The Dance of the Demons

Description

“I do not know of a single woman in Yiddish literature who wrote better than she did.”–Isaac Bashevis Singer

“A daring feat. . . . Recommended for all libraries.”–“Library Journal,” starred review

“The reappearance of this novel will be welcomed by students of Jewish and Yiddish literature and 20th-century feminist writing. Summing up: Recommended. All levels.”–“Choice”

“Kreitman’s writing is clear, marvelously descriptive and occasionally evocative of . . . her brother, Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer. . . . A wonderful introduction by Ilan Stavans and comprehensive afterword by Anita Norich draw the parallels with Esther Kreitman’s life and place the book in historical perspective.”–“Jewish Book World”

“Above all, the sheer story-telling skill of Kreitman’s prose reminds us how past worlds are evoked through detail, practical reminders of daily lives and customs which no longer exist.”–“The Jewish Quarterly”

“[Kreitman] clearly has the same deep, haunting literary storyteller’s gifts as her siblings.”–“Lilith”

“This new edition, with its timely critical reappraisal of Kreitman’s place in her famous family as well as [“The Dance of the Demon”s”‘”] place in Yiddish literature, marks a long overdue effort to translate the rest of Kreitman’s work, and is still, after so many decades, a haunting and haunted book.”–“The Jewish Reader”

The semi-autobiographical portrait of the original “Yentl” reveals the eccentricities, complexities, and madness of the brilliant Singer family. This magnum opus by the forgotten sister to Israel Joshua Singer and Nobel Prize-winner Isaac Bashevis Singer now includes family photos and commentary from both Esther Kreitman’s son and granddaughter.