Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ____________________________________________________
Contents of Vol. 25.004 August 18, 2015 1) Redundant direct object (Moshe Taube) 2) Original versions of Bashevis's stories for children (Hugh Denman) 3) In geveb (Redaktsye) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: July 16 Subject: Redundant direct object Nothing redundant about "im" in this sentence [from 25.003: Tsuzamen mit der shtot iz gevaksn dos hoyz fun reb avrom hersh ashkenazi, vos me hot im gerufn dantsiker.] This is the norm. Moshe Taube 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: August 18 Subject: Original versions of Bashevis's stories for children In Mendele: Personal Notices and Announcements (16 Aug. 2015), Norman Buder enquired whether readers could help him identify the original Yiddish versions of 18 of Bashevis's stories for children [see http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/mendele/2015-August/000957.html]. As this appears to be a matter of some general interest, I venture to reply via Mendele itself in the hope of making a minute contribution to the bibliography of his oeuvre in both Yiddish and English which continues to grow more complex even after the publication of David Neal Miller's two contributions (1979 & 1983) as well as Roberta Saltzman's admirable and much more comprehensive Isaac Bashevis Singer: A Bibliography of His Works in Yiddish and English, 1960-1991 (2002), 221 pp. Some Yiddish originals remain unidentified, concealed perhaps by modified titles. Others may in fact never have been published at all and their originals, if they have not been lost or destroyed, may exist only in manuscript form. This may particularly be the case in later years when Bashevis had with some reluctance come to the conclusion that it was only through the medium of the English language that he might achieve the renown he so much desired. However, from Fraynd Buder's list, I am able to offer the following identifications: The original version of the title story of Mazel and Shlimazel or the Milk of a Lioness, tr. Elizabeth Shub, ill. Margot Zemach, New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1967, 42 pp. was 'Di geshikhte fun mazl un shlim-mazl', Forverts (12 May 1966), 2, together with 'Vi azoy mazl hot farvandelt a poyer in a har', Forverts (18 May 1966), 2 and 'Vi azoy mazl hot oysgemolkn di milkh fun a leyb', Forverts (23 May 1966), 2 (all signed: Varshavski). When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw and Other Stories, tr. the author & Elizabeth Shub, ill. Margot Zemach, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1971, 79 pp. represents 'Vi azoy shlumiel iz avek keyn varshe', Forverts (19 Sep. 1967), 2 & 6 & (20 Sep.), 4-5. The Golem, tr. the author, ill. Uri Shulevitz, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982, 83 pp. was originally 'Der goylem', Forverts (25 & 26 Apr. & 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 & 17 May 1969), 2 (in each case). 'Joseph and Koza: or, the Sacrifice to the Vistula', tr. the author & Elizabeth Shub, ill. Symeon Shimin, New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1970, 38 pp. represents 'Yoysef un koza oder a korbn fun der vaysl', Forverts (6, 12 & 13 Jul. 1968), 2 (in each case) (signed: Varshavski); reprinted as 'Yoysef un koza: dertseylung', Di goldene keyt 131 (Tel Aviv, 1991), 134-43. Alone in the Wild Forest, tr. the author & Elizabeth Shub, ill. Margot Zemach, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968, 115 pp. [= 'In vildn vald aleyn', Forverts (7 Dec. 1968), 22-3, (13 Dec.), 2 & 5 (14 Dec.), 2, (20 Dec.), 2, (21 Dec.) 2 & 5 (signed: Varshavski)]. The Topsy-Turvy Emperor of China, tr. the author & Elizabeth Shub, ill. William Pène du Bois, New York: Harper Row, 1971, 32 pp. [= 'Der kinig in khine vos hot alts ibergekert kapoyr', Forverts (8 Nov. 1965), 4]. The Wicked City, Stories for Children, tr. the author & Elizabeth Shub, ill. Leonard Everett Fisher, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1972, 39 pp. [= 'Avrom un lot', Forverts (25 Oct. 1968), 2 & 5, (26 Oct.) 2 (signed: Varshavski)]. The Fools of Chelm and Their History, tr. the author & Elizabeth Shub, ill. Uri Shulevitz, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973, 57 pp. [= 'Nokh vegn di khelemer khakhomim', Forverts (12, 18, 19, 25, 26, Feb. & 3 & 4 Mar. 1972), 2 (in each case)]. 'Naftali the Storyteller and His Horse, Sus', Naftali the Storyteller and His Horse, Sus, tr. Joseph Singer, Ruth Schachner Finkel & the author, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976 [= 'Naftole der mayse-dertseyler un zayn ferd, sus', Forverts (4, 5, 11 Dec. 1975), 2 (in each case)]. 'Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser', When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw: and Other Stories, tr. the author & Elizabeth Shub, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968 [= 'Todye der khokhem un leyzer der karger', Forverts (28 Aug. 1967), 2 & 5]. The above information is derived to some extent from my own observations, but predominantly from Saltzman (with some minor corrections). Other readers may perhaps be in a position to offer further identifications. Of course, the children’s stories Fraynd Buder chose to query represent only a small proportion of IBS’s works for young readers, let alone of his total oeuvre, so this is only a token sample of the problem. This whole question raises another important issue, namely which version should count as the original. The answer is not as obvious as it might at first seem. Sometimes the one, sometimes the other for complex reasons I won’t attempt to describe here. Suffice it to say that in many cases the ideal version (still) does not exist, since it would ideally consist of the original Yiddish, but incorporating some of the editorial changes made by Bashevis while working on the translation. This is something that was discussed by Khone Shmeruk. Hugh Denman (University College London) 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: August 18 Subject: In geveb The moderators issue a hearty shkoyekh to the promising new journal In geveb, which officially launched yesterday: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ingeveb.org_&d=AwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=D8C0VFGQIMfNsn7w8b0vfE3r3ePhWQ7ssdhDNAOIA7Y&m=QDAOMDA7AMt-wooMQTSGu7HkLTD4X8P-g4ZMT1uAwUs&s=XnYW0UVIiI_uDFMQeyPjhJQzOgXr1bdnOhsuwGiDLGw&e= ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 25.004 Please do not use the "reply" key when writing to Mendele. 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