The Cross (ePub)

“This collection, including the classic translations of the great stories, ‘Eating Days’ and ‘White Challah,’ as well as the new translations of Shapiro’s previously untranslated fiction will be of great importance to all who teach modern Jewish literature, culture, and history.” —Kathryn Hellerstein, University of Pennsylvania “Leah Garrett’s introduction and the stories themselves make a most convincing case for the importance of Lamed Shapiro in modern literary studies, an equal to and contemporary of Isaac Babel in Russian and Delmore Schwartz in English.” —Kathryn Hellerstein, University of Pennsylvania “Lamed Shapiro confronts violence as it assaulted the Jews, unmediated and murderous. Yet as in Samson’s riddle, out of the strong came something sweet. This book captures Shapiro’s uniquely fused lyricism and power.” —Ruth R. Wisse, Harvard University “The many skilled translators of this admirably edited volume combine to give a vivid impression of Lamed Shapiro’s tale-telling power.” —Harold Bloom “Shapiro’s bleak portrayal of human existence is presented in an impressionistic style which produces a series of vignettes that demand an observant reader. Those who pay attention will be rewarded by profound, emotional insights that richly exemplify the talent of these early American Yiddish writers.” —The Jerusalem Post “This collection of short fiction by an important Yiddish modernist writer stands as a significant contribution to the ‘New Yiddish Library’ series. . . . Complementing the translation is a useful glossary and insightful bio-critical introduction. . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice “Captured here, as if a message-in-a-bottle, is the author himself: despite any rhetorical modesty, a man of learning—a scholar at heart. Once a rare