Some Laughter, Some Tears

by Sholom Aleichem

Collection of short stories, selected and translated by Curt Leviant who also wrote the introduction. From the cover: "For those who saaw and loved Fiddler on the Roof, this collection of stories will serve as a return trip." - St. Louis Globe Democrat

Genres: Jewish, Fiction

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Russian-born American humorist Sholem Aleichem or Sholom Aleichem, originally Solomon Rabinowitz, in Yiddish originally wrote stories and plays, the basis for the musical Fiddler on the Roof .

He wrote under the pen name, Hebrew for "peace be upon you."

From 1883, he produced more than forty volumes as a central figure in literature before 1890.

His notable narratives accurately described shtetl life with the naturalness of speech of his characters. Early critics focused on the cheerfulness of the characters, interpreted as a way of coping with adversity. Later critics saw a tragic side. Because of the similar style of the author with the pen name of Mark Twain, people often referred to Aleichem as the Jewish version of Twain. Both authors wrote for adults and children and lectured extensively in Europe and the United States.

Reviews

[Angie Schoch]

No Tevye stories here, but a wonderful variety of works. If you only read one or two, may it be "This Night," "The Esrog" or "Pity for Living Creatures." Just gorgeous. My one complaint with Reb Aleichem is his tendency to leave you guessing as to the end of his stories, ending them just as anticipation builds! Actually, not much of a complaint. His stories really connect with the oral element of storytelling, a certain Jumping Frog of Calaveras County comes to mind. :)

[Richard]

Collection of stories by Sholom Aleichem set amidst the Russian Jews of the early 20th Century. The stories seem quaint and clever, some almost seem to be written for children. A nice picture of what life was like for these isolated communities before they were forced to leave Russia.

[Jenn]

Entertaining, sobering, and all-around good read.

[Bhan13]

The title was transcribed wrong, it is actually 'Some Laughter, Some Tears'.

This is a very good book but a hard book to read, the first part, the stories, reflect such a hard life that any laughter must be momentary relief from pain. One amazing story is about an empathetic boy thinking about the pain of animals around him and the crippled child next door who was killed during a recent pogrom, his feelings are denied as his relatives tease him thinking his tears are from the horseradish he's grating.

[joseph]

Amazing story teller but in this collection the translator seems to get a bit hackneyed and trite. There is on story about "the red-haired Jews" that is so poignant. It concerns the turn of last century's Zionist appeal to the Jews of Eastern Europe. As a conservative and nostalgic writer Aleichem seems to advocate appreciating what one has and staying put. Reading it after the Holocaust is almost horrific.

[Andrea]

Awww, this was sadly unfunny. I thought it would be more old-school classic humor. But the few stories I read were bizarrely redundant, weird and unresolved.