Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
David Neal Miller s Fear of Fiction is the first book-length study that begins with the understanding that Singer is truly a Yiddish writer in language and culture. With the exception of a handful of articles, American critical examination of Isaac Bashevis Singer s work has been devoted to Singer s work in English to those pieces he himself has selected for translation. This American Nobel laureate is part of a long tradition of Yiddish literature, and he still writes in that language.
Working exclusively with Singer s Yiddish texts many of the pieces discussed here are not available in English Miller examines Singer s narrative strategies, his blurring of the distinctions between fiction and reportage. Fear of Fiction captures an intriguing paradox of Singer s writing: Singer fictionalizes the factual and historicizes the imaginative. Miller demonstrates that Singer is no inspired innocent, but that this blending of genres is the work of a craftsman who uses genre to mediate between the world and the imagination. The book is enriched by Miller s careful and sensitive translations of many illustrative Yiddish passages.
Fear of Fiction is both erudite and entertaining. Miller not only examines Singer s skillful undermining of our expectations of different genres, but also draws the reader into Singer s work as a whole. This book will fascinate both the scholar and the sophisticated reader of Singer."
Synopsis
David Neal Miller is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Yiddish Studies at the Ohio State University.