Classic Yiddish Stories of S. Y. Abramovitsh, Sholem Aleichem, and I. L. Peretz

Two early works by S.Y. Abramovitsh introduce the reader to Abramovitshs alter ego Mendele the Book Peddler. Mendele narrates both The Little Man and Fishke the Lame. In different voices, he also presents a diverse cast of characters including Isaac Abraham as tailors apprentice, choirboy, and corrupt businessman. Reb Alter tells of his matchmaking mishap and Fishke relates his travels through the Ukraine with a caravan of beggars. Sholem Aleichems Tevye reemerges from new translations of ""Hodel"" and ""Chava"" in all of his comic splendor. Notes enable students to follow Tevyes uneven steps through Bible quotations. Four of Sholem Aleichems other eloquent monologists come back to haunt us in scintillating translations. The selections from Peretz include his finest stories about the hasidim, such as ""Kabbalists,"" ""Teachings of the Hasidim,"" and the ironic tale ""The Rebbes Pipe."" A fresh rendering of Peretzs masterpiece ""Between Two Mountains"" represents the meeting of an inspirational rebbe and an awe-inspiring rabbi. Following the translations are three biographical essays about these giants of modern Yiddish literature.