The Stories of I. L. Peretz - Brief Article - Young Adult Review - Audiobook Review

Kliatt, July, 2002 by Bernard D. Cooperman

THE STORIES OF I. L. PERETZ. 1990/2001. Read by George Guidall & Suzanne Toren. 4 tapes. 6 hrs. Jewish Contemporary Classics. 1-893079-10-4. $34.95. Vinyl; author, reader, content notes. JSA *

It is hard to think of any modern author who had as profound an effect on literature and was simultaneously as widely read and as beloved by his audience as the Yiddish writer Isaac Leib Peretz (1859-1915). An astute folklorist and master storyteller, Peretz combined his literary talents with revolutionary zeal in order to reform both Jewish culture and Jewish society. His stories use the traditional rhythms and language of the pious Jewish past but he does not sentimentalize. On the contrary, he uses them in order to bring contemporary characters and social conditions to life.

Jewish Contemporary Classics has done us all a great service by making the volume available in audio format. Guidall's readings are superb; Suzanne Toren's are almost as good. And best of all, the audiobook includes an Afterward that will help orient readers who are not already devotees of this master craftsman. This book should be in every library in the country.

Bernard D. Cooperman, Assoc. Prof., Univ. of MD, College Park, MD