Found in Translation: Women Writers in Yiddish

UJPO Toronto & the Yiddish Book Center proudly present...

FOUND IN TRANSLATION: WOMEN WRITERS IN YIDDISH

Isaac Bashevis Singer, Sholem Aleichem, I.L Peretz. Like many literatures, Yiddish literature is dominated by famous male writers—and that handful of famous male names often stands in the way of seeing the bigger, more diverse and more complex story of Yiddish literature that stretches back hundreds of years, circles the globe, and includes many talented women writers. Yiddish has a uniquely intimate relationship with women as its key readers going back to the earliest days of “mame-loshn” (mother tongue) and “vayber-taytsh” (women’s-German). In recent decades, and especially in the last five years, feminist scholars and translators have transformed our understanding of Yiddish literature by putting women writers in center frame. Dozens of new translations have been published, making their writing more accessible than ever to English readers.

Join us to learn about the long history of Yiddish and its women readers and writers, about the tidal wave of new translations of women writers now available, and to hear from three translators about why this work matters so much, and what you should be reading! The event will include an interactive “translation duel” showcasing the creative process and potential of literary translation.

UJPO member Sam Blatt has been involved in Yiddish Theatre in both Montreal and Toronto, organized and participated in leyen kreyzn in Toronto and Jerusalem, participated in three books of translation of Yiddish women writers, and taught Yiddish to adults upon retirement. He is also an electrical engineer.

Dr. Madeleine (Mindl) Cohen is academic director of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. She directs the Yiddish Translation Fellowship and edits the online Yiddish in Translation feature.

Lydia Moëd is a translator, Yiddishist and Winchevsky Shule parent. Her current translation work focuses on immigrant women writers in the interwar years.