Confessions of a Yiddish Writer and Other Essays

by Chava Rosenfarb, Goldie Morgentaler (Editor)

Overview

Chava Rosenfarb (1923–2011) was one of the most prominent Yiddish novelists of the second half of the twentieth century. Born in Poland in 1923, she survived the Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen, immigrating to Canada in 1950 and settling in Montreal. There she wrote novels, poetry, short stories, plays, and essays, including The Tree of Life: A Trilogy of Life in the Lodz Ghetto, a seminal novel on the Holocaust. Confessions of a Yiddish Writer and Other Essays comprises thirteen personal and literary essays by Rosenfarb, ranging from autobiographical accounts of her childhood and experiences before and during the Holocaust to literary criticism that discusses the work of other Jewish writers. The collection also includes two travelogues, which recount a trip to Australia and another to Prague in 1993, the year it became the capital of the Czech Republic. While several of these essays appeared in the prestigious Yiddish literary journal Di goldene keyt, most were never translated. This book marks the first time that Rosenfarb's non-fiction writings have been presented together in English. A compilation of the memoir and diary excerpts that formed the basis of Rosenfarb's widely acclaimed fiction, Confessions of a Yiddish Writer and Other Essays deepens the reader's understanding of an incredible Yiddish woman and her experiences as a survivor in the post-Holocaust world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780773557031
Publisher:	McGill-Queens University Press
Publication date:	06/11/2019
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Chava Rosenfarb (1923–2011) was a Jewish-Canadian novelist and the recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the Itzik Manger Prize, Israel's highest award for Yiddish literature. Goldie Morgentaler is professor of English at the University of Lethbridge.

Table of Contents

Introduction Chava Rosenfarb ix

A Note on the Essays xxv

Acknowledgments xxix

Bibliography of Published Essays xxxi

Personal Essays

Confessions of a Yiddish Writer 3

Simkha-Bunim Shayevitch: Poet of the Lodz Ghetto 27

Bergen-Belsen Diary, 1945 53

Shloymele 69

Ramblings through Inner Continents: Notes from a Life 79

Literary Essays

Paul Celan: Jewish Writers and the Savage God 101

Stefan Zweig, the German Language, and Suicide 122

Sholem Asch and Isaac Bashevis Singer 131

Feminism and Yiddish Literature: A Personal Approach 162

A Yiddish Writer Reflects on Translation 177

Harps on the St Lawrence: Yiddish Poets in Canada 192

Travel

Australian Notes, 1974 213

Laterna Magika, Prague 1993 249

Appendix A Bibliographical Citations of All Essays Included in This Volume 273

Appendix B List of Chava Rosenfarb's Published Works 275

Index 277

Editorial Reviews

"Whether she was excavating her memories or making new ones, Rosenfarb processed her life by writing about it. So to read her work is to get to know her, and getting to know Chava Rosenfarb feels like a gift." Lethbrdige Herald


"Written in a clear and compelling style and mapping the inner life of a prolific writer, Confessions of a Yiddish Writer and Other Essays includes many of the most important personal and literary essays by Chava Rosenfarb." Jan Schwarz, Lund University


"Original in perspective, range, and tone, Confessions of a Yiddish Writer and Other Essays offers a powerful and remarkable presentation of Holocaust-related memoir and careful readings of key Yiddish and European writers in Chava Rosenfarb's own personal and effective way." Norman Ravvin, Concordia University

From the Publisher