Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

Literary Criticism Jewish

The Portrayal of Jews in Modern Bielarusian Literature

by (author) Zina J. Gimpelevich

Publisher
McGill-Queen's University Press
Initial publish date
Jul 2018
Category
Jewish
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780773554153
    Publish Date
    Jul 2018
    List Price
    $45.00
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780773553170
    Publish Date
    Jul 2018
    List Price
    $110.00

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

One of the notable distinctions of Bielarusian authors, compared to other writers in Slavic literatures, is their depiction of Jewish characters as natives to the land. The Jewish population in historic Bielarusian territories was the country’s largest minority, and Yiddish was one of the state languages of Bielarus between 1919 and 1938.

The Portrayal of Jews in Modern Bielarusian Literature sheds light on this little-known yet important part of Slavic and Jewish studies. Zina Gimpelevich demonstrates that the works produced by Bielarusian writers over a long period of time display a more consistent tolerance and sympathy towards Jews than has generally been recognized. Beginning several centuries ago but concentrating on the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, she offers excerpts – and textual and comparative analyses – of works by Bielarusian poets, novelists, and dramatists, most of whom have not been previously translated into English. Each writer is discussed in terms of their socio-political background and the country’s history during the period in which they lived and wrote.

Bielarusian literature has influenced and enlightened public consciousness since the middle of the sixteenth century, despite the destructive actions of its many rulers. The Portrayal of Jews in Modern Bielarusian Literature offers deep insights into how the region’s Bielarusian, Jewish, and other cultures interacted over many centuries.

About the author

Zina J. Gimpelevich is professor emeritus of Slavic studies at the University of Waterloo and the author of Vasil Bykau: His Life and Works.

Zina J. Gimpelevich's profile page