Yiddish Wisdom: Yiddishe Chochma [Hardcover]

Kristina Swarner (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1996

All the color, vibrancy, and humor of Yiddish is captured in this delightfully illustrated treasury of over 100 folk sayings in both English and Yiddish. From the sublime (Man thinks and God laughs/A mentsh tracht un Got lacht) to the practical (When you look to the heights, hold onto your hat/Az du kukst oif hoicheh zachen, halt tsu dos hitl), Yiddish Wisdom collects the best from the Old Country. The perfect icebreaker for social gatherings' mah jongg games, and coffee klatches, this enchanting volume also makes a charming gift for any happy occasion.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The wisdom of Yiddish sayings addresses life's essential questions with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Kristina Swarner culled over 100 sayings of old-world wit, included English translations for all, and added her own Chagall-like illustrations. There's the snide "The masses are asses" (der oilem iz a goilem), the wise "Loans will get you moans" (borgen macht zorgen), and the profound "If you lie down with the dogs, you get up with the fleas" (az me shloft mit hint shtait men oif mit flai). They're a delight to read, a challenge to memorize, and a pleasure to recite.

Language Notes

Text: English, Yiddish (translation)
Original Language: Yiddish

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811812022
• ISBN-13: 978-0811812023
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Yiddish
  • #23 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Yiddish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You'll love the wit and wisdom of the book!, January 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Yiddish Wisdom: Yiddishe Chochma (Hardcover)

This book makes a great gift for anyone. It is full of wonderful sayings that apply to many different situations. I bought 6!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, February 28, 2007

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Yiddish Wisdom: Yiddishe Chochma (Hardcover)

This is a great little book with more than 120 sayings from the Eastern European Jewish community, in their Yiddish lingua Franca. There's lots of wisdom here, as well as expression of frustration over their powerless and impoverished situation. Readers will enjoy the Yiddish humor as well. Try it. I found this to be a great little book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good for general readers as well as Yiddish learners, May 11, 2007

By 

Sean Burke (Ketchikan, Alaska, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yiddish Wisdom: Yiddishe Chochma (Hardcover)

This is a great book not just for people who want to hear some of Yiddish culture's warm but often ironic wit ("Az me hot gelt, iz men klug un shain un men ken gut zingen"- "If you have money, you are wise and good-looking and can sing well too"!), but also for people looking to practice their Yiddish, as every Yiddish phrase is accompanied by its English translation, and the syntax is as straightforward as the ideas are complex.

One note, though: The Yiddish is presented only in Latin script (which I personally prefer; but some others prefer Hebrew script), and it does not use the standard YIVO spelling, but is so close that it's not a problem even for beginning students. For example, this book has "Fun dein moil in Got's oi'eren arein!" where YIVO standard (such as you'd find in most grammars and dictionaries) would be the quite similar "Fun dayn moyl in Gots oyern arayn!".

(But, you know, as p27 says, "es iz laichter tsu zein a mevaker vi a mechaber"- "it's easier to be a critic than an author".)