I am looking for any writings about Sholem Aleichem and his tours and
public readings. In America and in Europe. Any reviews, comments,
contemporaneous accounts would be very helpful. |
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
01 Oct 2004 07:09 PDT
Hello tinka-ga,
I always walk around the house singing "Sunrise, Sunset" or "If I were
a rich man", and my kids holler at me to shut up. So I guess I have a
particular affinity for your question.
There is a lot of material available on Sholom Aleichem, much of it
very interesting and informative...biographical material, literary
criticism, and details of the very hard life that he and his people
lived in the early 1900's.
I didn't know he was frequently referred to as the "Jewish Mark
Twain", until I began looking into your question.
However, there is very little in the way of actual accounts of his
public appearences, probably because the performances/lectures
themselves were in Yiddish or Hebrew, and were therefore not much
reported in mainstream sources.
For instance, I found a few little snippets like these:
...In Austro-Hungary students carried him from the stage on their
shoulders and pulled his carriage home.
...Crowds greeted him on both arrivals in America. In 1909 admirers
held an international jubilee honoring his 50th birthday and 25th
anniversary as a writer.
...Two plays, a dramatization of Stempanyu and Samuel Pasternak, had
disastrous runs in 1907.
...his popularity never waned. Huge audiences attended his readings,
and over 100,000 people were at his funeral in 1916.
In the United States word spread that Sholom Aleichem was bedridden in
Copenhagen, without visible means of support. A Committee of One
Hundred was formed, consisting of distinguished Yiddish writers,
editors, artists, musicians, and even a few bankers.Money was
collected to bring Sholom Aleichem and his family to America.
...He arrived in the United States on December 3, 1914. All five
Yiddish daily newspapers of New York printed banner headlines
heralding his arrival.
...A welcoming committee met the incoming liner, which was late from
dodging German mines and submarines in the Atlantic. At the pier
there was a large crowd. There were flowers. Children from Hebrew
schools sang songs and applauded...
==========
There's not much more than that in terms of his public appearances,
but there is a great deal of additional historical information --
especially his accounts to the US newspapers of the pogroms in East
Europe.
Let me know if I should post the information I have as an answer to your question.
Thanks.
pafalafa-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
tinka2-ga
on
02 Oct 2004 06:16 PDT
I have a lot of information about his life, his work, and access to
his complete works in Yiddish and in English. So, if there are
accounts of his tours -- reviews, comments on his reading style,
etc.-- in Yiddish (like the Forward or the Freiheit) those would be
what I would want, but in English translation. I am trying to flesh
out info on his tours, his readings, his style, who he was as a
performer. Thanks for your time and attention
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Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
02 Oct 2004 07:19 PDT
Hello again,
I've continued looking, but I really haven't been able to uncover any
detailed descriptions of performances/lectures, other than the few
snippets I already provided.
It seems odd that such accounts wouldn't exist, but on the other hand,
it's just as odd that none of the write-ups of Sholom Aleichem's life
or work make any mention of such accounts.
On the other hand....
...all I can do at this point is wish you luck with your work, and
hope that someone comes across a reference or two I haven't considered
yet.
All the best,
pafalafa-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
02 Oct 2004 19:33 PDT
One mre thing. I came across an interesting fact about Sholom
Aleichem in Washington DC that I thought might be of interest:
Washington Post
March 1, 1915
News In Brief
Solomon Rabinovitch, whose pseudonym "Sholem Aleichem"...compares to
the Hebrew people as did Mark Twain to the americans, entertained a
large audience at Poll's last evening. Mr. Rabinovitch is making a
tour of the United States. Today he will call on President Wilson.
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Clarification of Question by
tinka2-ga
on
03 Oct 2004 06:02 PDT
Thanks for your help. I'll keep looking. It is indeed odd that
contemporaneous accounts or reviews of his readings do not exist.
Especially because, as you found and I knew, he was compared to and
considered the Jewish Mark Twain. So it goes..... Thanks again.
alan
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