Tales of Mendele the Book Peddler: "Fishke the Lame" and "Benjamin the Third" (Yiddish Classics Series) [Paperback]

S.Y. Abramovitsh (Author)

Book Description

Series: Yiddish Classics Series | Publication Date: October 1, 1996

The founding father of modern Yiddish fiction, Abramovitsh created a rich tapestry of small-town Jewish life in the Russian Pale of Settlement with stories full of humor, heart, and homespun truths. Here are two of his best-known and best-loved tales: "Fishke the Lame" and "Benjamin the Third."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dan Miron, a professor of Hebrew at both Columbia University and Hebrew University in Jerusalem, explains in a scholarly 70-page introduction that Mendele, the book peddler, was not so much a pseudonym used by Sholem Yankev Abramovitsh as an alternative identity. Abramovitsh, already an established writer of sophisticated Hebrew criticism and short stories, created the character of Mendele in 1863 to allow him to write in vernacular Yiddish, which at that time was considered a barrier to modernity by intellectual cosmopolitan Jews. Later, Mendele's hilarious, digressive, and compassionate tales were recognized as classics of the language. Presented here are marvelous translations of the exploits of Benjamin the Third, a Jewish Don Quixote; and Fishke the Lame, a long-suffering beggar.

From Publishers Weekly

Dubbed "the grandfather of Yiddish literature" by Sholem Aleichem, Abramovitsh (1835-1917) was renowned in the latter half of the 19th century for putting the Eastern European shtetl and its impoverished inhabitants under the magnifying glass of literary realism. Indeed, he has a splendid eye for detail: the pages here bristle with robust descriptions of people, animals and scenery that, in the piquant vernacular of the translation, recall Mark Twain. But unlike Twain, in "Fishke the Lame" (1888), a novella-length monologue by an itinerant country peddler, Abramovitsh doesn't propel his observations with much narrative drive. The overall result is a sluggish, meandering river of words that readers, especially those who have slogged through the 70 pages of dissertation-like introduction, may want to climb out of midstream. The short story, "Benjamin the Third," (1878) would have been a better choice to open this volume. Here, Abramovitsh is in fine form with a smartly paced mock-epic recounting of the misadventures of an ignorant rube from a tiny shtetl who goes off to find the Holy Land. Apart from the latter tale, this tome is best appreciated by those of scholarly bent.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Schocken (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080521013X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805210132
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,757,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Medieval Jewish life in fiction, October 22, 1999

By 

Esther Nebenzahl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of Mendele the Book Peddler: "Fishke the Lame" and "Benjamin the Third" (Yiddish Classics Series) (Paperback)

This work is certainly a "must" for anyone interested in Jewish fiction. "Tales of Mendele, the Book Peddler" is a rich source of information about a Jewish life all too often forgotten and neglected, life amongst the Jewish vagabonds, rascals, the poorest of the poor. Even within the scoundrel of society you may find the deepest human feelings and faith in the values rooted in Jewish tradionts, here represented by the character Fishke the Lame. What a lovely character! The message is clear: because the Jewish community isolated itself from the rest of the world, a stigma was created which contributed to a growing prejudice against that same community. "The Brief Travels of Benjamin the Third" is indeed brief! Althogh some critics rightly draw a parallel with "Quijote and Sancho Panza," no doubts this novel falls short of Cervantes classic. The initial impetus of the work promises a great journey, but soon it dwindles and the reader is left with the impression the writer gave up and went about into other matters. An "unfinished symphony..."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Would European Jewery Please Stand Up, July 26, 2001

By 

Darren Shmuel Rockman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of Mendele the Book Peddler: "Fishke the Lame" and "Benjamin the Third" (Yiddish Classics Series) (Paperback)

In Jerusalem there is a short street called Mendele Mocher Sefarim Street. The street is in the heart of Jerusalem's bustling Jewish life. From its rooftops, one can see almost see across to the Temple Mount, the source of inspiration for Jews throughout the ages.

This volume contains within it some a critical analysis of Jewish life in 19th and early 20th century Europe. Focusing on the down-and-outs of Jewery, Mendele portrays a hypocritical society and one that is much to blame for its misery. Fishke the Lame is a heart wrenching tale. Built as a story within a story, in a manner reminisant of Kabalistic thinking, the book lambasts everything from the poor to Jewish learning and practice. Benjamine the Third is light-hearted and humorous, but the underlying themes are the same - the foolish Jews of Europe living in their insular world.

I wonder what Mendele would make of his namesake street?

For one that seemingly saw little value in the traditional life of European Jewery, would he be pleased that all around there are Jews whose commitment to the Law is unshaken by the barrage of criticism launched by the enlightened Jews of his age?

Despite its themes, this is a worthwhile volume for anyone who cares about the Jewish past and what it means for a jewish future.