It's always hard to talk about Holocaust; it's unbearable to look at pictures of people tortured there. This book is such a masterpiece it does not go into engrossed misery, it's about a guy ending up with 3 wifes as a result of a terrible war... It's funny and ironic - no conclusions - it's all up to the reader to think about it...

Singer establishes a tragic situation, then has the nerve to make a comedy. Nobody else could achieve this delicate balance. If you're interested in exploring Singer, start here. Then read his posthumously published novels: The Certificate, then Shadows on the Hudson. If you don't like them, I'll give you your money back.

This novel is the story of a Holocaust survivor and his attempt to juggle three women in mid-20th century New York City. Although there are some amusing moments, this is not a book to be taken lightly. The devastation these people have suffered because of the Nazis has all but left empty shells. Singer's style in this novel is quick-paced and straightforward with remarkable dialogue.

I sometimes read these to my sick and elderly dad at bed time. He loves them. When he's not doing well, is worried about his health, is afraid to close his eyes, the stories work their magic. As I read, he sometimes clucks, murmers "oh, yes," and makes other happy and endearing sounds--just great to hear. If he's still awake at the end, he goes to sleep, fearlessly, with a smile on his face.

Although this set of 36 stories is recommended for reading level 4 to 8 years old, Singer would rightly say that story tellers "write not only for children but also for their parents, they too are serious children." Singer considers children as the best readers of genuine literature, by nature inclined to mysticism, and with their own particular logic and clarity they rely on nothing but their own taste. With an array of supernaturral characters (devils, gnomes, hobgoblings, prophets, imps, saints, and demons) Singer fulfils a mosaic of fantastic imagination, colored by a rich folklore, addressing moral issues that concern the child and the adult as well. Stories such as "Zlateh the Goat," "Popiel and Tekla," "The Power of Light," amongst others, have a universal appeal because they address eternal questions. For Singer, now matter how young a child might be, he is a philosopher and seeker of God. An adult will surely enjoy these tales, and if he can share them with a child then his pleasure will be doubled!

Over the years I've read this book to my daughter several times. As most children, she has her favorites and never tires of those. You've got demons and witches and holy men who fight evil. You've got moral lessons that teach without preaching. All written with compassion and a deft hand. Adventure abounds. Excitement rules the day. You'll find yourself speaking with a Yiddish accent in spite of yourself! And, me, an African American woman! Good books know no color. Pure magic.

When the people of the world sinned, and God chose the only righteous man, Noah, to build an ark, all of the animals gathered around. They, however, believed that Noah would only pick best of all the living creatures. The animals began to boast and argue amongst each other. "I am the largest," said the Elephant. "I am man's best friend," replied the dog. They argued and argued.
Noah noticed one lonely bird sitting in a tree. Noah asked the small, white dove why he did not boast. The Dove replied that he believed that everyone has something special, that another doesn't. Though, all are equally created by God.
Noah took all of the animals on the ark, but when he needed a 'messenger' to see if the waters were going down, the one he chose was the dove. The dove is a bird of humility and peace.
I believe that this story is good for those of all ages. It teaches a lesson to all; we are all equally created. People should remain humble.
It is excellently written and has amazing illustrations. I recommend this story to all. It is definitely worth reading.

This simple story teaches a lesson in humility. Although all of the animals in the day of the Great Flood had unique qualities, above all the dove was chosen by Noah to be the messanger of Peace and new life. Demonstrating meekness and humility, the dove did not brag about being "better" than the other animals. Instead she waited her turn, certain that a useful assignment would be found for her.

What a heart warming message for children! The beautiful illustrations add to the magic touch of this enchanting children's book. I would recommend it as a gift for an early reader (up to age 8), or as a story to tell to a smaller child (age 2 to 5).*****

This is a wonderful book in which a wide array of animals try to show why they should be allowed on the ark: the elephant argues his strength should save him; the fox, his cleverness; the donkey argues that he is more clever; the skunk, his odor ... Finally, Noah tells them he is to save them all. But the dove who did not brag will be his special messenger.

This is a delightful book that reader and listener will both enjoy.

As I said, I haven't read the book. However, I saw the movie and knew nothing of what the book version had to say. It never ocurred to me that she,Yentl, had any identity crisis of any kind. She was a woman ahead of her time who just wanted to study the bible with the same freedom that Men had and still have. I am not Jewish, but Christian, and I could well identify with her thirst for knowledge. I don't KNOW what IBS had in mind but I think we all pretty much have to draw our own conclusions.

There is a review on this site, dreamed up by some idiot who saw this movie and book, as being about a transsexual. Said something about mistakes that God made, etc. That person should be shot ! The story is about how women were oppressed, not allowed to study, only to read "picture books". It told of a courageous who knew his daughter had a thirst for knowledge and taught her in secret. When he passed away, she had no choice, she had to get an education....she was a beautiful, intelligent woman, not content to JUST cook and clean house. She wanted, needed to learn. She is to be applauded, not called a transsexual. She was always a woman...never was that in doubt. Meeting her learning partner, falling in love with him, afraid to tell him the truth, that she was a woman, made for an incredible and moving story. YENTL is my second favourite movie of all time. I have seen it 132 times, and know the lyrics to all the songs...and all the dialogue. (I give it more than 5 stars)

Anybody who sees the Barbara Streisand movie should also read this, the original I.B. Singer story. On page one it is made clear that Yentl has "the soul of a man in a woman's body" because "even Heaven makes mistakes." So I think the story is about a female-to-male transexual, not a lesbian or a feminist. I even read somewhere that this originally came out in the same year that Chrisitne Jorgensen had a sex change. (But the other way -- Jorgensen was a man who became a woman.) So I would guess that Singer was trying to explore gender identity with this story.

The focus of the story is not on homoerotic love between two women, but on a person who is born female but feels herself to be male inside, and decides to act out that feeling by dressing and living as a man. An important difference between this story and the Streisand movie is that in the story, Yentl keeps living as a man in the end, saying that "I must remain as I am."

I thought the story was very good in how it dealt with the subject in a very open way. That was surprising for something that was written over 30 years ago.

Singer is a genius at creating tiny worlds, self-ecapsulated and yet part of a wider whole, as if subject to immutable laws of nature. You could argue that all of his characters are subtly different or that all of them are the same, so perfect is each world. There is also a unique mixture of realism and mysticism, the unseen world that operates behind appearences and yet is never fully explained. Simply brilliant.

Highly recommended.

The late Isaac Bashevis Singer was a storyteller of genius, and "A Crown Of Feathers", is one of his finest collections of short stories, and because of its variety, serves as a superb intoduction to this master storyteller. This was my first Singer book. I picked it up at a garage sale some time back after reading a brief synopsis of the book and a quote stating that Isaac Bashevis Singer is the "greatest writer alive today" (this edition of the book is quite old, as Singer died in 1991).

The stories had two qualities which I found highly enjoyable. Firstly, Singer's combination of modern realism with Jewish folklore and fantasy is what first got me hooked, as I myself am Jewish and have a great interest in our religion, folklore and mythology. Secondly, the simple, direct style in which the stories were written. It was as if Singer himself was sitting in front of me telling a story. The book certainly did not disapoint and I finished it in a matter of days. It was such an enthralling read, that I raided most the second-hand book shops in the neighbourhood for Singer books. Now I have quite a large Singer collection of both novels and short stories - all of them works of art in their own right. This collection of twenty-four stories is varied - ghost stories, fables set in little Polish-Jewish villages and stories set in pre-World War II Warsaw and post-World War II New York. Although most of the stories have a distinctly Jewish flavour, many of the themes, including love, lust, politics, greed and family life are universal. Some of the tales end in twists, which can often leave you surprised or spooked, not that this is a bad thing, of course.

My favourite stories are as follows: "A Crown Of Feathers" is a phantasmagoric tale of a young woman losing and then trying to regain her faith. It's full of witchcraft, sorcery and violent imagery and it might disturb the average reader on first reading, but it is a very moving and rewarding read. "Property" is an interesting look into the political theory of anarchism. "A Quotation From Klopstock" is a love story with a twist. "The Magazine" is all about holding on to dreams and aspirations and following them. These are just a few of the great stories included in this book. It is a shame that "A Crown Of Feathers and Other Stories" is now probably out of print, but have a look around for it, it will be well worth the search. I highly recommend this book.

You could say I like Chelm stories, and that I buy every one I can.

You could also say that Isaac Bashevis Singer, who wrote this tale in 1973, was no ordinary purveyor of Chelm shtiklech. You can tell from his beginning, a master's parody of Genesis.

"The pious believed that God said, 'Let there be Chelm.' And there was Chelm. But many scholars insisted that the town happened as the result of an eruption.

" 'Before Chelm,' they said, 'the area was one huge chaos, all fog and mist. Then came a great explosion and Chelm appeared.

"At the beginning the surface of Chelm was so hot that even if Chelmites had already existed, they could not have walked on the earth because they would have burned their feet." The first Chemites, this version goes, were not people but microbes, amoebas and other such creatures. When people finally arrived in town, they had names like Gronam the First, aka Gronam Ox, and Dopey Lekisch, Zeinvel Ninny, Treitel Fool and Shmendrick Numskull. And they practically invented problems.

One of the biggest was that the people of nearby Gorshkov called the Chelmites fools. Gronam Ox told his compatriots, "We Chelmites know that, of the ten measures of wisdom sent down to earth from heaven, nine went to Chelm. But the conceited people of Gorshkov think they are the clever ones and we are the fools." What does he propose? Why making war, of course.

Needless to say, the Chelmnicks end up in the wrong place, a God-forsaken town called Mazelborsht (translation: luck soup). Defeated by their own foolishness, they returned to Chelm half naked, weaponless and with broken noses and black eyes. This produced the expected seven days and seven nights of contemplation which resulted in four sage proclamations.

Next the Chelmites abolished money, decided to hold elections once every 40 years, asked Zeckel Poet to compose a hymn of 12,000 lines which schoolchildren must learn by heart and appoint Shlemeil secretary. Of course, the merchants refused to part with their goods for nothing, which resulted in a system of barter in which Zeckel Poet was the most eager participant, followed by Shmoyger the matchmaker, Fultsha Jester and the Chelm band. Nothing was exchanged.

To discover what became of Singer's Chelm, you'll have to exchange some abolished currency for this masterwork, which contains much hilarity. And of course, you'll be in luck soup if you find a copy. Alyssa A. Lappen

It is always a pleasure to read something by I.B.Singer. Although this short tale is recommended for ages 9-12, it is certainly also addressed to any age beyond. The tale is a delightful satire of society's political and ideological systems, in may aspects a short version of George Orwell's "Animal Farm."

These stories were originally published ,in serial form, in the Jewish daily Foward. They are short almost precise stories of IB singers youth in Warsaw and his Fathers "court',the BETH DIN, a combination court,synagogue ,advice for the lovelorn, place of talmudic debate,etc. The stories,vignettes drawn from memory,tell these so well. None of these stories are in the collected stories,so it makes the purchase of these 2 volumes essential{the other is IN MY FATHERS COURT]. From Old widows wanting to remarry, to overly pious mates, to pseudo-intellectual rabbis trying to show off their'learning".,I.B. Singer has left us a record of a vanished civilization, in a place and time less then 70 years ago.Essential stories from the gratest short story writer of our time.

These are vignettes, really, scenes remembered from Singer's youth when he served as a messenger errand-boy for his father who conducted a beth din in Warsaw. Although often ambiguous and seemingly inconclusive, they are the works of a master who can effortlessly create a powerful scene in only four or five pages. He avoids all the popular flaws of the short-story genre. There is not a trace of vanity or judgment in his narratives. He is the perfect short story writer.

The book, that is. The stories and pictures are just unbelievably warm and beautiful. I often read this short book cover to cover during Chanukah--one sparkling little gem a night. Just perfect for adults and, I'm sure, children, too. In fact, I can't imagine anything nicer than to read these to a kid on Chanukah. This book is the perfect gift, to yourself or anyone else. And if you can find yourself a hardcover copy, then you're *really* in luck.

I really enjoyed this book. This book has eight stories, one for each night of Hanukkah. All the stories were interesting and had beautiful illustrations. My favorite story was The Power of Light. Isacc Bashevis Singer is a Nobel Prize Winner. This is a great book.

I gave this collection of short stories as a housewarming gift. My friend says that this is not bedtime reading, so, WARNING, this collection of short stories can promote nightmares! However, she states that in the daytime, the stories are excellent.

It almost feels like a guilty pleasure, reading these stories and enjoying them so much. No self-willed stylistic twitchings, no self-conscious twisting and burnishing of sentences or opacity. Pure brilliance, sentence by sentence and, more important, story by story, is what the collection comprises. Somehow, Singer writes page turners that gratify the heart as much as the head. Even if you're a fan of post-modern ironists, take a look at these stories. You'll probably love them. And you don't have to have a working knowledge or, or interest in, Judaism. Beware, however. Disaffection for this collection is a strong indication of a mind in search of a soul.

Invidious or not, comparisons between writers--particularly if they inhabit similar genres--are inevitable. Hemingway used the analogy of boxing: Faulkner could go, say, ten rounds with any of his contemporaries but would be knocked out by Joyce. (I'm paraphrasing but you get the idea.) Well, in every book about the craft of fiction I've read, and nearly every interview with contemporary writers, Chekhov is acclaimed as the master of the short story. Singer is rarely mentioned. When he is, it's often with a patronizing wink, as if he were a quaint old boor to be respected more for nostalgia's sake than merit. In fact, Singer is the undisputed heavyweight champ of the short story. His stories seem less crafted than channeled, as if Singer had a pipeline to Heaven and was God's amanuensis. Henry Miller said that reading Singer was like "eating pie." In other words, pure pleasure. He's right, but along with the pleasure, these stories go straight to the soul and stick. It's not hyperbole to say that Singer's stories capture and convey life--and sometimes the afterlife--in all its humor, sadness, beauty and wonder. Buy this book.

A wonderfully-written story of spiritual and romantic love.

this book is the greatest book ive ever read. it is a powerfull love story set against the exotic background of seventeenth century poland. the slave has such a strong, compelling story to tell that its appeal is both contemporary and universal.... "it's a beautiful story"

The Slave by Nobel prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer is probably one of the most profound books I ever read. Yep, no kidding.

The Slave is basically the story of a Jew man stranded somewhere in 18th century Poland by the diaspora. On his own living in a Christian village, our protagonist desperately tries to hold on to his religion by reciting psalms and performing all the rituals to the letter so as to not forget them and offend god. He says that the only way someone could tell he was a Jew was his circumcision - he had none of the garments, scriptures and objects that could point that out. He even would engrave on a stone all that he could remember from the Holy books.

He eventually leaves the village and runs across a number of people of different backgrounds and meets and falls in love with a gentile women. He takes her with him in search of his people and eventually runs into a very "proper" Jewish community. They did everything "by the book", showing immense respect and doing all the right things to be "good". But he soon realizes that so many people were filled with hypocrisy, spite, and deception that you wouldn't expect from such "quality" folk. Of course, he must hide the true former religion (she converts for him) of his wife for it was nearly impossible to convert in those days. And while she is the kindest person, she is soon despised by the community... So even though these people looked perfect on the outside were not nearly as good to the higher being that they supposedly worshipped while the woman that had nothing to do with the community was the kindest person.

Singer, who writes in Yiddish and then supervises the translation, writes a very powerful book that really transcends religion. One might think that this is very "Jewish". Sure it is, but that's not the point. It will make many people look at themselves and make them realize that doing everything "by the book", whether it be religion or just life, doesn't mean that you are inherently a good person. The Slave is a fantastic novel that is fantastically written that I highly recommend.