While Vili has neither the multi-generational sweep nor the moral gravitas of Singer's family sagas, its themes are nonetheless timeless, its struggles archetypal. A father and son grapple with each other, and, in the process, a richly compact narrative emerges: a rebellious son leaves his ancestral home-an unnamed village in Poland-to find adventure among strangers and lose tradition and family along the way. Their respective stories define what is lost and what is gained in the immigrant passage to the new world. The eponymous hero, Volf Rubin-or Willy (Vili) Robin in America-is the rare agon who must share center stage with his antagonist, that is, his more voluble paterfamilias. The sententious Hirsh-modeled on Singer's own painful childhood interactions with the savage brutality of the chief rabbi of Nyesheve-tenaciously holds onto some of the more merciless and "bone- breaking" pronouncements derived from a literalist reading and application of Jewish law. Such is the heavy baggage which, according to Volf, should have been left behind in steerage.

Volf's lapsed Judaism is his father's dystopian nightmare. He much prefers nature and farm animals to any form of classroom. Eventually, he leaves home for the New World, and there a whole new story unfolds-or is it so "new"?

About the Author
Joshua A. Fogel is Canada research chair and professor of history at York University. His work encompasses the cultural dimension of Sino-Japanese relations. His scholarly interests also include translation as a practice and Yiddish biography.

Linda/Leye Lipsky teaches literature in the Department of Humanities at York University in Toronto. She has written critical appreciations of Avrom Liessin, Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, and others. She has a specific interest in the interrelations of literature and philosophy, the crosscurrents of poetry, and the visual arts.


Book Information
ISBN 9780761871828
Author Joshua A. Fogel
Format Paperback
Page Count 120
Imprint Hamilton Books
Publisher University Press of America
Weight(grams) 204g
Dimensions(mm) 222mm * 153mm * 8mm