Overview

Joseph Rolnik is widely considered one of the most prominent of the New York Yiddish poets associated with Di Yunge, an avant-garde literary group that formed in the early twentieth century. In his moving and evocative memoir, Rolnik recalls his childhood growing up in a small town in Belarus and his exhilarating yet arduous experiences as an impoverished Yiddish poet living in New York. Working in garment factories by day and writing poetry by night, he became one of the most published and influential writers of the Yiddish literary scene. Unfolding in a series of brief sketches, poems, and vignettes rather than consistent narrative, Rolnik’s memoir is imbued with the poet’s rich, sensuous language, which vividly describes the sounds and images of his life. Marcus’s elegant translation, along with his introduction situating Rolnik’s poetry in its literary historical context, gives readers a fascinating account of this underappreciated literary treasure.

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9780815634959

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Provides compelling insights into the life of one of the well-known Yiddish poets, Joseph Rolnik.--Agnieszka Legutko author of Krakow s Kazimierz: Town of Partings and Returns

A boon to Yiddish studies and American Jewish studies... Anyone with a fondness for Yiddish literature will appreciate these detailed and evocative vignettes. -Josh Lambert, author of Unclean Lips: Obscenity, Jews, and American Culture Provides compelling insights into the life of one of the wellknown Yiddish poets, Joseph Rolnik. -Agnieszka Legutko, author of Krakow's Kazimierz: Town of Partings and Returns.

A boon to Yiddish studies and American Jewish studies. . . . Anyone with a fondness for Yiddish literature will appreciate these detailed and evocative vignettes. -Josh Lambert, author of Unclean Lips: Obscenity, Jews, and American Culture Provides compelling insights into the life of one of the wellknown Yiddish poets, Joseph Rolnik. -Agnieszka Legutko, author of Krakow's Kazimierz: Town of Partings and Returns.

Author Information

Joseph Rolnik’s (1879–1955) poetry was published in newspapers, journals, and several poetry collections. Gerald Marcus is a painter and printmaker who grew up surrounded by Yiddish-speaking relatives and friends. He is the translator of From Our Springtime: Literary Memoirs and Portraits of Yiddish New York by Reuben Iceland.

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