Synopses & Reviews
Isaac Bashevis Singers first collection of stories,
Gimpel the Fool, is a landmark work that has attracted international acclaim since it was first published in 1957. In Saul Bellows masterly translation, the title story follows the exploits of Gimpel, an ingenuous baker who is universally deceived but who declines to retaliate against his tormentors. Gimpel and the protagonists of the other stories in this volume all inhabit the distinctive pre-World War II ghettos of Poland and, beyond that, the larger world created by Singers unforgettable prose.
Review
“Extraordinarily beautiful… Its the integrity of the human imagination that Singer conveys so beautifully.” --Alfred Kazin,
The New Leader
“Singer is a genius. He has total command of his imagined world.” -Irving Howe, The New Republic
“A peerless storyteller, Singer restores the sheer enchantment with story, with outcome, with what-happens-next that has been denied most readers since their adolescence.” -David Boroff, Saturday Review
About the Author
Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-91) was the author of many novels, stories, and children's books. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978.
Table of Contents
Gimpel the fool.--The gentleman from Cracow.--The wife killer.--By the light of memorial.--Candles.--The mirror.--The little shoemakers.--Joy.--From the diary of one not born.--The oldman.--Fire.--The unseen.