Sephardim: The Jews from Spain

by Paloma Díaz-Mas, George Zucker (Translator), George K. Zucker (Translation)

Here, in a single volume, is the first comprehensive history in English of the Sephardim—descendants of the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. Paloma Díaz-Mas recounts the journey and customs of this fascinating group as they moved across the globe. They settled initially in Mediterranean Europe, the Low Countries, North Africa, and the Turkish Empire, but in the nineteenth century, a second diaspora brought the Sephardim to the United States, South America, Israel, and Western Europe. She traces the origins and survival of their unique language and explores the literature they produced. Their relationship to Spain is also uncovered, as well as their everyday lives. Sephardim is an authoritative and completely accessible investigation of the history and legacy of this amazing people.

Genres: History

235 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1993

About the author

Paloma Díaz-Mas nació en Madrid en 1954 y allí se doctora en Filología y se licencia en Periodismo.

Está especializada en lengua y literatura sefardíes, y escribe varios estudios sobre la cultura sefardí, así como sobre el Romancero y poesía tradicional. Su ensayo, Los sefardís: Historia, lengua, cultura , quedará Finalista del Premio Nacional de Ensayo.

Su primera obra la publica en 1973, a los 19 años, Biografías de genios, traidores, sabios y suicidas, según antiguos documentos. En 1983 obtiene el Premio de Teatro Breve Rojas Zorrilla con su única obra de teatro hasta el momento, La informante.

Dos años más tarde gana el Premio Cáceres de Novela Corta con Tras las huellas de Artorius. Queda finalista del Premio Herralde el 17 de noviembre 1983 y gana este premio en 1992.

Fue profesora de Literatura Española del Siglo de Oro en la Universidad del País Vasco durante varios años; actualmente es científico titular del Instituto de la Lengua Española del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) de Madrid.

Reviews

[Jerry Rabushka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this, and it traces a history that even most Jewish people don't know much about. Some parts are much more interesting than others. There's some pages of pronunciation differences between Spanish and Ladino that may be too detailed for a lot of readers. There are some cool stories and folklore and just general history, and a lot of interesting pages about the relationship, or lack thereof, between the Sephardim and the country that kicked them out. While they are proud of their accomplishments in Spain before 1492, they're not so interested in returning 500 years later. So my advice is if you do plan to read this, if you find yourself bogged down in one section, move on to the next. enjoy!