A Treasury of Yiddish Stories

Overview:

  • Title: A Treasury of Yiddish Stories
  • Author: Irving Howe, Eliezer Greenberg
  • Year: 1968
  • Publisher: Fawcett Premier
  • Price: $0.95
  • Pages: 512
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Type: Anthology
  • Title Reference: The Golem
  • Notes:
    • On title page: "authorized abridgment"
    • On copyright page: "First Premier printing, May 1968"
    • This anthology contains a section devoted to the Yiddish folk tradition. Apart from a fable attributed to Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav, none of these stories have an author named, and are not entered into the database, because policies exclude "fairy tales with no known author." They are:
      • 495 • Yiddish Proverbs • trans. Isadore Goldstick, 1949
      • 498 • Stories of Hershel Ostropolier • Fourteen short humorous folktales starring a legendary character. They have been variously translated by Joseph Cheskis, Irving Howe, or Moishe Spiegel, without indication of who translated which.
        • 498 • The One to Ask
        • 498 • A Lie
        • 499 • Frost the Philanderer
        • 499 • Why Look for Another Lodger?
        • 499 • An Ingenious Plan
        • 500 • A Tale of Twenty-Four Hours
        • 502 • The Dog and Its Tail
        • 502 • From What Is Brandy Made?
        • 502 • Hershel and the Thieves (1)
        • 502 • Hershel and the Thieves (2)
        • 503 • Hershel and the Thieves (3)
        • 503 • I Promised Him Maintenance
        • 503 • Die Sooner—It'll Cost You Less
        • 504 • Why Should They Cook for the Rest of Us?
      • 504 • Tales of Chelm • Fourteen short folktales set in a legendary town of fools, preceded by an untitled one which introduces the town. These tales have been variously translated by Joseph Cheskis, Irving Howe, or Moishe Spiegel, without indication of who translated which.
        • 504 • The Hill Pushed Back
        • 506 • Barreling the Moon
        • 507 • The Bedding Shortage
        • 508 • The Cripple from Chelm
        • 509 • How the Sexton Went About Awakening the Townsmen for Prayers
        • 509 • It Could Happen Only in Chelm
        • 509 • A Crow on Trial
        • 510 • The Right Spot
        • 510 • A Hearing Aid
        • 510 • Why the Night Watchman of Chelm Was Denied a Raise
        • 510 • Teaching a Skeptic a Lesson
        • 511 • Extraordinary Thieves
        • 511 • A Proper Answer
        • 511 • Turning the Canopy
      
    • The anthology also contains an introduction by the editors (pages 7–80), a note on the folktales (pages 494–495), and a glossary (page 512).
    • A note from Vasha77: I had difficulty deciding which stories in A Treasury of Yiddish Stories were speculative enough to belong in this database. In the end, I chose to try to err on the side of inclusiveness. This anthology contains a great variety of fantastic and near-fantastic literature. We have everything from I. L. Peretz's stories which take place in Heaven, to "The Calf" which presents everyday events in a manner both whimsical and mythical. Lamed Shapiro contributes both the dreamy "The Rebbe and the Rebetsin" and the hallucinatory nightmare of "White Chalah." There are stories of miracles and stories of holy men like "Repentance." There are tall tales and fables. I have made a few notes on individual stories.
      For reference, the stories that I did not enter into the database are:
      • 96 • On Account of a Hat • short story by Sholom Aleichem • trans. Isaac Rosenfeld
      • 138 • Eternal Life • novelette by Sholom Aleichem • trans. Saul Bellow
      • 156 • Hodel • short story by Sholom Aleichem • trans. Julius and Frances Butwin, 1946
      • 170 • The Search • short story by Sholom Aleichem • trans. Norbert Guterman
      • 176 • Dreyfus in Kasrilevke • short story by Sholom Aleichem • trans. Hilde Abel
      • 207 • If Not Higher • short story by I. L. Peretz • trans. Marie Syrkin
      • 214 • A Meal for the Poor • short story by Mordecai Spector • trans. Milton Hindus
      • 219 • Sanctification of the Name: A Legend • short story by Sholem Asch • trans. Maurice Samuel, 1942
      • 224 • Kola Street • short fiction by Sholem Asch • trans. Norbert Guterman
      • 240 • The Poor Community • short story by Abraham Reisen • trans. Charles Angoff
      • 244 • Tuition for the Rebbe • short story by Abraham Reisen • trans. Anne and Alfred Kazin
      • 250 • The Recluse • short story by Abraham Reisen • trans. Sarah Zweig Betsky
      • 255 • Mazel Tov • short story by I. M. Weissenberg • trans. rving Howe and Eliezer Greenberg
      • 258 • Father and the Boys • short story by I. M. Weissenberg • trans. Isaac Rosenfeld
      • 268 • The Girl • short story by Zalman Schneour • trans. Sarah Zweig Betsky
      • 294 • Munie the Bird Dealer • short story by Moishe Kulbak • trans. Norbert Guterman
      • 310 • Competitors • short story by Jonah Rosenfeld • trans. Isaac Rosenfeld
      • 334 • May the Temple Be Restored! • short story by Joseph Opatoshu • trans. Bernard Guilbert Guerney
      • 340 • A Page from the Song of Songs • short story by Sholom Aleichem • trans. Julius and Frances Butwin, 1946
      • 346 • My First Love • short story by Moishe Nadir • trans. Hilde Abel
      • 368 • Eating Days • novelette by Lamed Shapiro • trans. Bernard Guilbert Guerney
      • 391 • In a Backwoods Town • novelette by David Bergelson • trans. Bernard Guilbert Guerney
      • 428 • The Little Shoemakers • novelette by I. Bashevis Singer • trans. Isaac Rosenfeld
      • 464 • My Quarrel with Hersh Rasseyer • novelette by Chaim Grade • trans. Milton Himmelfarb