Category: History - Other

The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century

A suggestion to write the present book reached me in the spring of 1898. At that time my library contained several hundreds of volumes of the best Judeo-German (Yiddish) literature, which had been brought together by dint of continued attention and, frequently, by mere chance,...

Chapters

4. Part 4

Of the latter class, the following is a typical story. Chaim has brought many misfortunes to Jewish families by denouncing and blackmailing them to the Polish magnate, the chief...

12. Part 12

In the same year there appeared his story from the life of the Jewish mendicants, 'Fischke the Lame.'[83] This psychological study of the impulses of the lowest dregs of society...

15. Part 15

When Rabinowitsch came into his fortune, he conceived the idea of devoting his energy and his money to the creation of a periodical such as had never before existed in Judeo-Ger...

8. Part 8

Judeo-German poetry has developed in Russia in precisely the opposite direction from the one generally taken by that branch of literature among other nations. Whereas the usual...

23. Part 23

What thoughts are now rushing through her head! How many tears she has shed since that day when the young man broke off his relations with her, and the uncouth man had become he...

7. Part 7

One of the best allegorical poems is the triad, 'The Aristocratic Marriage.' In the first part, 'The Betrothal,' he tells us how the humble Egyptian slave, Israel, was betrothed...

11. Part 11

The tragedy consists of eight scenes. The first opens with a noisy meeting at the house of Solomon Rascal, a Parnes-Chōdesch (representative of the Jewish community), on a Satur...

21. Part 21

Vun wannen hāt er plutzlim vun der heller Haut aher sich genummen? Wās känn asölcher bedarfen? Eppes asō glatt känn es nit sein, glatt asō denn nemmt män un' män kummt? Mistome...

19. Part 19

There has been and still is another potent factor in the dissemination of useful knowledge and even of good literature, that is furnished by the almanacs, of which a large numbe...

5. Part 5

Schoen bin ich, schoen, un' schoen is' mein Nāmen: Redt män mir Schiduchim vun grōsse Rabonim. Rabonische Tōre is' sēhr grōss, Un' ich bei mein Mamen a züchtige Rōs'. A Rōs' is'...

9. Part 9

The riots of the early part of the eighties affected the whole mental attitude of the Jews of Russia by rousing them to a greater consciousness of themselves and by rallying the...

6. Part 6

While the Jews of the newly acquired provinces were becoming more and more identified with their coreligionists of German Austria, their Russian and Polish brethren in the Russi...

13. Part 13

This passage fully characterizes Dick's activity, which lasted from the fifties until his death, in 1893. He was not a man of deep learning, and did not produce any masterpieces...

3. Part 3

The Jews have always possessed an innate love for story telling which was only sharpened by their travels. The religious and semi-religious stories were far from sufficient to s...

22. Part 22

Oh, I feel that my pen is too weak to describe the manner of Stempenju's playing at the Enthronement of the Bride. That was not mere playing, mere fingering of the strings: that...

14. Part 14

Of the many other shorter sketches we might mention the touching scenes in his 'Purim and Passover,' in which 'How Grandfather's Child put on her First Shoes' is the most pathet...

16. Part 16

The first of these is called 'The Stagnant Pool.' We are introduced here to the world of worms who live in the pool, who regard the green scum as their heaven, and pieces of egg...

17. Part 17

One of the most original writers of the realistic school in the manner of the Russian Chekhov is Leon Kobrin. He has lately started the publication of a 'Realistic Library,' of...

2. Part 2

Poetry was the first to be developed, as it lent itself more readily to didactic purposes; it has also, until lately, remained in closer contact with the popular poetry, which,...

20. Part 20

CHANZI-GINENDEL. (_Thut a Schmēichel._) Hm! Hm! Ihr frägt, zi bin ich noch a Mamzell! Jā! Gläubt mir, me hāt mir schōn übergeredt Schiduchim ohn' an Eck. Die Schadchonim schlāge...

24. Part 24

When Bontsie was taken to the hospital, his corner in the basement was not left unoccupied; ten people of his sort had been waiting for it, and it was auctioned off to the highe...

1. Part 1

A suggestion to write the present book reached me in the spring of 1898. At that time my library contained several hundreds of volumes of the best Judeo-German (Yiddish) literat...

26. Part 26

Bar Kochba (Der Suhn vun dem Stern), oder Die letzte Täg' vun Jeruscholaim. Eine musikalische Melodrama in Reimen, in 4 Akten un' ein Prolog mit vierzehn Bilder. Warsaw, 1887. 8...

25. Part 25

"Bontsie, my child Bontsie!" Bontsie's heart is dissolved in tears ... he would have opened his eyes, but they are covered with tears ... he has never wept such sweet tears befo...

18. Part 18

About that time two young men, Tomaschewski and Golubok, of New York, started a theatre in New York. The troupe consisted of actors who had just arrived from London, where they...

10. Part 10

The beginning of this century found the Jews of the Russian Empire living in a state bordering on Asiatic barbarism. Ages of persecution had reduced the masses to the lowest con...

29. Part 29

Perez, Leon, review of his life and works, 110-117; among the greatest writers of 19th century, 110; his productivity, 110, 111; his course of study, 111; not properly a popular...

28. Part 28

Folklore, German, among Slavic Jews, 4; its relation to medievalism, 8; in J. G., 25-52; diffusion of, 25; innate love of, 26; long survival of, 36, 27; its composite nature, 27...

27. Part 27

There are many editions of the same. In the Harvard Library are the following: Wilna, 1895, and Warsaw, 1889. The latter has for a title: Der Ben Meelach. Dā werd derzaehlt vun...

30. Part 30

[8] J. Dienesohn, _Die jüdische Sprache un' ihre Schreiber_, in _Hausfreund_, Vol. I. pp. 1-20; N. Solotkov, _A Maisse wegen Maisses; oder A Blick über die žargonische Literatur...

31. Part 31

[46] The love for songs is very old with the German Jews. Steinschneider's catalogue in the _Serapeum_ mentions a very large number of songs. See also L. Löwenstein, _Jüdische u...