well as to Jewish involvement in the socialist and revolutionary movements in Russia at the turn of the century.
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About the Author
David Aberbach is Associate Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature, McGill University, Montreal, and is the author of At the Handles of the Lock: Themes in the Fiction of S. J. Agnon (1984, now out of print), also published by the Littman Library.
Review
'A useful introduction ... Aberbach is rightly critical of, as well as enthusiastic about, his author. Transliterations of Hebrew and translations of Yiddish help the non-specialist.' Forum for Modern Language Studies 'There is much in this book on Mendele's confused psychological state of mind, even seeking to interpret the dreams described in his stories as indicative of that state ... This book will do much to take readers beyond the stereotypical image of Mendele as the amusing satirist of shtetl mores and provoke interest in him as a key figure in modern Jewish literature.' Barry Davis, Jewish Book News & Reviews 'Considerable achievement in making Mendele's writing more accessible to English readers.' Risa Domb, Jewish Chronicle 'Aberbach has now performed the difficult and vastly important feat of rendering a mass of remote material accessible to the general public, offering an account of the sources and their versions, summarizing their contents, and also making it available to the English-speaking reader. There are also very valuable extracts presented in the original languages, together with an account of the editions.' Leon I. Yudkin, Journal of Semitic Studies
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- PublisherThe Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
- Publication date1993
- ISBN 10 1874774072
- ISBN 13 9781874774075
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages131
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