In Der Nister's Soviet Years, author Mikhail Krutikov focuses on the second half of the dramatic writing career of Soviet Yiddish writer Der Nister, pen name of Pinhas Kahanovich (1884-1950). Krutikov follows Der Nister's painful but ultimately successful literary transformation from his symbolist roots to social realism under severe ideological pressure from Soviet critics and authorities. This volume reveals how profoundly Der Nister was affected by the destruction of Jewish life during WWII and his own personal misfortunes. While Der Nister was writing a history of his generation, he was arrested for anti-government activities and died tragically from a botched surgery in the Gulag. Krutikov illustrates why Der Nister's work is so important to understandings of Soviet literature, the Russian Revolution, and the catastrophic demise of the Jewish community under Stalin.

About the Author

Mikhail Krutikov is Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and Preston R. Tisch Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He is author of Yiddish Fiction and the Crisis of Modernity, 1905-1914, and From Kabbalah to Class Struggle: Expressionism, Marxism, and Yiddish Literature in the Life and Work of Meir Wiener.

Reviews

Krutikov's book is the most definitive and accessible work in English to date on Der Nister and his monumental novel The Family Mashber. . . . Highly recommended.

* Choice *

I think that Der Nister would have really liked Krutikov's book. It gives justice to Der Nister without making him into a saint, villain, or a misguided idealist, but instead sees him as a writer searching for his path...

-- Anna Shternshis * AJS REVIEW *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253041876
Author Mikhail Krutikov
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press