Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 12.015 February 19, 2002 1) CFP: Teaching/Reading Yiddish Literature, MLA 03 (Dror Abend-David) 2) position: Managing Editor of the YIVO Encyclopedia (Peggy Hermann) 3) Vilnius program in Yiddish (Laima Gumuliauskaite) 4) yivo yiddish summer program (Yankl Salant) 5) new book on Bashevis (Hugh Denman) 6) New Book: Scorned my Nation (Dror Abend-David) 7) On Yiddish Women Literature in Granada (Alicia Ramos Gonzalez) 8) More on Lebensbild/lebnsbild (Nina Warnke) 9) Di yiddishe sho (Nachum Wilchesky) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 12:58:48 -0500 (EST) From: "Dror Abend-David" Subject: CFP: Teaching/Reading Yiddish Literature, MLA 03 The topic for the 2003 session arranged by the American Association of Professors of Yiddish at the Modern Language Association Annual Meeting in San Diego will be "Teaching/Reading Yiddish Literature." Yiddish literature is rarely mentioned without superlatives such as "rich," "vibrant," "unique," or even "ground-breaking." In fact, it is sometimes referred to as the building-block of modern Yiddish culture in its entirety. But though we hear of a Renaissance in Jewish studies in general, and in Yiddish studies in particular, is Yiddish literature taking its place alongside new courses in Yiddish language and linguistics, history, culture and anthropology? Is Yiddish literature taught on a comparable level to other national literatures? Proposals for this session might address (but are not limited to) the following topics: literary texts as a part of language instruction; teaching Yiddish literature in translation/original; teaching Yiddish literature at intensive summer programs (Columbia/Oxford/Vilna); teaching medieval Yiddish literature; the application of contemporary literary theory to Yiddish literature; comparative literature and Yiddish; graduate research in Yiddish literature; syllabi and curricula in Yiddish literature. Abstracts, no longer than 500 words, should be submitted by March 1, 2003. Electronic submissions are preferred. Abstracts can be sent via e-mail under the subject heading of "TYL Abstract" to Dror Abend-David, at d.abend.1@alumni.nyu.edu Proposals can also be sent by mail to: Dr. Dror Abend-David 658 Carroll St. #3-A Brooklyn, NY 11215-2037 Dror Abend-David 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 09:08:19 -0500 From: Peggy Hermann Subject: position: Managing Editor of the YIVO Encyclopedia The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research seeks F/T Managing Editor for Jews in Eastern Europe: The YIVO Encyclopedia. Working in Manhattan at the Center for Jewish History, the ME will be charged with the day-to-day management and oversight of all aspects of the encyclopedia's preparation and production. He/She will report to the Editor in Chief and will work closely with the supervising editors and publisher. ME's duties include: hiring and supervising support staff; managing project budget; preparing and administering editor and contributor contracts; supervising extensive Access database; tracking submissions from invitation to publication; supervising the acquisition and preparation of all graphic materials; overseeing the development of online version of publication; organizing editorial and other meetings as necessary; some grant writing; supervising the preparation of the final manuscript, and coordinating publication process for print and online version with publisher. Publication scheduled for 2008. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal, intellectual, administrative, editorial, and IT skills and experience. He/She must have a working knowledge of database management and word-processing expertise. Experience in reference or academic publishing and/or graduate work in a related field highly desirable. Knowledge of east European and/or Jewish languages a plus. Salary commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits. Send cover letter and resume including list of three references by January 30, 2003 to: gershon.hundert@mcgill.ca Or Professor Gershon Hundert Department of Jewish Studies 3438 McTavish Street Montreal, QC H3A 1X9 CANADA Fax: 514-398-5158 Peggy Hermann 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 16:47:23 +0100 From: Vilnius Program in Yiddish Subject: The VILNIUS PROGRAM IN YIDDISH ** July 28 - August 26, 2003 Dear Friend, The Vilnius Yiddish Institute is pleased to bring to your attention the Sixth Annual Vilnius Program in Yiddish Language and Culture, which will be held at Vilnius University in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 28 タA^O August 26, 2003. My colleagues and I would be most happy to welcome you in Vilna. The uniqueness of the program derives from its location in Vilnius, for hundreds of years Vilna (Yiddish VA-lne), a key European center of Ashkenazic Jewish creativity. The city is now a thriving capital in a modern democracy with all western amenities and offers a wide range of options for residence, dining and leisure to suit every taste and budget. The Vilnius program features accredited university courses, ranging from beginning to advanced. These comprise the programタA^Us ACADEMIC COMPONENT (five mornings a week). Participants must enroll in the entire four-week course which leads to university credit and a certificate of completion. The programタA^Us CULTURAL COMPONENT (afternoons, evenings and weekends), offers an array of activities from which participants may choose at will, based on interest and appeal. It has been specially designed by the Vilnius Yiddish Institute to enable participants to reconnect to authentic Yiddish culture, to the history of its development and its unique living civilization. The Cultural Component can be taken on its own for any length of time within the dates of the program. In the mornings you will study Yiddish intensively with two instructors, each of whom is a specialist in meeting the needs of your particular level. The classes are energetically paced. Nevertheless, individual attention is given to each student, and a tutor is on hand to help privately in the afternoons whenever needed. This year the faculty will comprise such leading and experience d Yiddish language instructors as Professor Jerold C. FRAKES, Professor of German and Comparative Literature, University of Southern California, Los Angeles (USA) Ms. Miriam HOFFMAN, lecturer of Yiddish language, Columbia University, New York (USA) Professor Avrohom LICHTENBOYM, Director of YIVO, Buenos Aires (Argentina) Dr. Robert M. SHAPIRO, Ramaz School and the Judaic Studies Department at Brooklyn College, New York (USA) Assoc. Professor Anna VERSCHIK, Chair of General and Applied Linguistics, Tallinn Pedagogical University, Tallinn (Estonia) Completed application form, you can submit at our website www.yiddishvilnius.com or send via e-mail to info@yiddishvilnius.com or fax to + 370-5 2687 186 Please contact our office for further particulars of payment options. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have relating to the program (or to the first-rate modern amenities available in todayタA^Us Vilnius), and I will get back to you quickly. You can reach me, as well as address your applications and seek for further information at the address, telephone and fax below, by e-mail at info@yiddishvilnius.com , and via our website: www.yiddishvilnius.com . VILNIUS SUMMER PROGRAM IN YIDDISH Vilnius Yiddish Institute Vilnius University Universiteto 7, Vilnius 2734 Lithuania Telephone: + 370-5 2687 187 Fax: + 370-5 2687 186 My colleagues and I hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you to Vilnius for the Summer Program 2003. Yours sincerely, Laima Gumuliauskaite Summer Program Coordinator 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 15:55:38 -0500 (EST) From: Yankl Salant Subject: yivo yiddish summer program THE YIDDISH SUMMER PROGRAM -- JUNE 23-AUGUST 1, 2003 The Uriel Weinreich Program, located on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, offers peerless instruction in Yiddish language, and an in-depth exploration of the literature and culture of East European/American Jewry. The core of the program is an intensive 3-credit language course (9am-12:30pm, Monday through Friday) at one of four levels, designed to develop proficiency in speaking, reading and writing, as well as cultural literacy, in a concentrated period of time. As an essential complement to the morning course, students are required to attend Yiddish conversation classes and can choose from among several workshops and lecture series (1:30-6pm, Monday through Thursday). In addition, there are related excursions and social events on some evenings and Sundays. The intensive nature of the program precludes employment or enrollment in other courses, and allows only limited time for tourism. Because the program is offered in conjunction with the Max Weinreich Center for Advanced Jewish Studies of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, students have the opportunity to visit YIVO at its new home in the Center for Jewish History, and to become acquainted with YIVO's Library and Archives, one of the world's major collections of materials for the study of East European and American Yiddish culture. ELEMENTARY YIDDISH Yiddish S1111R* Instructors: Staff 3 points. Daily, 9am-12:30pm An introduction to modern Standard Yiddish with equal attention to speaking, reading and writing. A thorough study of the grammar covered in chapters 1-20 of College Yiddish. INTERMEDIATE YIDDISH I Yiddish S1131R* Instructors: Staff 3 points. Daily, 9am-12:30pm Prerequisite: knowledge of chapters 1-20 of College Yiddish. A continuation of the study of grammar in College Yiddish and other grammar sources. Readings in Yiddish texts about the life and culture of East European/American Jewry. Continued emphasis on composition, conversation and idiomatic expression. Conducted in Yiddish. Permission of director. Refresher course may be required. INTERMEDIATE YIDDISH II Yiddish S1132R* Instructors: Staff 3 points. Daily, 9am-12:30pm A continuation of the study of grammar at a more advanced level. Readings in Yiddish texts about the life and culture of East European/American Jewry. Introductory survey of modern Yiddish literature. Continued emphasis on composition, conversation and idiomatic expression. Conducted in Yiddish. Permission of director. Refresher course may be required. ADVANCED YIDDISH Yiddish S3201R* Instructors: Staff 3 points. Daily, 9am-12:30pm A study of more advanced grammatical issues. A comprehensive survey of modern Yiddish literature covering major works of fiction and poetry. Continued emphasis on composition, conversation and idiomatic expression. Conducted in Yiddish. Permission of director. Refresher course may be required. *Instructors will review placement level at the beginning of the program. CONVERSATION Students participate twice weekly in required conversation classes, where they have an opportunity to experience the living culture and polish their verbal skills through exercises and discussions. WORKSHOPS Students choose from several workshops including translation, drama, folksong and traditional dance which offer direct contact with these vibrant facets of the Yiddish cultural legacy. NEW! The Yiddish teacher-training workshop returns this year for those who wish to improve their Yiddish language-teaching skills. LECTURE SERIES A lecture series, conducted in both English and Yiddish, opens new windows on the history of Yiddish language, literature and East European/American Jewish culture. Our speakers include prominent researchers as well as distinguished proponents of Yiddish culture in the United States and abroad, such as poets, artists and journalists. REFRESHER COURSE Tuesday, June 10 through Friday, June 20 Students applying for the intermediate or advanced courses are strongly urged to attend the 2-week refresher course, 2.5 hours daily, 9:30am-12:00pm. The rest of the day is unprogrammed. May be required for some students. Fee: $200 READING SKILLS WORKSHOP Sunday, June 22 Required of elementary students who have no prior reading or writing knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet. No fee. HOUSING Students may choose to live in Yidish-Hoyz, a dormitory-style arrangement with single rooms on the Columbia campus. 'Hoyzniks' have the opportunity to bring their Yiddish out of the classroom and into their daily lives. Cost is not included in tuition fee. A deposit payment will be required to guarantee a room. Limited space available. Call now to reserve. TUITION AND FEES ($US) Payable to Columbia University: Application fee (non-refundable) $35 Tuition* (Columbia students) $2634 Tuition* (visiting students) $2412 Facilities fee $27 Transcript fee (one-time only) $45 Payable to YIVO Institute: Student fee $85 Xerox and Materials $20 Refresher course (optional) $200 *Partial tuition assistance is available from YIVO. Contact YIVO for a scholarship application form. Scholarship applicants must make sure YIVO receives ALL application materials including scholarship materials by March 21, 2003. Scholarship applicants will be notified by April 25, 2003. Apply now! Space is limited. Program and fees subject to change without notice. For More Details... Yankl Salant YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 15 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6301, USA Phone: (212) 294-6138 Fax: (212) 292-1892 E-mail: ysalant@yivo.cjh.org Yankl Salant 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 15:38:22 -0500 (EST) From: Hugh Denman Subject: new book on Bashevis Mendelyaner may be interested to hear that my new book on Bashevis is about to appear: Denman, Hugh, ed., _Isaac Bashevis Singer: His Work and His World_ [IJS Studies in Judaica 1], Leiden: Brill, 2002, 318pp. [IBSN: 90-04-12564-7], E 99.00 (h.b.). The work includes valuable contributions by Anita Norich, Leonard Prager, Joseph Sherman, Chone Shmeruk (z"l), Chava Turniansky, Seth Wolitz and other prominent scholars. Among the topics covered are the relationship of the Yiddish and English texts, Bashevis and Poland, the sources of his themes as well as his motifs and narrative techniques. May I take this opportunity of thanking the increasing number of Mendelyaner who have recently taken the trouble to give accurate bibliographic details of new publications of Yiddish interest. This is of invaluable assistance to Mendelyaner in general, to those of us who have to place orders for major libraries and especially to me in my task as bibliographer to _The Mendele Review_. Very shortly I mean to resume the contribution to _TMR_ of annual bibliographies (picking up where I previously left off) of books in Yiddish, on Yiddish and translated into or out of Yiddish. These bibliographies are intended to help people keep abreast of the welter of relevant publications appearing across the world. In this endeavour the more help I get from Mendelyaner the better service I shall be able to deliver, so do keep on posting details of new books either to Mendele itself or direct to me! Hugh Denman, London 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 09:36:11 -0500 (EST) From: "Dror Abend-David" Subject: New Book: Scorned my Nation Dear Friends, I am pleased to let you know of the publication of my first book, 'Scorned my Nation:' A Comparison of Translations of The Merchant of Venice into German, Hebrew, and Yiddish. Following is some information: Dror Abend-David, 'Scorned my Nation:' A Comparison of Translations of The Merchant of Venice into German, Hebrew, and Yiddish. New York: Peter Lang, 2003. 247 pages. $65.95. ISBN: 0820457981 (Koret Jewish Publications Program Award, 2001). In this book, the German history of The Merchant of Venice highlights the Central European detour that Shakespearean reception underwent in Hebrew and Yiddish. Such a detour, with its various discomforts, is used to penetrate a current historical and political historiography, rendering Shylock a character that remembers various languages and locations, as well as multiple alternatives for political self-definition. This complex Shakespearean character speaks in many voices and for various purposes and is the only character that can provide the missing link between two contradictory Jewish stereotypes-a persecuted and victimized underling and a merciless and violent plaintive, holding out his knife to draw blood. Dror Abend-David 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 06:59:30 -0500 (EST) From: Alicia Ramos Gonzalez Subject: On Yiddish Women Literature in Granada Dear colleagues, Just a few words to inform you that the University of Granada (Spain) is supporting (from December 2002 to January 2005 on a first stage) a research project on Yiddish Women Literature, specially focused on Esther Kreytman. This research project will be developed by Dr. Alicia Ramos Gonzalez at the Instituto de Estudios de la Mujer (Women's Studies Institute) of the University of Granada. Please, don't hesitate to contact me (aramos@ugr.es) for additional information. My postal address is the following: Dra. Alicia Ramos Gonzalez Instituto de Estudios de la Mujer Edificio de Documentacion Cientifica c/ Rector Lopez Argueta, s/n Universidad de Granada 18071, Granada (SPAIN) Sincerely, Alicia Ramos Gonzalez 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:56:12 -0500 (EST) From: Nina Warnke Subject: More on Lebensbild/lebnsbild In Vol. 7 No. 11, Brigitte Dalinger responded to Leonard Prager's questions about Lebensbild/lebnsbild suggesting that the term stems from 19th century German theater and is connected with the Viennese actor and folksinger Albert Hirsch. She is certainly right that the genre was popular in Vienna. Here is some more information which might help to clarify the origins of the Lebensbild. In his study Theatre in Vienna: A Critical History, 1776-1995 (Cambridge, 1996) W. E. Yates mentions the origin of the term and genre. It seems to have been coined or at least popularized by the Viennese playwright Friedrich Kaiser who wrote his first Lebensbild, Wer wird Amtmann?, in 1840 as a programmatic response to Nestroy's satirical plays. I have been corresponding with Professor Yates in the past few weeks and asked him for some further elucidation. I quote here from his responses with his permission: "The term was not in use -- certainly not regularly so -- as a designation for a dramatic sub-genre before Friedrich Kaiser. The passage in _Theatre in Vienna_, pp.118-120, gives the context for the term: under the leadership of the astute theatre director Carl Carl, the commercial theatre in Vienna had become dominated by Nestroy, who both as satiric playwright and as actor was a comic genius. Kaiser, though a minor talent, was the most prominent of those who wanted the commercial stage to show more non-satirical, edifying, rather sentimental plays. The terms 'Lebensbild' and 'Charakterbild' (which so far as I can see Kaiser used interchangeably) are programmatic: they are directed against a satirical stylisation of dialect drama, they purport to show 'real' life and 'real' characters.... In his memoir 'Unter f］fzehn Theater-Direktoren. Bunte Bilder aus der Wiener B”nenwelt' (Vienna: Waldheim, 1870, pp. 125-26) Kaiser wrote: "Ich hatte einem neuen Genre, dem des von mir also getauften 'Lebens- oder Charakterbildes', in welchem der Ernst immer gleichen Schritt mit dem Scherze hielt, Bahn gebrochen [...]; ja ich gab mich der Hoffnung hin, da das _Volksst…k_, wie _ich_ es mir dachte, nmlich als ein treues Bild des Lebens, welches, wie Jean Paul sagt, an einem Fu疇 den Kothurn, am andern den Soccus trgt, seine Bedeutsamkeit_f〉_ und seinen Einflu _auf_ das Volk wieder gewinnen werde." [I pioneered a new genre which I named 'Lebensbild' or 'Charakterbild' and in which seriousness and humor always keep pace with each other ... Yes, I was hoping that the "Volksst…k" as I envisioned it--as a true picture of life which, in Jean Paul's words, wears the 'Kothurn' [the high shoe worn by Greek tragedians] on one foot and the 'Soccus' [the low shoe worn by Greek comedians] on the other--will regain its significance _for_ and its influence _on_ the people." (English translation by N.W.)] That sums up the mix of realism and sentimentality plus the edifying aim characteristically claimed by Kaiser (though I think that should be taken with a pinch of salt as there is a strong political subtext there). The term 'Lebensbild' was taken over by other minor dramatists in Vienna (Anton Langer, Carl Elmar, even O. F. Berg) into the 1850s and 1860s, and Kaiser himself went on using it until his death in 1874. But it was not, I note, adopted by Anzengruber, who uses the term 'Volksst…k'." Thus the term and genre "Lebensbild" was not only used by Jewish/Yiddish playwrights nor did it refer exclusively to a Jewish milieu play. I presume that Yiddish playwrights came across this sub-genre when they looked at the popular German-language repertoire for plays they could adapt. This combination of tragic, comic, and sentimental elements with a mix of realism that made up the Viennese "Lebensbild", clearly appealed to many Yiddish playwrights--that may be the reason why it became such an important genre. It started its career early: Shomer wrote "lebnsbilder" from the very beginning, so did Lateiner. Their "lebnsbilder" might be considered "sentimental realism" heavily indebted to the conventions of melodrama. In fact, Shomer who was certainly disdained for the contrivances of his stories, advocated certain realistic elements in drama and on the stage. What separated his demand for a realistic representation from that of the radical intellectuals (Gordin, Cahan, et al) was that he seemed to take the dramatic rules of melodrama as a given while the critics and playwrights championing realist drama targeted exactly these conventions (although they didn't always succeed in overcoming them). It is noteworthy that writers like Gordin and the other so-called realists among the radicals in New York tended to avoid the term, preferring to call their plays "drama"--a term that implied literary quality and "true" realism. It would certainly be worthwhile to study the "lebnsbild" as a genre, analyze its conventions, and when it came out of fashion. Nina Warnke 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 18:55:19 -0500 (EST) From: "Nachum Wilchesky" Subject: Di yiddishe sho And so it goes. Yet another milestone. 40 years ago, rather accidentally , and somewhat unsure of myself, onSunday, December 23rd 1962 at 12 noon I sat in a radio studio and in a most mellifluous voice proclaimed "Di yiddishe shoh, Hashaah hayehudit, the Jewish hour", a one hour Radio Program on CFMB 1410AM in Yiddish, Hebrew and English. Much has changed in 40 years. For one thing I very soon had to change the name from a "shoh" to a "program", in Yiddish, becaause people who wanted me to use pure Yiddish on my program when Yiddish was spoken objected to my calling it "di Yiddishe Show"! And forty years later the mellifluousness of the voice is also not what iy used to be.. Still on this Sunday, the 22nd of December we complete forty years of Broadcasting Jewish programming , and not only in Montreal , but everywhere where Jews are in the world, through the Internet on WWW.CFMB.CA. Regards, Nachum Wilchesky ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 12.015 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www.mendele.net http://ibiblio.org/yiddish/mendele.html