Jewish Voices, German Words: Growing Up Jewish in Postwar Germany & Austria: An Anthology Edited & Introduced By Elena Lappin.

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Lappin, a Jew who spent part of her childhood in Germany, has compiled an anthology of 14 gifted Jewish authors who write in German and share the experience of growing up in post-Holocaust Germany and Austria. The selections are drawn from fiction, memoirs, essays and poetry, and deal with the search for a Jewish identity as well as feelings of alienation stemming from past and current anti-Semitism. In "Joemi's Table," novelist Esther Dischereit attempts to come to grips with her mother's suffering under the Nazis. In "Shock and Aftershock," theater director Benjamin Korn explores his ambivalent reaction when he learns that his mother is among the Jews demonstrating against the presentation of an alleged anti-Semitic play. In "Heimat? No, Thanks!," journalist Henryk Broder rejects German assimilation and explains his decision to live in Israel. A worthy collection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In this collection of short stories, poetry, and essays, young Jewish authors who gre up in postwar Germany and Austria provide insight into how the Jewish people are trying to come to terms with a past that many Germans do not like to talk about. Previously published in Germany, the material includes biographical sketches of the authors, novelists and essayists who include Katja Behrens, Chaim Noel, Peter S. Jungk, and Henryk M. Broder. The works, both fiction and nonfiction, share common themes of conflict in emotion, in national and family loyalty, and in relationships. Topics explored also include anti-Semitism, neo-Nazism, and Israel. These pieces are not examples of Holocaust literature; rather, they demonstrate how the Holocaust has affected many lives to this day. Recommended for literary and Jewish studies collections.
- Mary Salony, West Virginia Northern Community Coll. Lib., Wheeling
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.