The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem: The Remarkable Life and Afterlife of the Man Who Created Tevye

by Jeremy Dauber

Part of the Jewish Encounters series

The first comprehensive biography of one of the most beloved authors of all the creator of Tevye the Dairyman , the collection of stories that inspired Fiddler on the Roof .
 
Novelist, playwright, journalist, essayist, and editor, Sholem Aleichem was one of the founding giants of modern Yiddish literature. The creator of a pantheon of characters who have been immortalized in books and plays, he provided readers throughout the world with a fascinating window into the world of Eastern European Jews as they began to confront the forces of cultural, political, and religious modernity that tore through the Russian Empire in the final decades of the nineteenth century.
 
But just as compelling as the fictional lives of Tevye, Golde, Menakhem-Mendl, and Motl was Sholem Aleichem’s own life story. Born Sholem Rabinovich in Ukraine in 1859, he endured an impoverished childhood, married into fabulous wealth, and then lost it all through bad luck and worse business sense. Turning to his pen to support himself, he switched from writing in Russian and Hebrew to Yiddish, in order to create a living body of literature for the Jewish masses. He enjoyed spectacular success as both a writer and a performer of his work throughout Europe and the United States, and his death in 1916 was front-page news around the world; a New York Times editorial mourned the loss of “the Jewish Mark Twain.” But  his greatest fame lay ahead of him, as the English-speaking world began to discover his work in translation and to introduce his characters to an audience that would extend beyond his wildest dreams. In Jeremy Dauber’s magnificent biography, we encounter a Sholem Aleichem for the ages.

(With 16 pages of black-and-white illustrations)

Genres: Biography, Jewish, History, Nonfiction

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Mich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully detailed account of Sholom Aleichem.. Some of the details could have been eliminated as it is not in everyone's interest. The author recounts the numerous financial difficulties that Sholom Aleichem had, following a period of time when he was quite well off, having married the daughter of a rich man. He also suffered from poor health and went to Italy to recuperate from tuberculosis. The book also describes the Tevya stories and the last chapter/epilogue recounts how Fiddler on The Roof came about. Sholom Aleichem was also well connected with many other famous writers.

[Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best part of this book was what the author calls "The Overture." It was both funny and informative. The author is a professor of Yiddish Literature at Columbia University and I was thinking that his classes must be terrific. That idea came to a screeching halt as soon as I began the first chapter. Ugh. His writing changed and became deadening. I made it halfway through Chapter 2 and then called it quits. Too bad. I knew nothing about Sholem Aleichem's life (Aleichem is a pen name)and the reviews pulled me right in. The book is too academic and heavy for the general public.

[RUSA CODES · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Honorable Mention for the 2014 Sophie Brody Medal.

For a complete list of winners, please visit www.ala.org/rusa/awards

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sholem Aleichem is a master of the yiddish language. His love of family, religion and Jewish culture permeates his writings. I think is it amazing how much writing he was able to accomplish. But the book helped me understand the history of the Jewish struggle to live in peace with it's neighbor. I'm not Jewish but I did enjoy the book.

[Maddy Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, through, and thoroughly enjoyable!

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I learned from this book is that both Aleichem and his work were far more tragic than his reputation: the man himself suffered from bad health and financial adversity, and much of his writing focused on the latter.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I was so looking forward to this book, the writing was dry and the author gloss over key points of Aleichem/Rabinovitch's life, like the birth and death of his oldest son.