Bociany

Library of Modern Jewish Literature

by Chava Rosenfarb

Sholem Aleichem romanticized shtetl life. Isaac Bashevis Singer eroticized it. ln the novel Bociany and its sequel, Of Lodz and Love, Chava Rosenfarb brings a vanished world to vibrant, compelling life. Rosenfarb follows the destinies of characters from the Polish town of Bociany as they grow up, grow old, and leave the shtetl for the city. In Bociany, Rosenfarb offers completely absorbing portrayals of Jews and Christians from several walks of life in the shtetL Her primary characters are the scribe's widow Hindele, her son Yacov, the chalk vendor Yossele Abedale, and his daughter Binele. Jewish relations with neighboring Catholics are generally civil, if complicated. Despite living next door to a convent, Hindele finds the nuns' behavior implacably alien. Rosenfarb establishes an indelible sense of place, evoking its charm and the shtetl residents' ease with the natural world. Her vivid characters and portrait of the preurban, pre-Holocaust world ring true. Yet even in isolated Bociany, new ideas—socialism, Zionism, Polish nationalism, secularism—begin to challenge the shtetl's traditional agrarian and mercantile economy.

Genres: Historical Fiction

440 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999

About the author

Holocaust survivor and Jewish-Canadian author of Yiddish poetry and novels

Reviews

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book that transported you to another place or time? One that was so absorbing that you couldn't put it down? That's how I feel about Bociany. Set around the turn of the 20th century in a small village in Poland, Jews and Gentiles, almost all very poor, live uneasily side by side. The characters are vividly described, as is the landscape of the village, including the storks which nest there, ostensibly bringing good luck. (In fact, bociany means stork in Polish.) There is a lot of talk about religion, accompanied by superstition, violence, and drunkenness, but also kindness and neighbors caring for each other. The author, who survived both Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz, and emigrated to Canada, originally wrote the book in Yiddish, and did an amazing job translating it into English. I look forward to reading the second volume in this story, Of Lodz and Love.

[Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never heard of Chava Rosenfarb until I read People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present , which gave her novels a glowing review. To be honest, I wasn't expecting all that much, but I absolutely loved this book, which may be the best "Old Country" Jewish content I've consumed since Fiddler on the Roof. The book does not center around one character, but rather the shtetl of Bociany in early 20th century Poland.
I love the complex dynamics of Bociany, where Jews and gentiles coexist in a perpetually tense interdependence. The fear of another pogrom is always in the back of the Jews' minds, but they keep living their lives, finding joy in their traditions even as they constantly navigate a power dynamic that could turn deadly at any time. Within the Jewish community, there are Zionists, Bundists, kabbalists, chasidim, and more–they are incredibly divided except when danger approaches and they unite to avoid it. The characters are fascinating, deeply flawed yet sympathetic. They are all easily judged, and frequently judged by other characters, but Rosenfarb's narration does not pick a clear side, leaving final judgment up to the reader. I finished the book without any understanding of Rosenfarb's political or spiritual convictions, which I think is a good thing – she successfully captures the wide range of convictions in the shtetl without being heavy-handed or preachy. I also liked the non-ending a lot more than I expected. Rosenfarb does not give Bociany a Hollywood ending, not even a tragic one. Nothing is tied together with a neat little bow. The end of the story left me with more questions than answers. And yet—that's life, isn't it? To give a tidy ending would be to betray the profound uncertainty of shtetl life.

[Dale Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Bociany for a book club and it was one of those books I slogged through- just so that I could be loyal to the club and enjoy the discussion. Having said that, it was worth reading and lead to a robust and interesting discussion. It's about "the Polish town of Bociany" according to the book leaf- and a shtetl in the pale according to most people in my book group. It's poetic and at times, I was in the world that the author created. Her descriptions were beautiful. I was warned about the complexity of the book by other club members, so I carefully wrote the names of all characters and relationship to each other as they were introduced. That helped. But when the author left a subplot and then came back to it, she did not include information to link the two. So I was often confused. If I read the book again, I would read it on Kindle, where you can do a search and find the section with the subplot. Or I would write down what happened in each chapter. I needed a Cliff's notes or a summary. Or maybe the book would have been a great condensed book. Having said that, I think reading it as an experience, was in some small way like the experience of living in Bociany. People were poor and superstitious. The book described the arc of their relationships, their experience with a pogrom, their spiritual struggles, and one got a sense of the sociology of the town. I am glad that I read it.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me some work to read and I seemed to go slow but it was worth every minute.

[Lilly Guirguis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pausing this book. It is quite good so far. 30%