The Cross And Other Jewish Stories
Shapiro, Lamed
Garrett, Leah (EDT)
Hardcover
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BOOK SUMMARY
Lamed Shapiro (1878-1948) was the author of groundbreaking and controversial short stories, novellas, and essays. Himself a tragic figure, Shapiro led a life marked by frequent ocean crossings, alcoholism, and failed ventures, yet his writings are models
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Lamed Shapiro (1878-1948) was the author of groundbreaking and controversial short stories, novellas, and essays. Himself a tragic figure, Shapiro led a life marked by frequent ocean crossings, alcoholism, and failed ventures, yet his writings are models of precision, psychological insight, and daring.
Shapiro focuses intently on the nature of violence: the mob violence of pogroms committed against Jews; the traumatic aftereffects of rape, murder, and powerlessness; the murderous event that transforms the innocent child into witness and the rabbi's son into agitator. Within a society on the move, Shapiro's refugees from the shtetl and the traditional way of life are in desperate search of food, shelter, love, and things of beauty. Remarkably, and against all odds, they sometimes find what they are looking for. More often than not, the climax of their lives is an experience of ineffable terror.
This collection also reveals Lamed Shapiro as an American master. His writings depict the Old World struggling with the New, extremes of human behavior combined with the pursuit of normal happiness. Through the perceptions of a remarkable gallery of men, women, children--of even animals and plants--Shapiro successfully reclaimed the lost world of the shtetl as he negotiated East Broadway and the Bronx, Union Square, and vaudeville.
Both in his life and in his unforgettable writings, Lamed Shapiro personifies the struggle of a modern Jewish artist in search of an always elusive home.
BOOK REVIEWS
"Lamed Shapiro confronts violence as it assaulted the Jews, unmediated and murderous. Yet as in Samson's riddle, out of the strong came something sweet. This book captures Shapiro's uniquely fused lyricism and power."-Ruth R. Wisse, Harvard University
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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0300110693
ISBN(13-digit): 9780300110692
Dewey Decimal: 839/.133
Library of Congress: 2006018701
Book Publisher: Yale Univ Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 226
Paper Weight (lb): 0.95 lb
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