The Brothers Ashkenazi
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1936. First edition. First edition stated. Presumed first printing. Hardcover. 4 p. l., 3-642, [2] p. 22 cm. With a large cast of characters, this is a social novel, a family saga set against the rise of capitalism and of a Jewish bourgeoisie in Lodz. It tells the story, through an interwoven plot, of the clash between old traditions and growing desires. Excellent story about the rise and fall of the Ashkenazi family, which covers different historical stages like the Industrial Revolution, rise of Capitalism and Communism, World War I, etc. But above all the novel deals with the issue of the nature of the Jewish identity, and it is here where it really succeeds. Singer enforces the fact that for every hardship endured, the Jewish community always ends up being the scapegoat. Israel Joshua Singer (November 30, 1893, Bi goraj, Poland-February 10, 1944 New York) was a Yiddish novelist. He was born Yisroel Yehoyshue (Yeshue) Zinger the son of Pinchas Mendl Zinger, a rabbi and author of rabbinic commentaries, and Basheva Zylberman. He was the brother of Nobel Prize-winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer and novelist Esther Kreitman. Singer contributed to the European Yiddish press from 1916, and in 1921 became a correspondent for the leading American Yiddish newspaper The Forward. His short story, Liuk, appeared in 1924, illuminating the ideological confusion of the Bolshevik Revolution. He wrote his first novel, Steel and Iron, in 1927. In 1934 he emigrated to the United States. He died in New York City in 1944. His memoir Of a World That is No More appeared posthumously in 1946. His other works include: Steel and Iron (1927) Yoshe Kalb (1932) The Brothers Ashkenazi (1937) The Family Carnovsky (1969). Condition: Good. No dust jacket. Previous owner's bookplate inside front cover. Cover has some wear and soiling.
Keywords: Isaac Bashevis Singer, Esther Kreitman, Jews, Yiddish, Industrial Development, Ashkenazi, Capitalism, Lodz, Bourgeoisie, Jewish Identity
[Book #64631]
Price: $65.00