The Jewish King Lear
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A Comedy in America
Jacob Gordin; Translated by Ruth Gay, with notes and essays by Ruth Gay and Sophie Glazer
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Format: ClothPrice: $35.00
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The Jewish King Lear, written by the Russian-Jewish writer Jacob Gordin, was first performed on the New York stage in 1892, during the height of a massive emigration of Jews from eastern Europe to America. This book presents the original play to the English-speaking reader for the first time in its history, along with substantive essays on the play’s literary and social context, Gordin’s life and influence on Yiddish theater, and the anomalous position of Yiddish culture vis-à-vis the treasures of the Western literary tradition.
Gordin’s play was not a literal translation of Shakespeare’s play, but a modern evocation in which a Jewish merchant, rather than a king, plans to divide his fortune among his three daughters. Created to resonate with an audience of Jews making their way in America, Gordin’s King Lear reflects his confidence in rational secularism and ends on a note of joyful celebration.
Gordin’s play was not a literal translation of Shakespeare’s play, but a modern evocation in which a Jewish merchant, rather than a king, plans to divide his fortune among his three daughters. Created to resonate with an audience of Jews making their way in America, Gordin’s King Lear reflects his confidence in rational secularism and ends on a note of joyful celebration.
The late Ruth Gay wrote extensively on Jewish history. Her books include Safe Among the Germans: Liberated Jews After World War II and The Jews of Germany: A Historical Portrait, both published by Yale University Press. Sophie Glazer’s articles have appeared in The Boston Review, The Forward, Commentary, and The American Scholar. She lives in Fort Wayne.
ISBN: 9780300108750
Publication Date: June 27, 2007
Publication Date: June 27, 2007
192 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
10 b/w illus
10 b/w illus
