Jan 24, 2021
INTRODUCTION
This is not an exhaustive list, and we need your help to make it better! If you translated, or know of a translation, published in 2020 that does not appear on this list, please write to translate@ingeveb.org and we will add it. We are aware that English is overrepresented on this list owing to the limitations of its compilers; we are eager to add translations from Yiddish into any language.
Below you will find a list of single-author books of Yiddish translations into English, followed by a list of individual pieces translated into English, listed by publication, followed by a list of translations from Yiddish into other languages. Where possible we have included a link to the translation itself, and where there is no link, a citation is provided.
Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: English
Single-Author Books: Lithuanian
Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Lithuanian
Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Polish
Single-Author Books: English
Rakhmil Bryks. My God Avenge Their Blood. Trans. Yermiyahu Ahron Taub. Lexington Books, 2020.
Three memoirs by the Yiddish writer Rachmil Bryks. An extract can be found here.
Glikl. Memoirs 1691-1719. Trans. Sara Friedman. Brandeis University Press, 2020.
Translated from Hebrew, based on the translation from the Yiddish by Chava Turniansky.
Samuel Isban. “Illegal” Jews Part the Seas. Trans. Daniel Kennedy. Independently Published, 2020.
Reportage on the clandestine mission to smuggle Jewish refugees past the British blockade into Palestine.
Miriam Karpilove. Diary of a Lonely Girl. Trans. Jessica Kirzane. Syracuse University Press, 2020.
Read a review here, and an extract here.
Moyshe Kulbak. Childe Harold of Dynsa. Trans. Robert Adler Peckerar. Naydus Press, 2020.
The first publication from Naydus Press, a complete translation of Kulbak’s faux-Byronic long poem.
Mendl Mann. The Fall of Berlin. Trans. Maurice Wolfthal. Open Book Publishers, 2020.
Mann’s autobiographical novel about life as a Jewish soldier in the Red Army.
Salomea Perl. The Canvas and Other Stories. Trans. Ruth Murphy. Ben Yehuda Press, 2020.
Bilingual Edition.
Jonah Rosenfeld. Rivals and Other Stories. Trans. Rachel Mines. Syracuse University Press, 2020.
Read an extract here.
Boris Sandler. Good Morning. Trans. Ellen Cassedy. Yiddish Branzhe, 2020.
Bilingual Edition. Read an interview with the author here.
Avrom Sutzkever. Sutzkever Essential Prose. Trans. Zackary Sholem Berger. White Goat Press, 2020.
Read a review here.
Aaron Samuel Tamaras. A Passionate Pacifist. Trans. Everett Gendler and Ri. J. Turner. Ben Yehuda Press, 2020.
Selected writings of Aaron Samuel Tamaras. Read an extract here.
Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: English
How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish. Ed. Ilan Stavans and Josh Lambert. Restless Books, 2020.
Anthology featuring a wide range of translations including texts by Morris Rosenfeld, Sholem Asch, Anna Margolin, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Celia Dropkin, Moyshe Nadir and many others.
Honey on the Page. Ed. Miriam Udel. New York University Press, 2020.
Landmark anthology of children’s literature, compiled and translated by Miriam Udel, including texts by Yankev Pat, Kadya Molodowsky, Leyb Kvitko, Ida Maze, Khaver Paver and many others. Read an extract here.
The Ringelblum Archive: Underground Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto, Vol. 3. Żydowski Instytut Historyczny, 2020.
Vol. 3: Oyneg Shabes. People and Works. Based on volume eleven of the Polish language series. With translations from Yiddish by: Jennifer Bell, Vincent Homolka, Daniel Kennedy, Fleur Kuhn, Dianne Levitin, Barry Smerin, Wojciech Tworek, and Elena Watson
Amelia M. Glaser. Songs in Dark Times. Harvard University Press, 2020.
Monograph on Jewish leftist poets including translations of poems by H. Leivick, Esther Shumiatcher, Moyshe Teyf, Shifre Vays, Malke Lee, Peretz Markish, Aaron Kurtz and others.
In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies
- Leyb Kvitko, “Three Poems,” trans. Harriet Murav and Zackary Sholem Berger
- Chana Blankshteyn, “Fear,” trans. Anita Norich
- Levin Kipnis, “Children of the Field,” trans. Miriam Udel
- Rachmil Bryks, “At Home with Mordechai Gebirtig,” trans. Yermiyahu Ahron Taub
- Misc. “The Yiddish Life of Chaim Soutine,” trans. Ofer Dynes
- Sarah Reisen, “Three Poems,” trans. Eli Jany
- Miryam Ulinover, “Two Poems,” trans. Mindy Liberman
- Uri Zvi Grinberg, “Uri Zvi Before the Cross,” trans. James Adam Redfield
- Yoysef Kerler, “War Poems,” trans. Maia Evrona
- Shloyme Bastomski, “Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata,” trans. Alex Weiser
- Isaac Bashevis Singer, “The Political Economy of Chelm,” trans. David Stromberg
- Isaac Bashevis Singer, “The Rise and Fall of King Vaizatha of Chelm or How Chelm Remained Penniless,” trans. David Stromberg
Yiddish Book Center Website
The Yiddish Book Center’s website continues its tradition of regularly publishing texts in translation.
- Yehoash, “Mortality,” trans. Marvin Zuckerman
- Melech Ravitch, “On Pride,” trans. Ladislav Charouz
- Chaim Zhitlowky, “Should We Build our Culture Here in English? Jewish Culture in Yiddish and in English,” trans. Ri J. Turner
- Yehudis, “In the Bedroom,” trans. Jordan Finkin
- Arn Mayzl, “The White Bear,” trans. Sophia Shoulson
- Rachmil Bryks, “A Gas Nightmare,” trans. Yermiyahu Ahron Taub
- Abba Kovner, “The Ordeal of an Individual and a Generation,” trans. Abigail Weaver
- Sarah Hamer-Jacklyn, “Aunt Taibele,” trans. Miranda Cooper
- Sholem Aleichem, “King for a Day,” trans. Curt Levient
- Pessie Pomerantz-Honigbaum, “Red Dew,” trans. Jessica Kirzane
- Izi Kharik, “Minsk Muck,” trans. Madeleine Cohen
Klara Klebanova, The Last Maximalist. Trans. Caraid O’Brien
A twelve-part audio series based on the memoir of Klara Klebanova, translated and performed by Caraid O’Brien
Columbia Journal
- Avrom Sutzkever, “Three Poems,” trans. Maia Evrona
Jewish Currents
- Morris Rosenfeld, “Rent Strike,” trans. Eddy Portnoy
- Avrom Reyzen, “Household of Eight,” trans. Nathan Halper
- Anna Margolin, “We Went through Days,” trans. Richard F. Fein
Jewish Fiction.net
- Lili Berger, “The Rebetzin’s Sense of Justice,” trans. Ronnee Jaeger
Pakn Treger
- Berl Boym, “Bertha Kling, Fifty Years Gone By,” trans. Sophia Shoulson
- Avrom Sutzkever, “Portrait with a Blue Sweater,” trans. Zackary Sholem Berger
Pakn Treger 2020 Translation Issue: Yiddish Comes to America, edited by Madeleine Cohen, 2020.
- Aaron Glanz-Leyeles, “To America,” trans. Oliver Elkus
- Isaac Bashevis Singer, “Immigration,” trans. David Stromberg
- Fradel Shtok, “The First Patient,” trans. Jordan Finkin and Allison Schachter
- Sam Liptzin, “The First Trip to Coney Island,” trans. Zeke Levine
- Joseph Opatoshu, “What Are We Teaching Our Children?” trans. Shulamith Berger
- Yoysef Kerler, “If I Were in Alabama,” trans. Maia Evrona
- Sarah Hamer-Jacklyn, “Letters,” trans. Miranda Cooper
- Abraham Goldberg, “The Immigrant Jewish Intellectual,” trans. Daniel Kennedy
- Avrom Reyzen, “New Boses,” trans. Curt Leviant
- Chone Gottesfeld, “Hometown to Treyf Ground,” trans. Sophia Shoulson
- Israel Emiot, “Two Poems,” trans. Leah Zazulyer
- Moshe Efron, “Dream,” trans. Oliver Elkus
- Miriam Karpilove, “You Should Have Been There,” trans. Jessica Kirzane
- Jonah Rosenfeld, “Vrastata Trasmata!” trans. Rachel Mines
- Aaron Glanz-Leyeles, “America and I,” trans. Zackary Sholem Berger
Tablet Magazine
- Sholem Aleichem, “Motke Ganev,” trans. Curt Leviant
- Sholem Aleichem, “Trying to Make a Living,” trans. Curt Leviant
- Sholem Aleichem, “Why Darkness Befell Me on the Bright Festival of Simchat Torah,” trans. Curt Leviant
Single-Author Books: French
Y. L. Peretz. Histoires des temps passés et à venir. Trad. Batia Baum. Éditions de l’antilope, 2020.
Six short stories.
Sholem Aleykhem. Étoiles vagabondes. Trad. Jean Spector. Le Tripode, 2020.
Translation of Sholem Aleichem’s Blondzhende shtern.
Hersh Dovid Nomberg. À qui la faute? Trad. Fleur Kuhn-Kennedy. Farlag Press, 2020.
Bilingual edition of Nomberg’s short story “ver iz shuldik?”
Isaac Bashevis Singer. Le charlatan. Trad. Marie-Pierre Bay & Nicolas Castelnau-Bay. Stock, 2020.
Based on an uncredited English translation, The Charlatan was apparently edited by Singer shortly before his death. An Italian version appeared last year but to date the English version has never been published.
Single-Author Books: Lithuanian
Avrom Sutzkever. Dešimt eilėraščių - Ten Poems. Trans. David E. Fishman, Barbara and Benjamin Harshav, Mindaugas Kvietkaunas, C.K. Williams, Julija Korostenskienė. Lietuvos nacionalinė Martyno Mažvydo biblioteka, 2020.
Avrom Sutzkever. Kapo Vaikas. Trans. Laurynas Katkus with the collaboration of Akvilė Grigoravičiūtė. Lietuvos nacionalinė Martyno Mažvydo biblioteka, 2020.
Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Lithuanian
Krantai
Danielis Čarnis, “Iš mano Vilniaus dienoraščio,” trans. Akvilė Grigoravičiūtė
Kaunas 2020, City of Culture website
Bal Machšovasas, “Mėsininkų sinagoga,” trans. Goda Volbikaitė
Single-Author Books: Polish
Szymon An-ski. Dybuk. Trans. Michał Friedman. Agencja Dramatu i Teatru ADiT, 2020.
Izrael Joszua Singer. Na obcej ziemi. Trans. Krzysztof Modelski. Fame Art. 2020.
Mojsze Szklar. Gdy ziemia płonęła. Trans. Magdalena Ruta. Austeria, 2020.
Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Polish
Fraza
Meir Kucinski, “Zulejka i Rebeka,” trans. Mariusz Kałczewiak
שלום אש .לפני המבול | שלוש ערים: פטרבורג, ורשה, מוסקבה. תרגום: בלהה רובינשטיין
Sholem Asch. Before the Flood Three cities: Petersburg, Warsaw. Trans. Bilhah Rubinstein. Moscow. Carmel, 2020
Single-Author Books: German
Chaim Grade. Von Frauen und Rabbinern. Trans. Susanne Klingenstein. Die Andere Bibliothek, 2020.
Two short stories.
Avrom Sutzkever. In Sodom. Trans. Arndt Beck. Hentrich & Hentrich, 2020.
Single-Author Books: Spanish
Israel Yehoshua Singer. De un mundo que ya no está. Trans. Rhoda Henelde y Jacob Abecasís. El Acantilado, 2020.
Translation of I. J. Singer’s Fun a velt vos iz nishto mer.
