Hinde esther singer was born in bilgoraj, poland, to rabbi pinkhes mendl and batsheva zylberman. I recommend the book not because it is particularly wellwritten, but because of its. Miriam udel 16december20 yiddish book center by yiddish book center emily f. Tsvishn tsvey veltn, by the author 1946, 1983 esther singer kreitman, deborah reissued in 2009 as the dance of the demons, translated by maurice carr 1976 bella goldworth, the unknown relative, translated by max rosenfeld 1985 chava rosenfarb, the tree of life, 3 volumes. The scraps of paper that fluttered over the countryside that day were the first writings of hinde esther singer kreitman, the sister of the yiddish novelist isaac bashevis singer. Tsvishn tsvey veltn, by the author 1946, 1983 esther singer kreitman, deborah reissued in 2009 as the dance of the demons, translated by maurice carr 1976 bella goldworth, the unknown relative, translated by max rosenfeld. She was born in bilgoraj, congress poland to a rabbinic jewish family. Linguistic alterity in esther kreitmans transit fiction michael boyden interpretations of esther hinde kreitmans work have focused most attention on. Aug 17, 2016 the exile book of yiddish women writers, edited by frieda johles forman, 20. Countering fascism in lithuania, latvia, estonia, hungary, ukraine. Kreitmans dance of the demons by bill gladstone august 28, 2011 i do not know of a single woman in yiddish literature who wrote better than she did, isaac bashevis singer once commented about the littleknown novelist and story writer esther kreitman, whose 1936 book, the dance of the demons, has just been reissued by the feminist. Esther singer kreitman esther kreitman ester kreytman on. Yiddish literature began with translations of and commentary on religious texts.
Esther singer kreitman provides a loving but cleareyed depiction of this world in flux, replete with rabbis and yeshiva students, socialist rebels and gangsters, street vendors and seamstresses. Israel zamir, zl, israeli journalist and son of yiddish writer isaac bashevis singer, was interviewed by christa whitney on november 1, 20 at the yiddish book center in amherst, massachusetts. Originally published in yiddish in 1936, esther kreitman s vivid. After the disintegration of her marriage in 1926, esther kreitman divided her time between london and warsaw, struggling to support herself by writing, translating and public speaking. Anita norich um lsa english language and literature. Kreitman s stories and serialized novels appeared in many yiddish newspapers worldwide before being published in book form. Esther kreitman has, as ilan stavans points out in his excellent introduction to this book, received more attention recently than she received at the time she was writing. Like woolfs judith, kreitman was denied the education of her brothers and never attained their level of literary prestige. Translated into english from the yiddish by maurice carr.
Yet kreitman did achieve a measure of professional success. Esther singer kreitman, from a very distinguished rabbinical family, was the older sister of. The brothers singer, by clive sinclair anita susan. She is the older sister of two great yiddish language writers, israel joshua singer and nobel prize winner isaac bashevis singer. A journal of jewish literary history, dafna clifford commented that the author was a talented yiddish writer with a unique voice. Their son, morris kreitman later also known under his pen name as maurice carr was born in antwerp. Deborah by esther kreitman, anita norich, maurice carr. Very few women writers were given regular positions at yiddish newspapers, while this was a common way for men to support themselves and still have time and energy for their. Dance of the demons by kreitman, esther yiddish book center. She translated the works of dickens and shaw into yiddish, and published her own stories in yiddishlanguage magazines.
Originally published in yiddish in 1936, esther kreitmans vivid. The publication of the brothers singer by clive sinclair, an english novelist and critic, brings some welcome attention to the work of israel joshua singer, one of the greatest of yiddish novelists and the man whom isaac bashevis singer called my older brother and master. Her work is notable for its richly idiomatic polish yiddish and for her illumination. The long neglected sister of the singer family the new. The brothers singer, by clive sinclair anita susan grossman. She is the older sister of two great yiddish language writers, israel joshua singer and nobel. His now but not then more famous brother, isaac bashevis singer 19041991, concurred. Dance of the demons by kreitman, esther yiddish book.
She was born in poland but moved to antwerp, belgium, after her marriage to a diamond cutter. I recommend the book not because it is particularly wellwritten, but because of its socio historical interest. Its main concern, the very reason for its existence, is to establish purim as a jewish holiday, for all generations. And so did their much lessknown sister, esther singer kreitman 18911954.
It was published in yiddish, as were all her novels. The decade of discovery is a new initiative of the yiddish book center designed to foster a deeper understanding of yiddish and modern jewish culture. I do not know of a single woman in yiddish literature who wrote better than she did, isaac bashevis singer once commented about the littleknown novelist and story writer esther kreitman, whose 1936 book, the dance of the demons, has just been reissued by the feminist press of new york. The exile book of yiddish women writers, edited by frieda johles forman, 20. Originally published in yiddish in 1936, esther kreitman s vivid and poignant autobiographical novel follows the life of deborah, a rabbis daughter, from the ages of 14 to 18. She was the author of two novels and a collection of short stories. Singer, fiction, jewish studies, polish jews, shtel life, yiddish literature, ilan stavans, anita norisch, maurice carr. The long neglected sister of the singer family the new york. At the same time, the novel reveals the frustration of its young protagonist. Jun 06, 2016 esther kreitman 18911954 was born in bilgoray, poland, and was the sister of renowned yiddish writers israel joshua and isaac bashevis singer.
See article on the yiddish language for a full description of these texts. For this reason, if for no other, esther should be considered a religious book. But few know the singers had a sister who was also a gifted writer and who saw this same world through a womans eyes. Encouraged by her husband, shumiatcher, who had previously written but apparently not published poetry in english, now turned to yiddish. Because she is a girl, deborah is condemned to household chores, barred from the books she. The dance of the demons is a major literary rediscovery. Dvora baron, celia dropkin, rochel faygenberg, rachel korn, esther singer kreitman, blume lempel, helen londynski, kadya molodowsky, fradel schtok, yente serdatzky. Singers talented sister overshadowed by her brothers. May 01, 2009 a semiautobiographical portrait of the original yentl and an important contribution to the vastly neglected genre of feminist yiddish literature booklist. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible, provides the story of the origin of purim, the blueprint for its celebration, and the authorization for its observance in perpetuity. She translated the works of dickens and shaw into yiddish, and published her own stories in yiddish language magazines. Esther singer kreitman 18911954 was the sister of two successful yiddish writers, israel joshua singer and the nobel prize winner isaac bashevis singer.
A semiautobiographical portrait of the original yentl and an important contribution to the vastly neglected genre of feminist yiddish literature booklist. Israel describes his fathers early life in lenchen, a suburb of warsaw, poland. The yiddish book center is a nonprofit organization that works to tell the whole jewish story by rescuing, translating, and disseminating yiddish books and p. Kreitmans dance of the demons bill gladstone genealogy. The lost world of early 20th century jewish life in eastern europeof lively shtetls and ghetto streetsis known by many through the books of i. Translating and teaching yiddish prose by women in geveb. She was born in bilgoraj, poland to a rabbinic jewish family. Esther kreitman never failed to notice the greater financial rewards devolving to her brothers, who both were able to support themselves as journalists at the forverts.
Her younger brothers israel joshua singer and isaac bashevis singer also became writers kreitman had an unhappy childhood. Dance of the demons by esther singer kreitman 1936. Esther hebrew english translation massoretic text mt. Tsvishn tsvey veltn, by the author 1946, 1983 esther singer kreitman, deborah reissued in 2009 as the dance of the demons, translated by maurice carr 1976 bella goldworth, the unknown relative, translated by max rosenfeld 1985 chava rosenfarb, the tree of. Esther singer kreitman was a yiddish novelist and short stories author. Esther singer kreitman, from a very distinguished rabbinical family, was the older sister of issac baseuis singer and israel joshua singer. Three books were published in yiddish in her lifetime. Miriam udel was interviewed by jessica parker on december 16, 20, at the association for jewish studies conference in boston, massachusetts. The book gives an interesting insight into the yiddish world that was eventually destroyed by hitler.
For the first three years of her life, because her parents had wished for a boy, esther was sent to live with a wet nurse, and endured abuse and ill. Beginning with the centers 40th anniversary in 2020, and continuing for each of the next ten years, the center will select an annual theme. Reviews the book deborah, by esther singer kreitman, translated from yiddish by maurice carr. Even when she was alive, esther kreitmans novels, short stories and translations received far less attention than the work of her famous brothers, i. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is better viewed as imaginative storytelling, not unlike others that circulated in the persian and. Dance of the demons by esther singer kreitman 1936, translated from yiddish by her son maurice carr 1954 introduction by ilan stavans, this edition was published in 2016. The yiddish book center is a nonprofit organization working to recover, celebrate, and regenerate yiddish. While the boys were encouraged in their studies and writing, kreitman was forcibly prevented.
In december 1918, while he was on a speaking tour which brought him to calgary, esther shumiatcher met and married peretz hirschbein 18801948, a leading playwright in new yorks yiddish theater. In this session to mark the launch of blitz and other stories, the first translation of yikhes, a collection of short stories set in the wartorn east end and the shtetls of her native poland, the panellists explored esther kreitmans exceptional achievements as a yiddish woman writer and her deep sense of personal and social injustice. Morris translated his mothers first novel, published as deborah, in 1946. Kreitman had two brothers who would both become successful writers, israel joshua and isaac bashevis. Israel zamir 1november20 yiddish book center internet archive. Hinde ester singer kreytman 31 march 1891 june 1954, known in english as esther kreitman, was a yiddishlanguage novelist and short story writer. For the first three years of her life, because her parents had wished for a boy, esther was sent to live with a wet nurse, and endured abuse and ill treatment. Esther kreitman hinde ester singer kreytman, 31 march 1891 june 1954 was a yiddishlanguage writer, born in bilgoraj, poland, to a jewish family. Because she is a girl, deborah is condemned to household chores, barred from the books she yearns for and destined for an arranged marriage. Kreitmans stories and serialized novels appeared in many yiddish newspapers worldwide before being published in book form. Esther kreitman 18911954 was born in bilgoray, poland, and is the sister of renowned yiddish writers israel joshua and isaac bashevis singer. The most important writer of old yiddish literature was elijah levita known as elye bokher who translated and adapted the chivalric romance of bevis of hampton, via its italian version, buovo dantona. Old testament hebrewenglish holy name king james version with strongs numbers. Apr 04, 1991 the scraps of paper that fluttered over the countryside that day were the first writings of hinde esther singer kreitman, the sister of the yiddish novelist isaac bashevis singer.
Esther kreitman, the elder sister of wellknown writer isaac bashevis singer, wrote novels in yiddish. Esther and her family fled to london at the outbreak of the first world war. Her second novel, brilyantndiamonds 1944, was set against the jewish diamond trade. Yet esther, of all the biblical books outside of the torah, is the only one that addresses the origin of a new festival. Esther kreitman 18911954 was born in bilgoray, poland, and was the sister of renowned yiddish writers israel joshua and isaac bashevis singer. Dna secrets, hidden identities breast cancer and jewish women tillie olsen. Raised in warsaw and married in antwerp, kreitman and her family fled to london at the start of world war i.