Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish news, primarily of the literary variety, from around the Web.

  • In The Washington Post, Jodi Picoult credits Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower for inspiring her new novel, The Storyteller.
  • “A new institute has launched to advance the study of modern Israel in the United States and around the world. The independent, non-partisan Israel Institute will support scholarship, teaching and research in an array of academic and cultural disciplines—including history, politics, international relations, economics, society, culture, art and literature—to foster deeper, more multi-faceted knowledge of modern Israel.”
  • Here’s hoping that Allison Nazarian’s book project on “The 3G Legacy” finds a publisher soon.
  • “JTA, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, is seeking an online coordinator to manage JTA’s online presence and digital products, including website, email newsletters and blogs.”
  • The finalists for the 2013 Sami Rohr Prize in Jewish Literature were announced this week. I’ve had more to say about this.
  • Shabbat shalom!

    Reflections on the 2013 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature Finalists

    samirohrlogoYesterday, the Jewish Book Council announced the finalists for the 2013 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. As the press release notes, this prize “distinguishes the important role of emerging writers in examining the Jewish experience. The award of $100,000—one of the largest literary prizes in the world—honors a specific work as well as the author’s potential to make significant contributions to Jewish literature. A runner-up is awarded $25,000.”

    From its beginnings in 2007, the prize has alternated between fiction and nonfiction. This year’s prize will go to a fiction writer, and the finalists are: (more…)

    Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish news, primarily of the literary variety, from around the Web.

  • Tablet has published a troubling, but exceedingly well-written, excerpt from Tova Reich’s next novel as its latest fiction feature.
  • I’d been meaning to get a copy of David Ebenbach’s The Artist’s Torah; this piece in New Jersey Jewish News, which I ran across this week, made me go ahead and order it (finally!).
  • The Daniel Pearl Journalism Initiative, coordinated by Moment magazine, is open for applications.
  • This week brought the Jerusalem International Book Fair.
  • Get to know the authors and illustrators behind the books that have received recognition from this year’s Sydney Taylor Book Awards.
  • Shabbat shalom!

    Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish news, primarily of the literary variety, from around the Web.

  • Jonathan Gondelman’s thoughtful review of a translation of Hans Keilson’s Life Goes On, in Jewish Ideas Daily.
  • Among the many recent appreciations of Edward I. Koch, my favorites include pieces by two writers I’ve admired for a long time: Jeffrey Goldberg and Thane Rosenbaum.
  • On Tablet, Jew-by-choice Jamaica Kincaid discusses her new book.
  • An intriguing list: “Top 25 Literary Classics About Israel.”
  • Remember this Keshet contest? The contest has produced The Purim Superhero, a new children’s book published by Kar-Ben. See this article from The Jewish Week all about this book featuring Nate, “a Jewish boy with two dads,” and the book’s author, Elisabeth Kushner.
  • Shabbat shalom.

    Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish news, primarily of the literary variety, from around the Web.

  • Listen to this radio interview with Nora Gold, all about JewishFiction.net, which Gold edits.
  • And speaking of Jewish fiction: Nicole Krauss’s “Zusya on the Roof” appears this week in The New Yorker.
  • David Curzon’s appreciation of poet Harvey Shapiro (1924-2013), courtesy of Jewish Ideas Daily.
  • Call for submissions: “The Israel Association of Writers in English (IAWE) is planning arc-23. The theme of this issue is: ‘beyond boundaries.’ We are looking for work that implicitly or explicitly explores the experience of transcending a boundary, for example personally, politically, poetically, or linguistically. Boundaries can be literal or symbolic. Creative interpretations of this topic are welcome.” NB: “Any resident of Israel, past or present, can submit original material. The material should be in English. Translations of Israeli authors from Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, etc. are welcome, provided that the original’s copyright holder has consented.” Deadline: June 30, 2013.
  • Mazel tov to the winner and honorable mention awardees for this year’s American Library Association Sophie Brody Medal, which “encourages and recognizes outstanding achievement in Jewish literature. The 2013 winning title is The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible by Matti Friedman. Honorable mentions: I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits, Nathan Englander’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, and The Lawgiver by Herman Wouk.
  • And you’ve still got some time to enter this giveaway. Two copies of Quiet Americans (which received a Sophie Brody Medal Honorable Mention last year) will be awarded!
  • Shabbat shalom!