In this remarkably wide-ranging anthology, Ilan Stavans has collected the work of more than fifty notable Jewish writers from around the globe, weaving these diverse viewpoints and voices into a rich portrait of Jewish literary tradition. The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories takes us from the mid-1800s right up to the present, encompassing the full spectrum of Jewish writing around the world. The variety of tales captured here is stunning. Readers will find stories such as "A Yom Kippur Scandal" by Sholem Aleichem, the father of Yiddish literature; "Before the Law" by Franz Kafka; "Looking for Mr. Green" by Saul Bellow; "The Spinoza of Market Street" by Isaac Bashevis Singer; and "Midrash on Happiness" by Grace Paley. Stavans has included many pieces by Americans, including such markedly different writers as Cynthia Ozick, Bernard Malamud, Moacyr Seliar, Stanley Elkin, Delmore Schwartz, Dan Jacobson, Francine Prose, Allegra Goodman, and Philip Roth. And here too are pieces from around the globe, by writers no less varied: Isaac Babel, Italo Svevo, Primo Levi, Elias Canetti, Amos Oz, and Danilo Kis. What emerges in the end is proof of an observation by Ba'al Makshoves--that the Jews may have many languages and a dozen echoes in foreign tongues, but only one literature. And it is one of the finest in the world. The many marvelous tales that fill The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories affirm that a shared identity can exist without sterile uniformity--and that writers can engage their religious and cultural heritage without losing touch with those rich, complex ambiguities that inhabit the heart. A long-awaited comprehensive collection of Jewish short stories is now available. Culled from the works of over 50 of the best international Jewish writers, dating from the mid-1800s to the present, the work enhances the literary tradition it represents. The writers range from international giants like Sholem Aleichem, Franz Kafka, Isaac Babel, and I.B. Singer to Holocaust survivors Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel to great American writers like Grace Paley, Cynthia Ozick, Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, and Saul Bellow; younger writers like Francine Prose, Jonathan Rosen, Melvin Jules Bukiet, and Allegra Goodman and the Israelis Aharon Appelfeld and Amos Oz. are also included. The introduction by Stavens, an Amherst scholar who has written extensively on Hispanic and Jewish themes, traces the richness of the Jewish literary oeuvre all over the world. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Molly Abramowitz, Silver Spring, MD Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Stavans, a writer, editor, and translator, has gathered an extraordinary collection of stories by 52 Jewish writers, beginning with a tale by the Hasidic Rabbi Nakhman of Bratzlav, Poland (1772^-1811). Among the other celebrated authors are Sholem Aleichem, Franz Kafka, Isaac Babel, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Delmore Schwartz, Bernard Malamud, Saul Bellow, Primo Levi, Grace Paley, Cynthia Ozick, Elie Wiesel, Stanley Elkin, Mordecai Richler, Aharon Appelfeld, Philip Roth, and Amos Oz. The stories were written originally in about a dozen languages, and the authors are from around the world. The variety of themes include anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, of course, but also domestic affairs, biblical subjects, interreligious and ethnic relations, as well as the Diaspora and mysticism. Stavans' lengthy and informative introduction discusses language and tradition, and he provides an interesting chronology of Jewish literature from 1767 to 1997, highlighting crucial novels, plays, collections of stories and poems, major anthologies, and volumes of essays. George Cohen A generous collection of 52 stories from Europe, Africa, and the Americas that spans two centuries. Included are not only the worlds best-known Jewish writers (e.g., Aleichem, Babel, Bellow, Ozick, Oz, Singer, et al.), but also a few most of us wouldnt have thought of (Ludwig Lewisohn, Nadine Gordimer) and several neglected masters (the pseudonymous Der Nister, Brazilian Moacyr Scliar), along with newer writers (Steve Stern, Rebecca Goldstein, and the really rather phenomenal Allegra Goodman). Only a few stories (such as those by Italo Svevo, Delmore Schwartz, and Bernard Malamud) are certifiable warhorses, and the volume deserves high marks for Stavanss incisive introduction and informative headnotes, and for its preserving in such attractive and convenient form gems like Israel Zangwills Tug of Loe, Natalia Ginzburgs House at the Sea, and Alcina Lubitch Domeqs brief, searing Bottles. A landmark anthology. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. "The volume deserves high marks for Stavan's incisive introduction and informative headnotes, and for its preserving in such attractive and convenient form gems like Israel Zangwill's 'Tug of Love,' Natalia Ginzburg's 'House at the Sea,' and Alcina Lubitch Domeq's brief, searing 'Bottles.' A landmark collection."--Kirkus Reviews"The beauty