Isaac Beshevitz-Singer (1904-1993)

Beshevitz, as he is known (to distinguish him from his brother Israel Joshua Singer, also a famous writer), is one of the most modern, revolutionary, and controversial of Yiddish authors. He made his literary debut in Warsaw at age 21, starting as a translator of Western Literature but eventually moving into his own creations.

His stories are extremely complex, as well as oftenbeing lurid, misogynistic, and full of dibbuks and other demonic references. Beshevitz writes much about dissolusionm ent, on not even bothering to set your sights high for fear of the inevitable letdown.

However, lest we be too quick to jump to conclusions, my personal belief is that Beshevitz is merely saying that there are no easy answers - not that there are no answers at all. However, I do not to claim to understand his writing extre mely well, as he is a very difficult, multifaceted author to read.

He is also a less-than-favored author among many. When he was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1978, many protested that he did not deserve it. Many find him too negative, too bleak, even too perverse. However, Beshevitz has his supporters as well, among them Eli Weisel, who called him the greatest living Yiddish writer. From my perspective, he is a challenge, and worth reading.