From Library Journal
This useful new reference profiles the lives and works of influential authors associated with the Holocaust, whether as victim, as survivor, or in some other close capacity. Edited by Patterson (Judaic studies, Univ. of Memphis), Alan L. Berger (director of Holocaust and Judaic studies, Florida Atlantic Univ.), and Sarita Cargas (who has masters degrees in both theology and psychology), this work includes all the major writers among its 128 authors. Each signed entry contains three informal parts: an introductory section that considers the author's particular significance within Holocaust literature, a brief biographical section, and a longer critical examination of the author's most influential work. The entries are adequate in length and are followed by thumbnail bibliographies of works both by and about the author. The appendixes list the profiled authors chronologically, geographically, and by birth names if pseudonymous. The two wonderful bibliographies include the "Bibliography of Critical Studies of Holocaust Literature," which will help students at many levels, and the comprehensive "Bibliography of Primary Works of Holocaust Literature," which points to a legion of authors not covered in the encyclopedia. This suggests the work's one drawback: it is hard to glean the rationale for inclusion and exclusion. The editors state that the literature of second-generation writers is significantly different and therefore excluded, but the selection of those who did not survive the Holocaust seems somewhat random. Nevertheless, this is the first significant encyclopedia in the field and is suitable for academic, public, and school libraries. Academic libraries may want to wait to take a look at S. Lillian Kremer's Holocaust Literature: An Encyclopedia of Writers and Their Work, a two-volume reference that promises over 300 author entries, due out from Routledge in December. Paul D'Alessandro, Portland P.L., ME
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
This important and sensitive work presents a detailed look at the writings and lives of authors who survived, perished in, or were closely connected to the Holocaust (1933-1945). It gives fresh voice to the Holocaust Studies subject area, which has seen many new publications in the last few years and thus needs a strong survey text that helps put these writings into historical and literary context.
About 130 authors are covered in this work. All are first generation and wrote personal testimonies in the form of novels, memoirs, diaries, or plays in response to the Holocaust. Most, but not all, of the writers are Jewish. The writers did not all live in Europe during the Holocaust, but all were deeply influenced by its legacy.
Readers familiar with this genre will recognize important names that have subject entries: Aharon Appelfeld, Anne Frank, Viktor Frankl, Primo Levi, Elie Wiesel. Many others are given prominent treatment, including Adam Czerniakow, Anatoli Kuznetsov, and Isaiah Spiegel. People from all the European countries are included, although there is an understandable emphasis on those who wrote in English. Each entry answers several basic questions: the writer's literary response to the Holocaust, how that response is unique or distinctive, and how the author's work contributes to an overall understanding of the Holocaust. Each entry also contains detailed biographical data that helps put the writings into context, such as when and where the writer was in a death camp or at what age he or she became a refugee. The contributors provide powerful documentation and original research in presenting their subjects' literary messages and biographies. In addition to the bibliographies of primary and secondary works attached to the entries, the volume's "Bibliography of Primary Works of Holocaust Literature" is very comprehensive and will be a great aid to those doing primary research. Helpful appendixes include authors by date of birth, authors by country of birth, and birth names for authors writing under pen names.
The volume's arrangement and detailed, analytic treatment make it unique. Holocaust Literature: A Handbook of Critical, Historical, and Literary Writings, edited by Saul Friedman (Greenwood, 1993), has a subject approach, and some may want to consult that volume for a different access point to the topic. The authoritative Bibliography of Holocaust Literature (Westview, 1986) and its supplement classify more than 10,000 works of all types. The Oryx volume will be a strong addition to public and academic libraries, especially the many with Holocaust classes at the graduate or undergraduate level. Many librarians will be able to use the extensive bibliography as a collection development tool. Bearing Witness: A Resource Guide to Literature, Poetry, Art, Music, and Videos by Holocaust Victims and Survivors [RBB Ap 15 02] covers some of the same writers and is a good choice for public and school libraries. RBB
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