The Schocken Book of Modern Sephardic Literature

February 15, 2005
The Jewish Sephardic tradition is the heritage of Jews who lived in Spain before the expulsion in 1492. Stavans (Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American & Latino Culture, Amherst Coll.; "On Borrowed Words: A Memoir of Language") has selected 28 examples from this tradition by writers from 18 countries writing in nine languages. Beginning with Grace Aguilar (1816 -47) and ending with Sami Shalom Chetrit (b. 1960), the book explores such themes as exile, memory, Spain, Israel, and family. Included are stories by Yehuda Burla, Giorgio Bassani, and Moris Farhi. Albert Cohen writes about his mother, Natalia Ginzburg about her husband, Andre Aciman about Alexandria, and Gina Alhadeff about her family. Ammiel Alcalay's essay on Sephardic literature is an important source, while an excerpt from Sami Michael's novel "Refuge" about Israel is simply an exceptional piece of literature. In addition, Stavans's own introduction and headnotes scattered throughout make the work more accessible, and the index of themes is immensely useful. This excellent introduction is highly recommended for all Jewish studies collections. -Gene Shaw, NYPL

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