The World According to Itzik; Selected Poetry and Prose,9780300092486

The World According to Itzik; Selected Poetry and Prose

by ; ;
ISBN13: 9780300092486
ISBN10: 0300092482
Format: Trade Book
Pub. Date: 2002-07-11
Publisher(s): Yale University Press
List Price: $65.00

Rent Textbook

Select for Price
Add to Cart
There was a problem. Please try again later.

New Textbook

We're Sorry
Sold Out

Used Textbook

We're Sorry
Sold Out

eTextbook

We're Sorry
Not Available

Summary

In the years between 1929 and 1939, when Itzik Manger wrote most of the poetry and fiction that made him famous, his name among Yiddish readers was a household word. Called the Shelley of Yiddish, he was characterized as being "drunk with talent." This book -- the first full-length anthology of Manger's work -- displays the full range of his genius in poetry, fiction, and criticism.

The book begins with an extensive historical, biographical, and literary-critical introduction to Manger's work. There are then excerpts from a novel, The Book of Paradise, three short stories, autobiographical essays, critical essays, and finally, Manger's magnificent poetry -- ballads, bible poems, personal lyrics, and the Megilla Songs. These works, which have the patina of myths acquired ages ago, also offer modern psychological insight and irrepressible humor. With Manger we make the leap into the Jewish twentieth century, as he recreates the past in all its layered expressiveness and interprets it with modernist sensibilities.

Author Biography

Leonard Wolf is a distinguished novelist and translator of Yiddish books, short stories, and poetry. He has taught courses in New York University's School of Continuing Education since his retirement from San Francisco State University

Table of Contents

Let Us Sing Simply x
Introduction xiii
POETRY
Itzik's Midrash
Introduction
3(1)
The Sacrifice of Itzik
4(1)
I Praise Thee Lord
5(1)
Eve and the Apple Tree
5(2)
Eve Brings Adam the Apple
7(1)
Abraham Scolds Lot
8(2)
Lot's Daughters
10(1)
A Abraham and Sarah
11(1)
Hagar's Last Night in Abraham's House
12(1)
Hagar Leaves Abraham's House
13(2)
Hagar on Her Journey
15(1)
Abraham Takes Itzik to the Sacrifice
16(1)
The Patriarch Abraham Gets a Letter
17(2)
Rachel Goes to the Well for Water
19(1)
The Patriarch Jacob Meets Rachel
20(1)
Leah Brings Mandrakes from the Field
21(1)
Jacob Teaches the Story of Joseph to His Sons
22(2)
Bathsheba
24(1)
King k David and Abishag
25(1)
Abishag Writes a Letter Home
26(1)
Cain and Abel
27(2)
King David
29(1)
Songs of the Megillah
Prologue
30(1)
Invocation
31(1)
The Song of the Runner
31(1)
How the Blessed Mordecai Found Favor in the Eyes of the King
32(2)
Queen Vashti
34(1)
The King's Banquet
35(2)
Vashti's Song of Grief
37(2)
Queen Vashti Being Led to Execution
39(1)
Esther Getting Ready for the King
40(1)
Mordecai Leaving Esther's Wedding
41(2)
Fastrigosso's Elegy
43(1)
Queen Esther Can't Sleep
44(1)
Fastrigosso Dreaming
45(2)
The Blessed Mordecai, the Mediator
47(1)
The Queen Comes to the King
48(1)
Fastrigosso Has the Birds Carry a Greeting to Esther
49(1)
Haman Telephones Vayzosse, the Editor, at His Office
50(2)
Fonfosso, the Master Tailor, Delivers a Eulogy on Fastrigosso
52(1)
The King Ahasuerus After the Assassination Attempt
53(2)
Mordecai Comes to Queen Esther
55(1)
Wicked Haman Can't Sleep
56(1)
Wicked Haman in the King's Courtyard
56(3)
Fonfosso and His Apprentices Sew a Uniform for Haman
59(1)
Pious Mordecai Waits for Satan
60(2)
The Master Tailor, Fonfosso, Prepares to Fast
62(1)
Queen Esther, Fasting
63(1)
Haman Gets Ready for the Masked Ball
64(2)
The King Is Angry
66(1)
Haman Being Taken to the Gallows
67(1)
The Master Tailor, Fonfosso, Presides over a Banquet
68(2)
Fastrigosso's Mother Lights a Memorial Candle
70(2)
Ballads
The Ballad of the White Glow
72(1)
The Ballad of the Crucified and the Verminous Man
73(1)
Old-Fashioned Ballad
74(2)
Hospital Ballad
76(2)
The Ballad of the Man Riding to the Fair
78(1)
Ballad
79(2)
The Ballad of the Blue Pitchers
81(2)
The Ballad of the Necklace of Stars
83(2)
Erotic Ballad
85(1)
The Ballad of the Man Who Went from Gray to Blue
86(4)
Occasional Poems
In the Train
90(1)
Satan's Prayer
91(2)
Evening
93(1)
Saint Besht
94(2)
Like a Murderer
96(1)
With Silent Steps
96(1)
November
97(2)
At the Kolomey Station
99(1)
Twilight
100(1)
The Words of the Journeyman Tailor Notte Manger to the Poet
101(1)
There Is a Tree That Stands
102(2)
Rabenu Tam
104(1)
Reb Levi Yitskhok
105(1)
Since Yesterday
105(1)
For Years I Wallowed
106(1)
Epilogue
107(4)
PROSE
Autobiographical Episodes
Childhood Years in Kolomey
111(6)
At Grandmother Taube's in Stopchet
117(6)
A Portrait of a Tailor's Workshop
123(12)
Fiction
Excerpts from The Book of Paradise
135(61)
The Tales of Hershel Summerwind
196(11)
The Story of the Nobleman's Mustaches
207(11)
The Rabbi of Chelm: May His Memory Be Blessed
218(7)
Essays
First Letter to X. Y.
225(2)
The Ballad: The Vision of Blood
227(2)
Sholem Aleichem, the One and Only
229(7)
Folklore and Literature
236(9)
Notes 245

An electronic version of this book is available through VitalSource.

This book is viewable on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and most smartphones.

By purchasing, you will be able to view this book online, as well as download it, for the chosen number of days.

Digital License

You are licensing a digital product for a set duration. Durations are set forth in the product description, with "Lifetime" typically meaning five (5) years of online access and permanent download to a supported device. All licenses are non-transferable.

More details can be found here.

A downloadable version of this book is available through the eCampus Reader or compatible Adobe readers.

Applications are available on iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Windows Mobile platforms.

Please view the compatibility matrix prior to purchase.