Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen

Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • Yesterday brought the sad news of the passing of Israeli author Aharon Appelfeld. I’ve referenced this major voice many times within the My Machberet blog and elsewhere. See this Twitter thread for some mentions/links.
  • Appelfeld is one of the authors included on Merri Ukraincik’s impressive post “My Year in Books 2017” (which isn’t limited to Jewish-lit titles by any means).
  • ICYMI—and I’m not sure how that’s possible because I feel as though I’m “talking” about it constantly—Adam Gopnik has written a superb piece on Romain Gary for The New Yorker (and I am currently reading one of the books that receives a great deal of attention in that piece: Miranda Richmond Mouillot’s translation [The Kites] of Gary’s Les cerfs-volants).
  • Moment magazine’s Marilyn Cooper recently interviewed Mark Helprin “about his new novel Paris in the Present Tense, being politically conservative in the Jewish community and anti-Semitism in America.” (Possibly my favorite line of Helprin’s here: “It’s not like I decided to be the anti-Woody Allen, but the self-hating Jewish man has not been my experience.”)
  • And from the National Library of Israel: an amazing opportunity for poets who write in Hebrew or Arabic. Deadline: January 31.
  • Shabbat shalom.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • Via The Tower: an interview with Bernard-Henri Lévy ahead of the U.S. tour for The Genius of Judaism, translated by Steven M. Kennedy and slated for January publication.
  • Looking for Jewish kidlit recommendations ahead of Hanukkah? Rachel Kamin offers her suggestions for the Horn Book‘s Family Reading blog, while Marjorie Ingall compiles recommendations over on Tablet.
  • This month’s Jewish Book Carnival, with news, reviews, & interviews from the world of Jewish lit, posted yesterday over on the Fig Tree Books blog.
  • Speaking of Fig Tree Books, there’s a new giveaway running over on Goodreads–enter for a chance to win an advance copy of Abigail Pogrebin’s forthcoming My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew.
  • And this weekend’s Torah portion, Vayishlach, inspired a new poem of mine that appears on the Lilith blog.
  • Shabbat shalom.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Lit Links

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen

    Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • A hearty Mazal Tov to the winner and finalists for the latest Wallant Award: David Bezmozgis, Molly Antopol, Boris Fishman, and David Strayer-Petrov.
  • The Washington Jewish Film Festival is looking for a Production Coordinator
  • And the Boston Jewish Film Festival seeks an Artistic Director.
  • Fig Tree Books presents another array of online offerings from the world of American Jewish Experience.
  • For The Jewish Week, Sandee Brawarsky reviews Patrick Modiano’s newly translated novellas.
  • Shabbat shalom.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen

    Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • For your viewing pleasure: a video of Adam Kirsch speaking on the topic, “Is There Such a Thing as Jewish Literature?”
  • One of the most interesting articles I’ve read thus far on Patrick Modiano in the wake of his Nobel-prize win, by Michael Weingrad for Mosaic Magazine.
  • A trove of Hanukkah fiction from JewishFiction.Net.
  • My thanks to Christi Craig for inviting me to expound on “Jewish storytelling.”
  • And last, but by no means least: the latest newsletter from Fig Tree Books!
  • Shabbat shalom and Chag Sameach!