Author Falk Zolf lovingly describes life in his shtetl (village) of Zastavia prior to the First World War. As a young boy, the most pressing issue in his life is whether he will continue to follow the "derekh ha-yoysher" (path of righteousness), or be drawn instead into the secular world of his older brother, the "apikoyros" (freethinker). The outbreak of war in August 1914 thrusts the 16-year-old yeshiva-bokher into the turmoil of 20th-century politics: war, revolution, nationalism, Zionism, and the rise of modern anti-semitism. The book follows Zolf’s adventures, from the tragic to the humorous, as fate leads him on a remarkable quest through the length and breadth of Old Russia. The book is remarkable for the way in which Zolf’s personal story is played out against a background of world-shaking historical events. “Oyf Fremder Erd” was first published in Winnipeg in 1945.
About the translation: This unique translation is designed to let the reader experience the story, to the greatest extent possible, in its original Yiddish form. At first, isolated words are introduced in Yiddish; later, short phrases and finally whole sentences. To the very end of the book, enough English is retained so that the reader can follow the thread of the story; but the reader with an ear for Yiddish will find enjoyment of the book greatly enhanced by the rich Yiddish dialogue and colorful expressions.
