The Yiddish Literature of Russian Jew

The Yiddish Literature of Russian Jewry

Mar 29, 1967

Novelist Maurice Samuel discusses the development of the Yiddish language and literature. This lecture is part of a series exploring the Yiddish language. He examines the historical evolution of Yiddish as a folk language, and its commonalties with the German language. Samuel reads several passages in both Yiddish and English from three classic Yiddish authors, Mendele Moykher, Sholem Aleichem, and Isaac Leib Peretz. He examines how their writings approach aspects of dualism, culture, and Jewish representation, and discusses how these authors have impacted modern Yiddish literature. The lecture is followed by audience questions.

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