Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 13.017 March 3, 2004 1) kanarik (Hesh Jacobs) 2) kinder lidlekh (Mel Poretz) 3) nit gedayget (Bob Rothstein) 4) Yiddish Biographical Dictionary (Joseph Sherman) 5) a yidishe hagode (Libe Gritz) 6) Yiddish blogs (Noyekh Miller) Visit Mendele on the Web: http://www.mendele.net 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: March2, 2004 From: Hesh & Blanche Jacobs Subject: Re: kanarik At the Arbeter Ring Camp Hofnung (Pipersville PA), we used to call the children in the youngest bungalows "Kanariklekh) Hesh Jacobs (efsher shoyn genug kanarik?) 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: March 2, 2004 From: EMPE@aol.com Subject: kinder lidlekh Here is the closest approximation I can manage after not hearing a song for almost fifty years. (Sung as the baby is bounced up and down, legs alternately flexed and bent in rhythm to the song). Tanse a bissele Leb a sakh Hub a tibbele mit a dakh Tanse a bissele Leb a sakh Leyben zol der kind a zakh. Can someone put the right words to this charmer? Mel Poretz 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: March 3, 2004 From: "Robert A. Rothstein" Subject: Nit gedayget Jascha Kessler pointed out (13.016) that "The Communist camp in the 30s at Beacon, NY, was called Camp Nit Gedayget...or Camp Carefree, in English [or Sans Souci in French]." (See also the discussion in vol. 5 of MENDELE and the text of what was presumably the camp song in 8.101). The Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, who visited there several times in 1925, wrote a poem in Russian called "Kemp Nit Gedayge," and Perets Markish wrote an epic poem and a play about Jewish collective farmers called "Nisht gedayget." Bob Rothstein 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: March 3, 2004 From: "Joseph Sherman" Subject: Yiddish Biographical Dictionary Call for contributors I am at present editing a Biographical Dictionary of Yiddish Writers, which will appear in early 2005 as part of the series _Dictionary of Literary Biography_, published by Bruccoli Clark Layman. This distinguished series has already published 278 volumes covering different languages and geographical areas, and the Yiddish volume will fill an important gap in the history of world literature. A number of eminent scholars have already contributed essays on important Yiddish writers, but many great names in our literature have not yet found biographers. In consequence, I have been obliged to ask the publishers to extend the deadline for the delivery of the completed manuscript to enable me to appeal to all scholars and researchers to contribute to this important project. While there are a number of different reference works that cover similar ground, each addresses a different readership. Yiddish literature needs to be made widely known to as many different kinds of reader as can be reached. Essays should be between six and eight thousand words, and should contain a comprehensive bibliography, especially of works available in English translation. Each essay should aim to be as comprehensive and authoritative as possible, and should seek to address both an informed and a lay readership. The deadline for all contributions, which will be paid for by the publishers, is the end of June 2004. If you are interested in contributing an essay on one of the authors listed below, please contact me personally at the following e-mail address: joseph.sherman@oriental-institute.ox.ac.uk I shall be happy to supply you with all the relevant information, style guides and schedule of payment. I look forward to hearing from you. The authors who still need biographers are as follows: Sholem Asch Moyshe Broderzon Peretz Hirshbeyn Dovid Hofshteyn Leyb Kvitko Zishe Landau Moshe Nadir Leyb Naydus Der Nister Yoysef Opatoshu Yehoshua Perle Dovid Pinski Avrom Reyzen Eli Shekhtman Eliezer Shtaynbarg Y.Y. Trunk Yehoash I look forward to hearing from you. Joseph Sherman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: March 3, 2004 From: Katz Gritz Mishpokhe Subject: a yidishe hagode I attended the Workmen's Circle Shule in the 1960's where we always had a seder conducted entirely in Yiddish. So check the Workmen's Circle---perhaps they still have Yiddish haggadahs. A few years ago, I also saw them at the National Yiddish Book Center. Zayt gezunt. Libe Gritz [See also the post by Bernard Katz in Mendele 10.001. nm] 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: March 3, 2004 From: nmiller@trincoll.edu Subject: Yiddish blogs I'm sure that many Mendelistn are already aware of the existence of blogs written in mameloshn. Those who have not yet done so might have a look at these four: http://www.israblog.co.il/blogread.asp?blog=5801 (Sholem Berger) http://www.israblog.co.il/blogread.asp?blog=1782 (Katle Kanye) http://www.israblog.co.il/blogread.asp?blog=7203 (Noam Starik) http://www.israblog.co.il/blogread.asp?blog=29254 (Bar Pakhti) The first three are writers of quality and their Yiddish is a joy to read. All have deep roots in the haredi/hasidic world, so you should expect to run across more Hebrew and Aramaic phrases than you do in, say, a YIVO bulletin. What they have to say is of the greatest interest and, particularly in Katle Kanye's case, is said with style and wit. Noam Starik is very well-informed about Yiddish literature and an array of other matters. Sholem Berger's deft hand is familiar to us on Mendele but no less welcome for that. Highly recommended. There is one more blog worth mentioning: http://www.israblog.co.il/blogread.asp?blog=27529&year=2004&month=3 (a yidisher farbrengung). This is a bulletin board with an assortment of mostly haredi writers, talents and points of view. It affords a glimpse into a Yiddish-speaking world we know about but seldom visit. There are other blogs or bulletin boards available and perhaps we'll hear about the rest in time. Those I've mentioned are displayed best in Internet Explorer. Noyekh Miller ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 13.017 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu