Singermann

by Myron Brinig

hardback no jacket

Genres: Fiction

446 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1975

About the author

From Wikipedia: Myron Brinig (December 22, 1896 – May 13, 1991) was a Jewish-American author who wrote twenty-one novels from 1929 to 1958. Brinig was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Romanian parents, but grew up in Butte, Montana.Brinig began studying at New York University in 1914, where poet Joyce Kilmer gave him lectures on writing. He then studied at Columbia University and started his career by writing short stories for magazines.[3] Brinig's first novel, Madonna Without Child, was released in 1929. Published by Doubleday, the novel tells the story of a woman who is obsessed with another woman's baby.

Many of Brinig's early novels depicted the settlement and development of Montana, the state he grew up in. These novels include Singermann (1929), Wide Open Town (1931), This Man Is My Brother (1932), and The Sun Sets in the West (1935).[3] Brinig based the main character of these novels, Singermann, on his father, Maurice Brinig, who was a Romanian immigrant and shopkeeper. Brinig's novels often depicted miners, labor organizers, farmers, and businessmen living in Montana. These usually became bestsellers in the United States and were praised by critics of The New York Times.[5] One of the best-selling novels, The Sisters, was adapted to a feature-length film in 1938, starring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn.

Brinig's novels often dealt with homosexuality. It was a common theme for Brinig because he was a homosexual himself (although he was publicly closeted all his life). According to the Gay & Lesbian Literary Heritage, Brinig was the "first American Jewish novelist to write in any significant way about the gay experience."

In 1951, The New York Times Book Review said Brinig's "sentimental streak and his sympathetic touch with characters usually lend his books a warm glow of humanity, if not of art."[3] At the beginning of his career, Brinig was praised by critics for his "artistry and inventivenss in narrative, character and incident."[3] In the early 1930s, he was described as one of the leading young writers in America.[4] Brinig's last novels, however, were met with mixed reviews from critics, who criticized them for their "verbosity and banality."[3] Brinig died on May 13, 1991. The cause of his death was gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Reviews

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. It's an absolute shame this book is so hard to find (pro-tip: Interlibrary Loan) because Singermann is a very special novel. Written in 1929, the book tells the story of a Jewish family who ends up in Montana during the early days of the west. In just over 400 pages, you get themes of the immigrant experience, religion, labor unrest, childhood, and homosexuality, all told in an honest and captivating voice (the book is largely based on the author's own life). Singermann is groundbreaking and compelling and worthy of being republished and more widely read!