The Brothers Ashkenazi (Twentieth-Century Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

I. J. Singer (Author), Joseph Singer (Translator), Irving Howe (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995 | Series: Twentieth-Century Classics

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the great books. . . . It can be compared to Tolstoy's War and Peace without condescension. --New York Sun

The book has the grand sweep of Tolstoy. . . with pitch-perfect artistry and pace. --Wall Street Journal

The Brothers Ashkenazi rates a place on any shelf devoted to modern works of art. --Newsweek

The most important novel of Jewish life so far published in English. --Philip Rahv --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, Yiddish (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140187774
• ISBN-13: 978-0140187779
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,451,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent!!!!, June 29, 2004

By 

Javier Echavarri (Madrid, Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brothers Ashkenazi (Twentieth-Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

What also struck me is the angry and pessimistic tone that Singer employs throughout the story. Most characters are mean and selfish, inflicting continuous suffering to others. As the preface points out (at least in the Spanish edition), Singer seems to have a premonition concerning the fate of the Jewish community in the years following the novel.

This is a fantastic historical saga, very educational and thought-provoking.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is good story, rich in character and broad in reach., August 9, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brothers Ashkenazi (Twentieth-Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

The story begins at the beginning, prior to the nearly simultaneous birth of two brothers. Not quite Cain and Abel, the brothers grow apart and together, mixing people,places,positions. With verve and breadth, it tells how each individual becomes his own choices, with the help and the hindrance of the Jewish community in Poland in the early 20th century. What a story!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Range and Depth, December 17, 2005

By 

Eric Maroney (Trumansburg, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brothers Ashkenazi (Twentieth-Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

I.J. Singer's Brothers is a compendium of the Jewish experience in 20th century Europe. The full compliment of elements are here that we have come to expect in a Yiddish novel that deals with the breakdown of traditional Jewish life. Very similar to Buddenbrooks and other novels of a family's decline, the Brothers seems to view history as essentially degenerating; in the end, we are left without a way out of the morass of modernity.