Customer Reviews

Stories and Satires

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What could be funnier, then reading about yourself in a book that takes liberty to poke fun at your foibles? That is what Sholom Aleichem does here in this masterful translation of some of his greatest work. Starting with "Progress in Kasrilevke" if you know that he is really describing New York, you will start to see what I mean. Sholom Aleichem's visual descriptions create symbols that keep the characterizations clear. This is great art and translator Curt Leviant, does an inspired job with an idiomatic Yiddish that has been called "untranslatable." Far from it. However, keep in mind that some expressions are nearly impossible to translate, so if you come across something like "hardy hoe" just remember that this is a work of translation. For example, 'You're welcome' is 'nito far vos' - which literally translates as "There's not for what." Your reading pleasure won't be bothered by this, Curt Leviant captures the spirit of Sholom Aleichem's writings like few translators before or since. Leonard Nimoy says that, "Sholom Aleichem was one of the very few modern writers who speaks for an entire people", and "his work reaches beyond the small world of Yiddish and has captivated readers from many different countries." Arguably, Sholom Aleichem's greatest achievement was "Tevye, the Dairyman", but this collection of stories contains masterpieces that will become lifetime favorites.