Author Description

From School Library Journal Grade 5-7-An intimate portrait of the master storyteller. Although the tone is rather childish at the beginning, it rises to the proper age-level soon afterwards and does convey the essence of the man. Perl describes his early years in Poland and the influences of writers such as Sholom Aleichem and of the Hassidic tradition on his development. She shows how his stories were inspired by the superstitions that hovered over Eastern European culture-the evil eye, the angels, and the demons. The author successfully conveys Singer's curiosity about life and people, his great powers of observation and imagination, and, by including many quotes, his sense of humor; but she also describes his moments of extreme shyness, uncertainty, and depression. Paul Kresh's biography (Lodestar, 1984) dwells more on Singer's depression and near suicides and uses them to explain his sympathy with the shlemiel (a luckless, hapless, anti-hero), but lacks the fluent literary style of Perl's book. Her window on Singer's world includes interesting insights on the plight of talented women in a male-dominated world, illustrated by the bitter experiences of his talented sister. The bibliography includes articles, books, and a list of Singer's books that have been translated into English.Marcia Posner, Federation of New York and the Jewish Book Council, New York CityCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Product Description Tells the life story of the writer, from his early life in Poland to his success as an author of adult and children's books From Booklist Gr. 5-7. The opening of this biography has a condescending tone ("What a funny-sounding name for this street..."), but otherwise, this is a direct, sensitive account of a great writer: his life, first in Poland and then as an immigrant in the U.S.; his stories, both for adults and children; and his celebration of the Yiddish language and culture. Perl captures a strong sense of S