Publisher's Synopsis
Writings on Yiddish and Yiddishkayt, The War Years, 1939-1945 is the first in a three-volume series, featuring twenty-five carefully curated essays (selected from over 150) written from just before the start of World War II through to its immediate aftermath. Isaac Bashevis Singer originally published each of these pieces under pseudonyms in Forverts, the world's oldest Yiddish newspaper, when he was still relatively unknown. The essays are arranged chronologically, offering readers the unique opportunity to bear witness to the shifts in Singer's perspective as history unfolded--a rarity for English audiences, considering that much of Singer's work was written well before it was eventually translated. Short introductory paragraphs also accompany each piece, offering exact publication dates and remarks about the larger historical and cultural context of Singer's writing.
