Isaac Bashevis Singer was a Polish American author of Jewish descent, noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978. His memoir, "A Day Of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw", won the U.S. National Book Award in Children's Literature in 1970, while his collection "A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories" won the U.S. National Book Award in Fiction in 1974.
Rings at times with a rich, almost Bellovian humor. Though set between the wars, those conflagrations aren鈥檛 given a lot of emphasis. It鈥檚 more about people in the Yiddish theater of Warsaw. It focuses on one young man, Aaron Greidinger, who is surprised by the arrival in Warsaw of two Americans, a Yiddish stage actress, and a millionaire. It鈥檚 highly amusing. Over dinner the newly arrived Americans set Aaron to writing a new play so that the woman actor may triumph in the Warsaw Yiddish theater.
He鈥檚 given a lot of money to write the play which does not yet exist. With the money he had becomes embroiled in sexual relations with at least three women. In this amorous way Shosha reminds me the author鈥檚 earlier novel, . There is a lot of libidinousness and various peccadillos are revealed. What鈥檚 more a lot of the old neighborhoods of Warsaw, now destroyed, are vividly described. The layout of streets, where gardens used to be, what house was where and who lived in it. Here Aaron goes with Betty, the American actress, back to his old neighborhood.
鈥淣o. 4 was a huge bazaar, Yanash's Court, which had two gates鈥攐ne leading into Krochmalna and the other into Mirowska Street. They sold everything here鈥攆ruit, vegetables, dairy, geese, fish. There were stores selling secondhand shoes and old clothes of all kinds.
鈥淲e came to the Place. It always swarmed with prostitutes, pimps, and petty thieves in torn jackets and caps with visors pulled down over their eyes. In my time, the Boss here had been Blind Itche, chief of the pickpockets, proprietor of brothels, a swaggerer and a knife carrier. Somewhere in No. 11 or 13 lived fat Reitzele, a woman who weighed three hundred pounds. Reitzele was supposed to conduct business with white slavers from Buenos Aires. She was also a procurer of servant girls. Many games were played in the Place. You drew numbers from a bag and you could win a police whistle, a chocolate cake, a pen with a view of Cracow, a doll that sat up and cried 鈥楳ama.鈥�
鈥淚 stopped with Betty to gape. The same louts, the same flat pronunciation, the same games. I was afraid that all this would disgust her, but she had become infected by my nostalgia. . . .鈥� (p. 71)
When Aaron finds Shosha again, after 20 years, living near him in Warsaw, the narrative bloats with sentimentality. Like , these bits are cloying. Fortunately, they are also brief. I.B. Singers鈥檚 novels are unique. For anyone with even a passing interest in Jewish life, they are a revelation 鈥� and let鈥檚 not forget to mention the enormous narrative pleasure they provide!
Enemies: A Love Story is one of the unsung masterpieces of 1980s cinema, and I will mud wrestle any woman who says any different. The novel was written by Isaac B. Singer, and that novel is something marvellous too. This one is from 1978 following Isaac鈥檚 winning of the Nobel Prize (not always a worthy indicator of talent) and concerns a man besotted by a cretinous young woman whose name is in the title. His various romantic shenanigans with actresses and Bolshevistesses are lightly limned as he tries to write an interesting play for the Hasidic Theatre, set against the backdrop of the rise of Nazi fascism. Singer is an exceedingly pleasant writer with whom to spend three days recumbent reading and although this novel is meandering and the heroine is deeply unsexy, the quality of prose from page to page is simply top-drawer, even Nobel-worthy.
This book offers a long contemplation about life. Most of the characters feel very similar to one another, perhaps because all human beings are fundamentally the same deep down. We all desire the same things; we hope for the same. So, why war? That's the question. Where is God? If there ever was an almighty, it wouldn't make any sense looking back at countless dark and bloody days in the history of mankind.
It presents a sad yet very interesting perspective from a few intellectual Jews from Poland just before Hitler's arrival. They wonder every day why they are not escaping for their lives, yet they don't leave until there is almost no chance of survival. It almost feels like they want to believe there was some power, something more to life.
People always look for their other half or someone like themselves in others, hoping loneliness would go away once we have our soulmates by our side. But...
3.5 stars, rounded up for the novelty of the experience. This book has very little plot. In short, the son of a rabbi grows up during WW1 and loses faith (not in God, but in organised religion, humanity, the future). He drifts aimlessly through 1930s Warsaw, wanting to be a writer, but spending most of his time pursuing and being pursued by women (the Russian-American actress with the sugar daddy, the Gentile maid, the Stalinist who is sure she will be arrested any day now, the married intellectual whose husband encourages her affairs). Exactly why the book is called Shosha, I'm not sure. Shosha is the childhood friend, whose physical and mental development has stagnated at a (pre-)pubital level, but whom the main character chooses to marry. I found it somewhat disturbing how many characters in this book are married to someone who is "childlike" in mind and sometimes body. (No, these aren't really spoilers. This book is not about plot.)
So far this doesn't sound like I enjoyed the book much, does it? But I did. I don't mind a lack of plot and somewhat unlikable characters. I was fascinated by the descriptions of Warsaw as WW2 was looming. By the many political and religious factions all arguing with each other. By the quirky, flawed, excessively chatty and despondent characters, all awaiting war and persecution, utterly preoccupied with death and unwilling to consider a future. Some of them ran to stereotypes, sure, but I have met people who were living stereotypes. I found the conversations rather fantastic, and I've googled Yiddish terms and names from Jewish and Polish history. As such it was a bit of a treasure chest. Or maybe more like a lucky dip bag. It could have gone either way with this book. I could have found the whole thing too pretentious and misogynistic, but I found it hilariously informative in its gallows humour and religious and political discussions.
As always, I love Singer and want to read everything he ever wrote, and as always, it鈥檚 hard to gauge how non-Jewish readers would take to most of his work. Shosha deals with his common themes of fate, choice and free will and I was often reminded of his quote, 鈥淲e must believe in free will. We have no choice.鈥� The 鈥榤anic pixie dream girl鈥� trope is strong in this one. Four stars compared to his best work.
I'm going to read this again, trying to capture the mid-1930s Poland that my characters (in my new novel) are currently living in.
***
Singer, writing in 1978, presents many poignant details of Jewish life in Warsaw in 1939, just before Hitler came.
There is a pervading sense of the imminent destruction of an entire way of life ... in the Yeshivas they studied the Talmud ... so long as Hitler - his name should be blotted out - did not attack, each day was a gift from God ... No one knows what God wants 鈥� if God wanted the Jews to live he wouldn't have created Hitler ... The bitter truth is that many Jews don't want to be Jews anymore 鈥� But it's too late for total assimilation 鈥� Judging by the way Hitler occupied one territory after another and the Allies sat back and did nothing 鈥� there was no hope for the Jews of Poland ... At the Radzymin and Novominsk prayer houses, afternoon services were already in progress
Polish antisemitism is starkly presented ... The Jews have taken over Poland 鈥� the cities are lousy with them 鈥� once they only stank up the Nalewki, Grzybowska and Krochmaln streets, but lately they swarm like vermin everywhere 鈥� there is one consolation - Hitler will smoke them out like bedbugs ... It's too bad that Hitler will attack our country 鈥� but since we haven't had the guts to sweep away this Jewish filth ourselves we have to let the enemy do it for us ... Hitler is on his way but a large part of the Polish press keeps attacking the Jewish minority as if it were the nation's greatest danger
First off, thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, Jo Jackson, for my fathers' day present of Isaac Bashevis Singer. I said once that I like the feeling of finishing an author's first (to me) book, and feeling like we've just started on a long, probably lifetime relationship. That's how I feel about this amazing book. Unbelievably beautiful and poignant and the tiniest bit triumphant (kaynahora) and resilient. My favorite quote: For a long time Shosha didn鈥檛 speak. Then she said, 鈥淎rele, I miss Yppe.鈥� 鈥淚 would bring Yppe back to life.鈥� 鈥淗ow is this possible?鈥� I elaborated to Shosha the theory that world history was a book man could read only forward. He could never turn the pages of this world book backward. But everything that had ever been still existed. Yppe lived somewhere. The hens, geese, and ducks the butchers in Yanash鈥檚 Court slaughtered each day still lived, clucked, quacked, and crowed on the other pages of the world book鈥攖he right-hand pages, since the world book was written in Yiddish, which reads from left to right. Shosha caught her breath. 鈥淲ill we live in No. 10?鈥� 鈥淵es, Shoshele, on the other pages of the book we still live in No. 10.鈥� 鈥淏ut different people have moved in.鈥� 鈥淭hey live there on the open pages, not the closed ones.鈥� 鈥淢ommy once said that before we moved in, a tailor used to live there.鈥� 鈥淭he tailor lives there, too.鈥� 鈥淓veryone together?鈥� 鈥淓ach in another time.鈥�
Una storia d'amore Leggo nella "descrizione del libro": "Shosha" pu貌 essere letto in molti modi: come la parabola dell'ebreo sradicato, come la storia di un'educazione sentimentale, come il viaggio iniziatico di un artista, ma forse il modo pi霉 giusto 猫 proposto dallo stesso autore. Alla domanda "Che storia 猫 quella narrata in Shosha?" Singer rispose: "Una storia d'amore". Non ricordo con precisione in quale dei modi indicati io l鈥檃bbia letto (pi霉 di trent鈥檃nni fa), ma, per il ricordo dolce e amaro che me ne 猫 rimasto, probabilmente in quello proposto dall鈥檃utore: "una storia d'amore", che 猫 poi la sintesi di tutti gli altri.
This book has personal relevance to me. My grandfather was a Polish Jew who fled to Cuba, but his siblings and parents perished in Poland. My favorite aspects of this book where the descriptions of Jewish life in Polish cities and small towns leading up to WWII. I found the descriptions of the various bickering political organizations humorous, and they reminded me of why my grandfather was wary of politics. This book tells a hard story but not one without the magical realism of everyday life.
20. gadsimta 30. gadu ebrejisk膩s Var拧avas pasaule. Ne visai veiksm墨gs, bet jauns un, iesp膿jams, talant墨gs jidi拧a rakstnieks, bet has墨du p膿ctecis, rab墨na d膿ls 膧rons Greidingers cen拧as lielpils膿t膩 g奴t pan膩kumus literat奴r膩. Vi艈am piem墨to拧膩 jaun膩 rakstnieka nabadz墨ba un rado拧膩s kr墨zes 募oti l墨dzin膩s tam, ko var las墨t, piem膿ram, par jauniem latvie拧u dzejniekiem 20. gadsimta pirmaj膩 pus膿 鈥� par膩di, knapa iztik拧ana, nezi艈a par r墨tdienu. Tom膿r 膧rona dz墨v膿 ien膩k 拧im rom膩nam tik 募oti rakstur墨gs un pa拧saprotams br墨nums 鈥� k膩da pazi艈as pazi艈a amerik膩艈u ebrejs pas奴ta vi艈am lugu te膩trim. 膧ronam it k膩 par膩d膩s rado拧s m膿r姆is, ko, protams, saboj膩 prokrastin膩cija un pras墨ba sarakst墨t lugu, kas visiem patiks, k膩 ar墨 nauda jeb dz墨res, kas 募auj neuztraukties par eksistenci膩l膩m probl膿m膩m. Un paliek skaidrs, ka 拧is rom膩ns neb奴s glu啪i par rado拧u person墨bu vien, jo atsevi拧姆i spilgti ebreju sabiedr墨bas p膩rst膩vji apsprie啪 ne tikai filozofiskus vai reli模iskus jaut膩jumus, bet ar墨 Hitlera n膩k拧anu pie varas kaimi艈os. To zina ar墨 nabadz墨gie ebreji. Un tom膿r 鈥渘emiris b奴dams, cilv膿ks ir dz墨vs,鈥� saka 膧rona m膩te (225). Atsevi拧姆a Var拧avas ebreju sl膩艈a hedonisk膩s atmosf膿ras dal墨bnieki rom膩n膩 ir glu啪i k膩 m墨lnieki, kas lidin膩s Marka 艩ag膩la glezn膩s, ar Marka Rotko glezn膩m rakstur墨go strupo ma模iju, da啪reiz sludinot, ka 鈥減aties膩 reli模ija ir nevis kalpot Dievam, bet Vi艈am sp墨t膿t鈥�, ja jau 拧is klus膿 (317). Tas ir p膿d膿jais laiks pirms katastrofas, kad var膿tu saukt lietas 墨stajos v膩rdos 鈥� it k膩 necilajam jaunajam rakstniekam 膧ronam ir seksu膩li pan膩kumi pie vair膩k膩m sieviet膿m, no kur膩m spilgt膩k rom膩n膩 iez墨m膿tas divas 鈥� amerik膩艈u aktrise Betija Slonima un soci膩liste Dora. Un tom膿r vi艈拧 gandr墨z slim墨gi un perversi tiecas p膿c savas b膿rn墨bas draudzenes 艩o拧as, kas nav glu啪i t膩da, k膩 citas. Vi艈as fizisk膩 un gar墨g膩 鈥渁pst膩拧an膩s laik膩鈥� uzst膩j墨gi iez墨m膿 膧rona un vi艈am l墨dz墨go v膿lmi neskat墨ties ac墨s draudiem un neklaus墨ties intu墨cij膩, kas saka, ka dr墨z ar墨 po募u antisem墨tisms no kropl墨gas indeves p膩rv膿rt墨sies holokaust膩. Bet tikpat labi 鈥� rodas saj奴ta, ka Zingera rom膩n膩 visi visu saprot un zina, 募aujoties neizb膿gamajam, 募aujoties nepareizajam, jo ar墨 atsac墨拧an膩s no 鈥渧ec膩s鈥�, ne visai gl墨t膩s dz墨ves (pat ja t膩 ir lieka 墨r膿ta istaba, par kuru n膩kas maks膩t), kur nu v膿l, piem膿ram, ko拧era neiev膿ro拧ana, var b奴t n膩vei l墨dz墨ga. Var膿tu Nobela pr膿mijas (1978) ieguv膿ja Jichoka Ba拧evi Zingera (Isaac Bashevis Singer, 1930鈥�1991) rom膩nu 鈥溑爋拧a鈥� (1974) nod膿v膿t par b膿d墨g膩m dz墨r膿m pirms gala s膩kuma. Var膿tu saukt par pirmskara Austrumeiropas ebreju pasaules filozofisko koncentr膩tu proz膩. Liter膩ri v膿sturisku ieskatu k膩das sabiedr墨bas sl膩艈os, m膩艈os un virzienos pret墨 neizb膿gamajam. Po膿mu cilv膿ces v膿rt墨bu pagrimumam da啪膩d膩s pak膩p膿s. Sestdienas vakara reibino拧u las膩mvielu ar skaidri iez墨m膿t膩m eksistenci膩l膩m pietur膩m. Braucienu ar visai vecu, bet iztur墨gu valodas tanku lejup pa kalnu, kam膿r kar拧 noliek visu sav膩 viet膩, un tas neizr膩d膩s tik s膩p墨gi, k膩 varb奴t vajadz膿ja b奴t. Izdev膿js 鈥淒ienas Gr膩mata鈥� gan min, ka te ir ar墨 sp膿c墨gs m墨las st膩sts. Zin膩m膩 m膿r膩 m墨lest墨bai te ir b奴tiska vieta. Galvenok膩rt, tulkot膩jas M膩ras Po募akovas m墨lest墨bai pret valodu, 拧oreiz 鈥� jidi拧a Polijas dialektu, kur膩 J. B. Zingers 鈥溑爋拧u鈥� ir rad墨jis, un v膿l膩ko tulkojumu ang募u valod膩 amerik膩艈u tirgum, kas ieviesa zin膩mas korekcijas. 艩ie un citi avoti kalpoju拧i rom膩na jaun膩s redakcijas tap拧anai, kas pats par sevi ir p膿t墨juma v膿rts temats. M墨lest墨bas auglis ir zin膩ms 鈥� pirmais amerik膩艈u jidi拧a rom膩ns latvie拧u valod膩. Un valoda var膿tu b奴t rom膩na galven膩 varone, jo t膩s daudzie rot膩jumi ir piez墨mes, atsauces un paskaidrojumi, kuros k膩 atsevi拧姆膩 v膩rdn墨c膩 las墨t膩js var gremd膿ties v膿l ilgi p膿c pamatteksta izlas墨拧anas. Tulkot膩jas p膿cv膩rds visp膩r ir m膿模in膩jums ieskat墨ties komplic膿taj膩 jidi拧a kult奴r膩, kur膩 n膩kas pieskarties ar墨 antisem墨tismam: 鈥淣av iesp膿jams tulko拧anu no jidi拧a uzskat墨t par nevain墨gu liter膩ru pas膩kumu; gribis negribis tulkot膩ja nol奴ks ir iepaz墨stin膩t 鈥渧alstsn膩cijas鈥� las墨t膩jus ar savu maz膩kuma kult奴ru, itin k膩 sitot pie kr奴ts un zv膿rot, ka ebreji nav b墨stami (..).鈥� (355) Kult奴ra ir gr奴ta, un t膩 sav膩 鈥済r奴tniec墨b膩鈥� ir gatava rad墨t visda啪膩d膩kos un negaid墨t膩kos rezult膩tus, piem膿ram, to, kad Austrumeiropu j膩iepaz墨stina ar t膩s sen膩kajiem iem墨tniekiem. Zingera rom膩ns ir daudzviet autobiogr膩fisks un varb奴t pat min da啪as visai kompetentas atbildes tiem, kuri tom膿r nolems uzjaut膩t v膿sturiskajam diskursam, kur膩 ebreji p膩rsvar膩 ir tikai objekti notikumu 姆膿d膿: k膩p膿c tas visp膩r var膿ja notikt un k膩 taj膩 k膩ds paman墨j膩s ar墨 izdz墨vot? 鈥溑爋拧as鈥� ebreji ir dz墨vi gan tie拧膩, gan p膩rnest膩 noz墨m膿, autors ne募auj las墨t膩jam pieskarties holokausta s膩p膿m, varb奴t vair膩s no t膩 dr墨z膩k sevis d膿募. Varo艈i ir spilgti (varb奴t vien墨gi ne visas sievietes vien膩di kr膩拧艈i par膩d膩s), savdab墨gi, 膩rk膩rt墨gi at拧姆ir墨gi un pat 拧姆irti viens no otra indiv墨di, kurus vieno labi ja izcelsme. Tas nav stipri nospriegots v膿st墨jums, kur膩 notikumi neizb膿gami seko las墨t膩jam, un varb奴t da募膿ji tas k膩dam var膿tu nepatikt. Tas ir ar墨 p膩rdomu rom膩ns, kur膩 autors 募auj saviem run墨gajiem varo艈iem mekl膿t atbildes k膩 t膩diem jaun膩 gadsimta 鈥渞ab墨niem鈥�. B奴tisks un aktu膩ls teksts par kara tuvo拧anos, piemineklis dz墨votgribai un atg膩din膩jums par trim 20. gadsimta pirm膩s puses va募iem: seksu, n膩vi un literat奴ru.