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The Latest Yiddish Translations, 2023

Dalia Wolfson

INTRODUCTION

In geveb is pleased to present a list of trans­la­tions from Yid­dish into oth­er lan­guages, pub­lished in 2023. The trans­la­tions list­ed below fea­ture sin­­gle-author books of Yid­dish trans­la­tions in each lan­guage, fol­lowed by a list of indi­vid­ual pieces trans­lat­ed into the same lan­guage, where avail­able. Hyper­links to the orig­i­nal pub­li­ca­tions are pro­vid­ed.

This is not an exhaus­tive list, and we need your help to make it bet­ter! If you worked on, or know of, a trans­la­tion pub­lished in 2023 that does not appear on this list, please write to translate@​ingeveb.​org and we will add it.

With thanks to In geveb edi­to­r­i­al board mem­bers and com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers from Face­book groups Yid­Forsh and Yid­dish Trans­la­tion for suggestions. 

Sin­gle-Author Books: English

Peri­od­i­cals, Antholo­gies, and Online Pub­li­ca­tions: English

Sin­gle-Author Books: French

Sin­gle-Author Books: Hebrew

Peri­od­i­cals, Antholo­gies, and Online Pub­li­ca­tions: Hebrew

Sin­gle-Author Books: Lithuanian

Peri­od­i­cals, Antholo­gies, and Online Pub­li­ca­tions: Lithuanian

Sin­gle-Author Books: Polish

Peri­od­i­cals, Antholo­gies, and Online Pub­li­ca­tions: Polish

Sin­gle-Author Books: Russian

Peri­od­i­cals, Antholo­gies, and Online Pub­li­ca­tions: Russian

Peri­od­i­cals, Antholo­gies, and Online Pub­li­ca­tions: Dutch

Sin­gle-Author Books: German

Sin­gle-Author Books: Italian

Sin­gle-Author Books: Chinese

Sin­gle-Author Books: Czech

Sin­gle-Author Books: Spanish

Single-Author Books: English

Sholem Asch. Underworld Trilogy. Trans. Caraid O’Brien. White Goat Press, 2023.
Translations of three of Asch’s major dramas—God of Vengeance, Motke Thief and The Dead Man—in one volume, the first in a playwright series put out by White Goat Press.

M. Bursztyn. By the Rivers of Mazovia. Trans. Jordan Finkin. Naydus Press, 2023.
A novel set in 1930s Smolin, Poland.

Ruth Leimenzon Engles. Written in a Barn: The Diary of a Young Woman from Vilna. Trans. David Engles. Ed. Ben-Tsiyon Klibansky.
The sole survivor of her family, Engles escaped the Vilna ghetto and hid for a year in a barn in 1943, where she wrote this diary.

Jacob Glatstein. The Glatstein Chronicles. Trans. Maier Deshell and Norbert Guterman. White Goat Press, 2023.
A re-release of the volume previously published by the Yale University Press New Yiddish Library Series.

Pinkhes-Dov Goldenshteyn. The Shochet: A Memoir of Jewish Life in Ukraine and Crimea. Trans. Michoel Rotenfeld. Touro University Press, 2023.
Memoir of a butcher living in 19th century Tsarist Russia.

Shira Gorshman. Meant to Be and Other Stories. Trans. Faith Jones. White Goat Press, 2023.
Stories by Shira Gorshman, set in locations ranging from Central Asia to kibbutzim. Faith Jones discusses translating these stories on The Shmooze.

Frume Halpern. Blessed Hands. Trans. Yermiyahu Ahron Taub. Frayed Edge Press, 2023.
A selection of Halpern’s short stories, originally published in the collected edition Gebentshte hent: dertseylungen.

Miriam Karpilove. A Provincial Newspaper and Other Stories. Trans. Jessica Kirzane. Syracuse University Press, 2023.
New translations of short stories and a novella by Miriam Karpilove.

Yosef Kerler. From a Bird’s Cage to a Thin Branch: The Selected Poems of Yosef Kerler. Trans. Maia Evrona. White Goat Press, 2023.
Translations of poems by Yosef Kerler, the post-war Yiddish poet imprisoned in the gulag Vorkuta.

Yankev Leschinsky. The Last Years of Polish Jewry. Volume 1: At the Edge of the Abyss: Essays, 1927–33. Trans. Robert Brym and Eli Jany. Open Book Publishers, 2023.
The first in a two-volume series of sociologist-journalist Leschinsky’s essays.

Sam Liptzin. She Sold Her Husband and Other Satirical Sketches. Trans. Zeke Levine. Farlag Press, 2023.
Twenty-one sketches by the humorist and columnist Sam Liptzin.

Itzik Manger. The Book of Paradise. Trans. Robert Peckerar. Pushkin Press, 2023.
Manger’s 1930s darkly comic novel about the angel Samuel Abba navigating the earthly and heavenly realms.

Kadya Molodowsky. Paper Bridge. Trans. Kathryn Hellerstein. Ed. Ellen Schechner-Johnson. Brighton Press, 2023.
Artist’s book with collage and mixed media methods by artist Ellen Schechner-Johnson, using Molodowsky’s texts and translations by Hellerstein.

Isaac Leybush Peretz and Shoham Smith. Seven Good Years: A Yiddish Folk-Tale. Trans. Ilana Kurshan. Kalaniot Books, 2023.
Shoham Smith’s Hebrew adaptation of I. L. Peretz’s folktale, in Ilana Kurshan’s translation into English.

Isaac Leybush Peretz. The I.L. Peretz Reader. Trans. Hillel Halkin. White Goat Press, 2023.
A White Goat Press re-release of the Yale University Press New Yiddish Library Series volume.

Chava Rosenfarb. In the Land of the Postscript: The Complete Short Stories of Chava Rosenfarb. Trans. Goldie Morgenthaler. White Goat Press, 2023.
The first complete collection of all of Rosenfarb’s short stories in English translation.

Isaac Bashevis Singer. Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Writings on Yiddish and Yiddishkayt: The War Years, 1939-1945. Trans. David Stromberg. White Goat Press, 2023.
Twenty-five essays from the Nobel Prize winner’s wartime writings, translated, edited and introduced by David Strombger. This is the first in a forthcoming three-volume series.

Isaac Bashevis Singer. Simple Gimpl. Trans. David Stromberg and Saul Bellow. Restless Books, 2023.
The classic story in a bilingual Yiddish and English format, with Bellow’s 1953 translations and Stromberg’s own translation. Illustrated by Liana Finck.

Israel Joshua Singer. Volume 1: The Collected Works: 1927-1937: Steel and Iron, Yoshe Kalb, The Brothers Ashkenazi. Trans. Joseph Singer and Maurice Samuel. Ed. Anita Norich. Toby Press, 2023.
Three novels by I. J. Singer.

Israel Joshua Singer. Volume 2: The Collected Works: 1938-1944: East of Eden, The Family Carnovsky, Of a World That is No More. Trans. Joseph Singer and Maurice Samuel. Ed. Anita Norich. Toby Press, 2023.
Three novels by I. J. Singer.

Joseph Soloveitchik. The Return to Zion - Addresses on Religious Zionism and American Orthodoxy. Trans. Shaul Seidler-Feller. OU Press and Ktav Publishing House, 2023.
English translations of Rav Soloveitchik’s speeches regarding Religious Zionism.

Avrom Sutzkever. Ode to the Dove. Trans. Sholem Berger. Ben Yehuda Press, 2023.
Sutzkever’s poem in English translation.

Isaiah Spiegel. Flames from the Earth: A Novel from the Lódz Ghetto. Trans. Julian Levinson. Northwestern University Press, 2023.
Spiegel’s novel, written and set in the Lodz ghetto, was recovered by the author after the war and originally published in Israel in 1966.

Debora Vogel. Montage: Works by Debora Vogel. Trans. Anastasiya Lyubas. White Goat Press, 2023.
Works by Vogel in her creative montage style.

Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: English

Eighteen Jewish Stories From Around the World, Translated from 18 Languages. Ed. Nora Gold. Cherry Orchard Books, 2023.
Includes Lili Berger’s “The Rebbetzin’s Sense of Justice,” translated by Roee Jaeger.

Enchanted We Whirl in the Dance of Youth: The Jewish Avant-Garde in Lodz and the Artist Books of Farlag Achrid, 1921. Ed. Dariusz Dekiert, Irmina Gadowska and Krystyna Radziszewska. Harrassowitz, 2023.
A volume containing fascimiles of the short-lived avant-garde journal Achrid, as well as English translations of the poetry printed inside.

One for Each Night: The Greatest Chanukah Stories of All Time. New Vessel Press, 2023.
Anthology of Chanukah-themed stories by Sholem Aleichem, Mendele Moykher-Sforim, I.L. Peretz, B. Kovner, with translations by Helena Frank, Myra Mniewski, Chana Pollack, Sebastian Z. Schulman and Ri J. Turner.

Three Yiddish Plays. Trans. Miro Mniewski, Elya Piazza and Allen Lewis Rickman. Ed. Alyssa Quint. Bloomsbury Publishing (in partnership with YIVO), 2023.
Translations of Di agune by Maria Lerner, Eyne fun yene by Paula Prilutski and Sonya Itelson by Lena Brown.

Virginia’s Sisters. Ed. Gabi Reigh. Aurora Books, 2023.
Collection of short stories by women writers. Includes Yente Serdatsky’s “Unheard,” translated by Dalia Wolfson.

Absinthe, Vol. 29: Translating Jewish Multilingualism

Another Chicago

  • Shloyme GIlbert, “Aryele,” trans. David Weaver

Asymptote

Digital Yiddish Theater Project

Forverts

In geveb, Texts & Translations

In geveb, Gendered Literary Debates Special Issue

Interlitq

  • Rajzel Zychlinsky, Six Poems, trans. Susan Cohen

Jewishfiction.net

Loch Raven Review

Scrawl Place

  • Yenta Serdatsky, “On The Way,” trans. Dalia Wolfson

Yiddish Book Center, Yiddish in the South

    Single-Author Books: French

    Rokhl Brokhes. Fauborg. Trans. Cécile Neeser Hever. Bibliothèque Medem, 2023.
    Bilingual French and English edition of Fauborg.

    Elia Levita. Le chevalier Paris et la princesse Vienne. Trans. Arnaud Bikard. L’antilope, 2023.
    The Yiddish love story adaptation of a fifteenth century Provencal tale about a poor knight wooing a princess.

    Israel Joshua Singer. D’un monde qui n’est plus. Trans. Henri Lewi. Les Belles Lettres, 2023.
    I. J. Singer’s memoirs of a childhood in Lentshin, Poland.

    I. M. Weissenberg. Un shtetl suivi de Père et fils. Trans. Jean Spector. Classique Garnier, 2023.
    Weissenberg’s story of a shtetl translated into French, with a preface by Piotr Laskowski and postface by Uriel Weinreich.

    Debora Vogel. Figures du jour ; mannequins. Trans. Batia Baum. La Barque, 2023.
    Two major works by Vogel in French translation.

    Wolf Wievorka. Est et Ouest / Déracinés. Trans. Batia Baum and Schmuel Bunim. Points, 2023.
    Yiddish stories set in interwar Paris.

    Single-Author Books: Hebrew

    Sholem Asch. האיש מנצרת. Trans. Bilha Rubenstein. Pardes, 2023.
    Asch’s novel The Nazarene in Hebrew translation.

    Elia Levita. בבא ד’אנטאנא (בבא בוך) : בובו מאנטונה רומן אבירים בחרוזים. Trans. Shlomo Lerman and Ruti Zakovitsh-Berzin. הרשות הלאומית לתרבות יידיש, 2023.
    The Bovo-bukh in modern Hebrew translation.

    Jacob Glatstein. עולם חצוף וחשמלי. Trans. Yaad Biran, Sivan Baskin, Amir Bakar, Dotan Brum, Roee Chen, Shachar Levanon, Yael Levi, Beni Mar, Amos Noy, Segev Amosi, Oren Cohen Roman, Viiki Shifris, Rachel Shlita. HaKibbutz Hameuchad, 2023.
    A selection of pieces by Glatstein.

    Abraham Joshua Heschel. חסידים עד הקצה. Trans. Itiel Beeri and Daniel Reiser. Maggid Press, 2023.
    Heschel’s writings on the stories of Kotzker Hassidim, from Lublin to Izhbitsa.

    Isaac Paner. קווים לדמותו של איציק מאנגר. Trans. Shlomo Lerman. הרשות הלאומית לתרבות יידיש, 2023.
    Writings about Itzik Manger by Yiddish journalist Isaac Paner.

    Isaac Bashevis Singer. השטן בגוריי. Trans. Bilha Rubenstein. Carmel Books, 2023.
    Singer’s classic novel in Rubenstein’s translation

    Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Hebrew

    שמים נושקים לים. Trans. Yaad Biran, Ofer Dynes, Yael Chever, Matan Chermoni, Adi Mahalel, Beni Mar, Shachar Pinsker, Viki Shifris. Ed. Shachar Pinsker. Magnes Press, 2023.
    A collection of Yiddish stories written in Israel by authors including Yosl Birshteyn, Rikuda Potash, Mendel Man, Rokhl Auerbach, Yishayahu Shpigl, Malasha Mali, Avrom Karpinovitsh, Avrom Sutzkever, Tzvi Ayznman, and Leyb Ruchman.

    Iberzets / איבערזעץ

        Single-Author Books: Lithuanian

        Avrom Karpinovitsh. Paskutinis Vilniaus pranašas. Trans. Cvi Smoliakovas. Vaga, 2023.
        Stories set in Vilna, first published as the collection “The Last Prophet of Vilna” in 1998.

        Kalmen Zingman. Ant sraigtinių laiptų. Trans. Goda Volbikaite. Hubris, 2023.
        A translation of Zingman’s novel, set in interwar Kaunas and published in 1925.

        Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Lithuanian

        Mačiau Vilnių: poezijos antologija pirmojo Vilniaus paminėjimo 700 metų sukakčiai. Ed. Mindaugas Kvietkauskas and Alvydas Šlepikas. UNESCO literatūros miestas ir Vilnius 700, 2023.
        An anthology of poetry published to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the commemoration of Vilnius. Includes translations of Yiddish poetry.

        Defending History

        Single-Author Books: Polish

        Lamed Shapiro. Wylej swój gniew. Trans. Bella Szwarcaman-Czarnota, Warsztaty Kultury, 2023.
        Short stories by Lamed Shapiro.

        Isaac Bashevis Singer. Odwiedziny. Trans. Krzysztof Modelski. Fame Art, 2023.
        Singer’s Di gest translated into Polish.

        Israel Jehosua Singer. Wspomnienia ze świata, którego już nie ma. Trans. Ewa Geller. Ed. Ewa Geller, Monika Polit. PWN, 2023.
        Singer’s memoir Fun velt vos iz nishto mer translated into Polish.

        Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Polish

        Tłomackie ⅗

        Chidusz (4/2024)

          Single-Author Books: Russian

          Velvl Chernin. Еврейские фактазии. Trans. Velvl Chernin. Jaromír Hladík Press, 2023.
          Fantastical stories written in Yiddish and translated into Russian by Velvl Chernin.

          Leib Kvitko. 1919. Trans. Olga Anikina, Ksenya Viktorova, Germina Gordiyenko, Valery Dymshits, Daria Zuyeva, Elena Klochkovskaya, Elena Marchenko, Daria Mezentseva, Ilya Nachmanson and Igor Bulatovsky. Jaromír Hladík Press, 2023.
          Translations of Kvitko’s poetry by assorted translators.

          Itzik Manger. Сонеты для моего брата Нотэ. Trans. Olga Anikina, Igor Bulatovsky, Germina Gordienko, Elena Marchenko, Ilya Nachmanson, Germina Gordienko and Ksenya Viktorova. Edited by Valery Dymshits. Jaromír Hladík Press, 2023.
          Translations of Manger’s poetry by assorted translators.

          Joshua Perle. Евреи как евреи. Книга об исчезнувшей жизни. Trans. Yisroel Nekrasov. Knizhniki, 2023.
          Perle’s autobiographical novel Yidn fun a gants yor in Russian translation.

          Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Russian

          Birobidzhan, 2023 Issue

          Birobidzhaner Shtern

            Periodicals, Anthologies, and Online Publications: Dutch

            Di grine medine

            Single-Author Books: German

            Dovid Bergelson. Die Welt möge Zeuge sein: Erzählungen. Trans. Peter Comans, Susanne Klingenstein and others. Ed. Sabine Koller and Alexandra Polyan. Suhrkamp Verlag, 2023.
            A collection of roughly twenty documents and writings by Bergelson are gathered in this volume.

            Chava Rosenfarb. Durch Innere Kontinente. Trans. Sandra Israel-Niang. Homunculus Verlag, 2023.
            Twelve writings (excerpted or full) of works by Rosenfarb, here in German translation.

            Single-Author Books: Italian

            Sholem Aleichem. Tredici Robinson. Trans. Stefania Ragaù. Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 2023.
            Translation into Italian of Sholem Aleichem’s Robinson Crusoe.

            Dovid Bergelson. Alla fine della storia. Trans. Daniela Mantonvan and Alessandra Luise. Marsilio, 2023.
            Translation of Bergelson’s Nokh alemen.

            Single-Author Books: Chinese

            Isaac Bashevis Singer. 儍子金寶 (Sha zi Jinbao). Trans. 劉紹銘. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2023.
            Chinese translation of Singer’s Gimpl tam.

            Single-Author Books: Czech

            Israel Joshua Singer. Rodina Karnovských. Trans. Gita Zbavitelová. Argo, 2023.
            Czech translation of The Family Carnovsky.

            Single-Author Books: Spanish

            Isaac Bashevis Singer. Keyla la pelirroja. Trans. Rhoda Helende and Jacob Abecasis. Acantilado, 2023.
            Translation of Singer’s novel.

            MLA STYLE
            Wolfson, Dalia. “The Latest Yiddish Translations, 2023.” In geveb, February 2024: https://ingeveb.org/blog/the-latest-yiddish-translations-2023.
            CHICAGO STYLE
            Wolfson, Dalia. “The Latest Yiddish Translations, 2023.” In geveb (February 2024): Accessed Dec 07, 2024.

            ABOUT THE AUTHOR

            Dalia Wolfson

            Dalia Wolfson is a PhD student in Comparative Literature at Harvard University and Translations Editor for In geveb.