Originally appearing in the Warsaw daily Der Moment (1926-7), this intimate selfportrait by pioneering Yiddish actress Ester-Rokhl Kaminska (18701925) appears here for the first time in English.
As it moves through her life, we see this towering artist and her art form emerge, observing how Kaminska navigates the perilous move from shtetl to city, stages illegal performances in unlikely venues around the Russian Empire, and eventually earns the exultant acclaim of her public. The memoirs richly disclose the texture of everyday life for working Jewish women and all the grit and hard-won glamour of backstage (or in her case, back-barn/barrack/barroom) life. An extensive introduction and notes by Mikhl Yashinsky provide historical context and an appraisal of Kaminskas epoch-making talent.
Recenzijas
This important memoir by the mother of the Yiddish theatre recounts her path from a sheltered shtetl upbringing to a life of high adventure in a touring Yiddish theatre troupe. Along the way, readers encounter fascinating details about Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and a compelling cast of characters. * Sonia Gollance, Associate Professor of Yiddish Studies, UCL, UK *
Papildus informācija
An historically contextualized English translation of the memoir of actor, impresario and Mother of the Yiddish Stage, Ester-Rokhl Kaminska (1870-1925).
Introduction - Alyssa Quint, Yeshiva University, USA
Ester-Rokhl Kaminska's Memoir
Index
Mikhl Yashinsky was born in Detroit and lives in New York, where he works as a playwright, actor, and Yiddish scholar. His performance in the operetta The Sorceress brought a keen, if malevolent, psychology to the title role (New York Times) and his Yiddish drama The Gospel According to Chaim jolted the repertoire with a work that is both traditional and delightfully subversive (Forward). He is also the translator of Adventures of Max Spitzkopf: The Yiddish Sherlock Holmes (2025).
