Sephardic-American Voices: Two Hundred Years of a Literary Legacy (Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture and Life) [Hardcover]

Diane Matza (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture and Life | Publication Date: January 1, 1997

A groundbreaking literary anthology reveals the nature and history of a lesser-known but vital branch of Jewish culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This collection of writings by Sephardic American authors (Jewish authors who "trace their ancestry to Spanish, Romaniote-Greek and Middle Eastern Jews") opens a window on an aspect of American life and literature rarely seen by the larger society. Editor Matza's (English, Utica Coll.) general and individual introductions to the authors note the distinctive features of Sephardic American writing: cosmopolitanism, a female voice (among whom Sarah Melhado White and Rebecca Camhi Fromer stand out), and descriptions of a patriarchal culture. The literature covers 200 years, beginning with Penina Moishe (1798-1880), and encompasses stories of homeland and immigration, the Holocaust, identity, and biblical influence. Noteworthy selections include poet Ammiel Alcalay's contributions, Leon Sciaky's poignant description of Salonica and Greece in World War I, and Stanley Sultan's perceptive study of religious faith and generational differences, excerpted from the novel The Rabbi. Recommended for Jewish Studies and literature collections.?Gene Shaw, NYPL
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From Booklist

This unusual collection traces an often ignored strand of literary experience. A small number of Sephardic Jews arrived in the Western hemisphere in colonial times; it is their settled, confident descendants, such as Emma Lazarus and Penina Moise, who provide Matza's first, nineteenth-century selections. Between 1880 and 1924, something under 70,000 Sephardim emigrated from the eastern Mediterranean: Turkey, Greece, Yemen, and Syria. Matza discusses differences that set those Jewish immigrants apart from the dominant, Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazim from eastern Europe, yet notes that this tiny community found ways--in daily life and, later, in literature--to preserve the most cherished elements of their heritage. Contributors' stories, memoirs, and poems are grouped by period and subject, with Matza's brief commentaries clarifying the role of themes such as memory and the past, the Holocaust, and issues of identity. Mary Carroll

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 377 pages
• Publisher: Brandeis (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874517869
• ISBN-13: 978-0874517866
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,620,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)