With Rake in Hand
Subtitle: Memoirs of a Yiddish Poet
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: Nov 10, 2016
Language: eng
Format: hardcover
Number of pages: 312
ISBN-13: 9780815634959
Description: Joseph Rolnik is widely considered one of the most prominent of the New York Yiddish poets associated with Di Yunge, an avant-garde literary group that formed in the early twentieth century. In his moving and evocative memoir, Rolnik recalls his childhood growing up in a small town in Belarus and his exhilarating yet arduous experiences as an impoverished Yiddish poet living in New York. Working in garment factories by day and writing poetry by night, he became one of the most published and influential writers of the Yiddish literary scene. Unfolding in a series of brief sketches, poems, and vignettes rather than consistent narrative, Rolnik{u2019}s memoir is imbued with the poet{u2019}s rich, sensuous language, which vividly describes the sounds and images of his life. Marcus{u2019}s elegant translation, along with his introduction situating Rolnik{u2019}s poetry in its literary historical context, gives readers a fascinating account of this underappreciated literary treasure. --
Notes: Source title: With Rake in Hand: Memoirs of a Yiddish Poet (Judaic Traditions in Literature, Music, and Art)