Bridge of Words

The history of a new language that was invented "to bring conversation to a world of misunderstanding."Combining biography, history, and a memoir of her own "middle-aged anguish," Schor (English/Princeton Univ.; Emma Lazarus, 2006, etc.) offers an illuminating, well-researched chronicle of the development of Esperanto from its origins in 19th-century Bialystok to its present iterations on six continents and in 62 countries. Herself a speaker of the constructed language, she reveals her experiences in Esperanto classes and interactions with Esperanto enthusiasts--earnest, quirky, and sometimes contentious--at conferences throughout the world. Central to her story is the father of the language, L.L. Zamenhof, an ophthalmologist who, ironically, was the son of a censor. As a Russian Jew, subject to virulent anti-Semitism, he sought a way to modernize the Jewish community and "gradually include people of other faiths and nationalities." Communication was central to his vision: cobbling together grammar and word parts from German, English, Russian, Latin, and Greek, Zamenhof contrived a new language to enable conversation "despite differences of nationality, creed, class, or race." Meant to be a bridge, Esperanto soon became a source of division, as followers of Zamenhof sought to seize power over the dissemination of the language and align it with their own widely dissonant political views, including imperialism, isolationism, socialism, anarchism, and communism. Multiculturalism, meant to be "the lifeblood of Esperanto," was not easily achieved. "The problem," said a former head of the Universal Esperanto Association, "is that language is an institution of power. Intended, Zamenhof hoped, to counter nationalism, fascism, and xenophobia, Esperanto sometimes was undermined by those same forces. As George Orwell, the nephew of an Esperanto leader, noted, "for sheer dirtiness of fighting, the feuds between the inventors of various of the international languages would take some beating." Schor is strongest in tracing Esperanto's past and present, but she is less persuasive about its robust future in fostering transnational identity, "durable international networks," and a strong sense of "belonging to the world." COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from December 1, 2016

Poet and author Schor (English, Princeton Univ.; Emma Lazarus) studied and traveled widely for seven years preparing this history and current account of Esperanto, the only successful constructed language. First detailed in a book published in 1887 by Polish physician and polyglot Ludwig Zamenhof (1859-1917), Esperanto means "one who hopes." Logical and consistent, used around the world, Esperanto meets tests of translation into and from other tongues. There are 16 rules--no exceptions. Example: "Mia filino legas la novan libron" means "My daughter reads the new book." The literature and poetry, original and translated, is impressive: the Library of Congress has a major collection. Schor's learning is deep and her style inviting. This is an insightful book about a unique invention that fosters communication and protects diversity. VERDICT This book integrates personal experience and objective scholarship and will appeal to general readers as well as adepts of linguistics.--E. James Lieberman, George Washington Univ. Sch. of Medicine, Washington, DC

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2016
The artificial language, Esperanto, which literally means hopeful, was the quixotic invention of nineteenth-century ophthalmologist Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof, who grew tired of witnessing the many quarrels and misunderstandings between ethnic groups in his multicultural native city, Bialystok, Russia. In the first in-depth study of Esperanto and its colorful creator, Schor takes a broad approach to biography, expanding beyond Zamenhof's life to examine the philosophical and psychological elements at work in the language's continual evolution and current usage by several million people worldwide. From her personal sojourns on five continents where Esperanto is spoken and written, usually as a third or fourth language, Schor discovered that Zamenhof's idealism about using this cobbled together but easily learned communication tool to reduce international conflict and bloodshed is still shared by its supporters. But she urges caution, observing that past Esperanto promoters misused it to uphold various extreme political views. Must reading for those fascinated by linguistics and utopian endeavors and an essential volume for every library's language collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)