Yiddish Transformed: Reading Habits in the Russian Empire, 1860-1914

As significant economic, social, political, and cultural transformations swept the Jewish population of Tsarist Russia and Congress Poland between 1860 and 1914, the Yiddish language (Zhargon) began to gain recognition as a central part of the Jewish cultural stage. Yiddish Transformed examines the secular reading habits of East-European Jews as the Jewish community began shifting to a modern society. Author Nathan Cohen explores Jewish reading practices alongside the rise of Yiddish by delving into publishing policies of Yiddish books and newspapers, popular literary genres of the time, the development of Jewish public libraries, as well as personal reflections of reading experiences.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Preface Introduction The Reader, the Book, and the Library Reading and Readers in the Russian Empire Reading and Readers in Congress Poland Reading and Readers in the Changing Jewish Surroundings The Library as a Literary Agent in Russia and Poland The Library as a Cultural Agent in the Jewish Surroundings Developing Changes From “Zhargon” to Yiddish Rising Numbers and Changing Content Chapter 1. Changing Times, New Activities, Fresh Content Looking to the Masses Historical-Demographic and Linguistic Background First Steps Towards a Different Reading Experience Conservative Reactions to Contemporary Cultural Changes Let the Masses Read in Their Language! A One-Man Enterprise: Avrom Kotik The Book as Teacher Popular Science and Public Health Foreign Language Instruction Professional Guidance and Ways to Get Rich Quick Chapter 2. The Fleeting and the Long-lasting: Newspapers and Books Newspapers and Readers The Daily Press Political Newspapers Publishing and Publishers Warsaw: Printers, Publishers, and Booksellers until 1900 Y. L. Peretz as a Publisher Socialist Publishing Modern Commercial Publishing (after 1900) Series – Bibliotekn Impressions of Warsaw Vilna: Lineage and Prestige Kiev: A Young and Vibrant Center Odessa: A Peripheral Metropolis St. Petersburg: Yiddish in the Capital City Attempts at Cooperation The Future of Yiddish Publishing Chapter 3. New on the Shelf – Crime and Detective Stories Crime Stories for the Masses Imported and Translated Detective Stories Crime Literature in the Eyes of Contemporary Critics Chapter 4. Discovering a New World―The Reading Experience in Yiddish Life Stories Sources of Inspiration The Encounter with the Book Genre Preferences Linguistic Preferences and Preferred Authors The Reading Experience and the Choice of Yiddish The Place of Yiddish among Female Readers Conclusion Chapter 5. Libraries, Books, and Readers The Library as an Educational Agent The Importance and Necessity of a Library Meeting Places for Scholars in Vilna and Warsaw Odessa: A Large Library in the Port City Poltava: A New Southern Library Kiev: Yiddish on the Rise Minsk: The Transformation of a Library Other Libraries Jewish Readers in General Libraries What Was Read Outside the Library? The Society for the Promotion of Enlightenment among the Jews of Russia (OPE) The Society, Yiddish, and Library Awareness Public Libraries: Where, How Many, and How? What Do People Read and How Much? Supply and Demand Literacy and Yiddish in Other Cultural Institutions In the Russian Arena: The All-Russian Library Conference and Its Implications for the Jewish Libraries Conclusion Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Nathan Cohen is Associate Professor and director of the Center for Yiddish Studies at Bar Ilan University, Israel, and associated editor of Yad Vashem Studies. His research focuses on East European Jewish cultural history in the 19th and 20th centuries, Yiddish book history and history of reading, and modern Yiddish literature. He is the author of Books, Writers and Newspapers: The Jewish Cultural Center in Warsaw, 1918-1942 (Magnes Press, 2003), which was published in Hebrew and translated into Polish.