The world famous fables of poet and fabulist Eliezer Shtaynbarg are collected here in both Yiddish and English for the first time.
"Shtaybarg's fables are the work of a genius."—Chaim Bialik
"The most imaginative fabulist in modem Yiddish literature."—Irving Howe
The fable has a 3000-year-old tradition in Jewish literature, going back to the Bible and the Talmud. Other works of fables abound in the long stream of Hebrew literature, but it was not until the advent of the illustrious poet and fabulist, ‘Eliezer Shtaynbarg that fable writing in Yiddish was honed to perfection. His originality, narrative skill, deft characterizations, comic sensibility, and moral fervor placed him squarely in the artistic tradition of Aesop, La Fontaine, and Krylov.
This volume marks the first time that a book has been devoted solely to his work. Expertly translated from the Yiddish by award-winning author and translator Curt Leviant, this edition features the fables printed in both English and Yiddish.
Eliezer Shtaynbarg (1880-1932) was one of the most original and talented of the Yiddish poet/writers. His works have been translated into many languages worldwide.
Curt Leviant is professor of Hebrew and Yiddish at Rutgers University and is the author of several books, including the novels The Yemenite Girl and Diary of an Adulterous Woman, both published by Syracuse University Press.
