Aleichem, Sholom | Ba 'Al-Makhshoves (essay date 1908)
Ba 'Al-Makhshoves (essay date 1908)
SOURCE: "Sholem Aleichem: A Typology of His Characters," in Prooftexts, Vol. 6, No. 1, January, 1986, pp. 7-15.
[In the following essay, which was originally published in 1908, the critic examines prominent character types in Sholom Aleichem's stories and how they reflect Jewish reaction to life in exile.]
Sholem Aleichem is one of the fortunate Yiddish writers who does not have to wait for an anniversary celebration to publicize his name among the broad masses of our people; his name was a household word before the critics even began to take notice of him. It was not unusual for an entire town to wait with baited breath for a new issue of Der yid in which Sholem Aleichem, with a broad grin, lambasted a certain class of speculators and stock market sharpies. Among the folk, there is hardly a celebration or gathering where the guests are not asked: "Would you care to hear some Sholem Aleichem read...
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