The Mendele Review_: Yiddish Literature and Language (A Companion to _MENDELE_) ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 06.005 30 May 2002 "Workbook" on the Asch-Howe Quarrel 1) Why Was Sholem Asch Upset With Irving Howe? (ed.) 2) Howe on Asch in the _Treasury_'s "Introduction" (selections) 3) Correspondence Re Asch's Stories in the Howe-Greenberg _Treasury of Yiddish Stories_ 4) Index of Persons (ed.) 1)---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 30 May 2002 From: Leonard Prager Subject: Why Was Sholem Asch Upset With Irving Howe? This issue of the _TMR_ experimentally mimics the "workshop" approach of many academic courses wherein the student is provided with the documentation he needs. While the question treated here is somewhat narrow, its amplification has a certain exemplary value and can interest those who may wonder how literary anthologies are actually made. The correspondence, given below in full, between Irving Howe (1922-1999) and Sholem Asch [Yiddish: Ash] (1880-1957) regarding Asch's inclusion in a planned anthology of Yiddish short fiction, did not proceed smoothly. Though three Asch stories appeared in the collection ("A Quiet Garden," "Kola Road" and "Sanctification of the Name"), Asch was unhappy with the choices and for some reason angry at Howe. In the early 1950s, having already made a mark as a literary and political critic, Irving Howe entered academic life and simultaneously began to cultivate a lifelong interest in Yiddish literature. In the early 1950s Asch felt the full blast of years of painful criticism over his ostensible "apostasy." He felt that he was literally being driven from America. The anti-Asch books of Abe Cahan and Khayim Lieberman and the boycott of every Yiddish newspaper in North America except the communist _Morgn frayhayt_ took their toll, and the proud man took ship for Europe. Howe's initial proposal to Asch to participate in a projected anthology reached him at this difficult time. Asch, it should be noted, was a highly emotional man and even in his most successful years was often embroiled in controversy, attacked in many quarters, and furious in his response. It is very likely that Howe did not regard Asch as among the greatest of Yiddish writers, either before or after he edited _Treasury of Yiddish Stories_. After Asch's death he expressed an unfriendly and ill-considered opinion of him as proselytizer [see Irving Howe, _A World More Atractive_, New York: Horizon Press, 1963, p. 215]. Yet throughout the publisher's correspondence Howe is respectful and considerate of Asch. The novelist's furor was presumably aroused by Howe's remarks in the "Introduction" to the anthology. "Though such important Yiddish novelists as Asch, Singer, Opatoshu, and Schneour have spent part of their time in America, it is in poetry that recent Yiddish literature in America has excelled," wrote Howe, explicitly if gently ranking all Yiddish novelists in America lower than the poets. This passage must have stung Asch severely. (Howe's judgement in favor of the poets has been strengthened in the half-century since it was pronounced, a period in which we have begun to see quality translations of these major figures.) Yet Howe was actually considerate of Asch's reputation. Asch was simply predisposed to dislike Howe's remarks and his lettters to his wife from this period and before help us to understand why. _Mary_, the last part of Asch's "Christological" trilogy, was the work for which many reviewers least forgave him. In a letter to his beloved wife Matilda on the eve of its publication in 1949, Asch betrays his misgivings as well as his defiance of hostile critics. 'The first printing is 100,000 copies. Interest is immense. Of course, the outcry against me from certain Jewish and Catholic sources will also be immense. But it is all worth it. I assure you by everything that is sacred and dear to me that I wrote this book in the deep belief that I was thereby performing a great service for Jews. I bring spiritual elevation to millions of people; I express the truest and most genuine part of myself. I reveal what is most beautiful in maternal love. By means of this book, I will inspire noble feelings in people and help bring about better understanding and closer relations between Jew and Christian.' ["Di ershte oysgabe is 100,000 ekzemplaren. Der interes iz a gevaltiker. Farshteyt zikh es iz tsu dervartn az dos geshrey kegn mir fun gevise yidishe un katoylishe krayzn vet oykh zayn a gevaltiker. Nor es iz alts vert. Ikh farzikher dir bay alem vos iz mir heylik un tayer, az ikh hob dos bukh geshribn in tifn gloybn az ikh tu dermit a groyse toyve yidn. Ikh breng gaystike derhoybnkayt tsu milyonen mentshn, un ikh drik oys durkh dem bukh dos erlekhste un emese vos iz in mir. Ikh breng aroys di hekhste sheynkayt in muter-libe, un ikh vel durkh dem bukh bagaystern mentshn tsu eydele gefiln un tsu beser farshtendinish un noenter kroyveshaft fun yid un krist."] In his trilogy, Asch wished 'to repair the rupture that narrow and small heads and hearts of rabbis and priests have imposed on their flocks by their pagan dogmas....' ["tsu tsebrekhn dem riz, vos enge un shmole kep un hertser fun rabonim un galokhim hobn arayngepast un ayngemoyert zeyere stades durkh falshe getsndinereshe dogmes...."] He is aware of the daring of his mission -- nothing less than the reconciliation of Judaism and Christianity: 'I will begin from where the rabbis made the rupture, with the first Christians. And I will follow my path no matter where it leads and what price I have to pay. I want to preach, outside of synagogue and church, that Judaism and Christianity are a single doctrine. I am convinced that future generations will understand me and value my work. The present generation is incapable of judging me.'] ["Ikh vil onheybn fun dort, vu di rabonim hobn opgeshnitn, fun di ershte kristn. Un gants glaykh vi der veg firt mikh, un vos far a prayz ikh badarf derfar batsoln. Ikh vil preydikn yidntum un kristntum als eyn lere, oyser di shuln un oyser di kirkhes. Ikh bin ibertsaygt az di tsukunftike doyres veln mir farshteyn un opshatsn mayn verk. Der hayntiker dor is nisht imshtand mikh tsu mishpetn."] But I am resolved, he concludes, 'to be strong and firm in my convictions and to do my work fully and honestly, laughing at the foolish criticism and false charges directed against me.' ["tsu zayn shtark un fest in mayne ibertsaygungen un tun mayn arbet mit shleymes un erlekhkayt, zikh oystsulakhn fun der narisher kritik un falshe bilbulim vos men makht oyf mir."] Putnam's believes in his new book and his editor regards it as his finest creation. Turning his scorn on his detractors in the Yiddish press he roars like a hurt lion: 'The little Yiddish scribblers of the _Forward_ and other papers thought they had already killed me off, that they had silenced me for good. The book will hit them like a bomb; they'll hear of Sholem Asch again.' ["Di yidishe shrayberlekh fun dem _Forverts_ un andere tsaytungen hobn shoyn gemeynt, az zey hobn mir avekgeharget, az zey hobn mir farshrign un farshvign. Dos bukh vet faln vi a bombe tsvishn zey, zey veln vider heren fun Sholem Ash."] This ecstasy of anticipated revenge rises to a crescendo: 'In the chorus of cries my voice will ring the loudest in history'! ["In dem khor fun geshreyen vet mayn shtime gehert vern in der geshikhte tsum hekhstn!"]* The considerable oeuvre of the controversial Sholem Asch required a comparably hefty ego. His best translator, Maurice Samuel, wrote: "He had a massive conception of himself as an artist, and developed a deep grievance as year after year went by without bringing him the Nobel Prize."** --------------- *[letter quoted from M. Tsanin, ed. _Briv fun Sholem Ash_, Bat-Yam, 1980, p. 141-3]. ** Maurice Samuel, _Little Did I Know: Recollections and Reflections_, New York: Knopf, 1963, p. 275. --------------- When he had completed his "biblical" novels, Asch turned to the world around him. He did not want to be identified with his early fiction alone and would have preferred choice of stories of contemporary American Jewish life for the Howe-Greenberg anthology ("A Quiet Garden" is American but was written four decades earlier.) Howe explicitly requested a story reflecting "the traditional Jewish world." The correspondence makes clear that Asch signed a contract for the publication of "Kola Road," and was paid for the other two stories as well -- presumably having agreed to their inclusion in the anthology. There was nothing irregular in the transfer of permission rights from Putnam's to Viking Press. Nor are Howe's remarks in the "Introduction" meant to be hurtful. Yet Asch, suffering at this time from insomnia, taking sleeping pills -- which he disapproved of -- is indeed restless, fretful and over-sensitive. The anthology was finally published on October 29, 1954, 17 months after Howe sent his first letter to Asch -- not an unusually long time. The entire gestation period was of course longer since it included the editors' preparations prior to the publication schedule proper. The editors had other problems besides that of Asch's disquietude. They worked hard to find adequate translators and were not always successful. The editors saw no reason for giving the original sources of their selections -- they were not preparing a text for scholars -- and only a half century later did Mendele's Project Onkelos unearth the original texts and make them available online with improved orthography and attractive fonts. This going back to the source has already revealed the shortcomings of many of the translations and has given new weight to the desire of many to learn Yiddish. But the Howe-Greenberg anthology was a landmark for which the editors deserve unstinting praise. Redoing the anthology and publishing it in a bilingual edition -- with the Onkelos Yiddish texts! -- is one (dreamlike?) way this admiration could be expressed. 2)--------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 30 May 2002 From: Leonard Prager Subject: What Howe Writes About Asch in the _Treasury_'s "Introduction" What precisely does Howe say about Asch in the often praised "Introduction" to the _Treasury_ anthology? Here are the relevant passages in the order of their appearance: A.: "In the writings of Peretz and Sholem Asch, the idea, deeply embedded in Jewish psychology, that the spirit of endurance cannot be broken by external attack received repeated expression. (pp. 7-8) B.: "Among the generation of writers that follows Sholem-Aleichem and Peretz there is a deliberate effort to revive the tradition of Jewish heroism (see the dramatic little story by Sholem Asch called 'Sanctificaion of the Name'). These writers, particula rly Asch and Joseph Opatoshu, reject the pacific tenor of 'classical'; Yiddish writing; they seek to inspire their readers with a militant, almost warlike readiness to struggle in behalf of Jewish survival; they feel that, in part at least, the world must be met with the ways of the world." (p. 40) C. "At about the turn of the century, there appeared two Yiddish novelettes, both called _Dos shtetl_. One was wtitten by Sholem Asch, the other by I.M. Weissenberg. The Asch novelette, though at least a step removed from the manner of Mendele or that of Peretz, still portrayed the shtetl in romantic, idyllic terms: a patriarchal air prevails, nothing has really changed. The Weissenberg novelette opened a new world....(pp. 59-60) D.: "Other innovations in subject matter came rapidly, and with them a new Yiddish style: coarse, vivid, thick, erotic. Sholem Asch and Joseph Opatoshu turned to the life of the Jewish underworld, Asch in his episodic novel _Mottke Gonef_ (Mottke the Thief), and Opatoshu in a group of stories of Jewish horse thieves. These works oscillated rather curiously, and sometimes charmingly, between realistic and romantic motifs...." (p. 60) E. "Sholem Asch discovered new human resources among the East European Jews. His story 'Kola Road' has become famous in Yiddish literature as a celebration of the _proste_, the common folk, and the _grobe yungen_, the vulgar and ignorant who live at the bottom of the Jewish world." (p. 60) F. "Only if subjects of social rebellion and settings of plebeian squalor are meant -- but surely this is not confined to any literary model -- can writrs like Asch, Weissenberg, and Schneour be spoken of as naturalists.... Their work must be understood... as a complex and uneasy response to the major traditions of Yiddish prose, and ... as an effort to bring into Yiddish literature wider ranges of modern experience.... they continued to think of [literature] as a moral release... but now they chose new objects for celebration.... These writers felt the time had come to ... revive the idea of heroism and battle.... the romantic impulse ... was deeply at work." (pp. 61-2) G. "In retrospect, the prose writers who first came to prominence during the early years of the twentieth century appear to be the sacrificial generation of Yiddish literature.... To be sure, the work of such writers as Asch, Weissenberg, Schneour, and Op atoshu is firmly embedded in Yiddish literature.... But upon the generation as a whole, despite its very great talent, time has left a mark." (pp. 62-3) H. "Though such important Yiddish novelists as Asch, Singer, Opatoshu, and Schneour have spent part of their time in America, it is in poetry that recent Yiddish literature in America has excelled. If such Yiddish poets as Moshe Leib Halpern, H. Leivick, J.I. Segal, Melech Rawitch, Itzik Manger, Jacob Glatstein, and Aaron Zeitlin -- to mention only a few -- were known in adequate translation, they would be discussed with the intensity that students of literature reserve for European and American poets." ( p. 70) 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 30 May 2002 From: Leonard Prager Subject: Correspondence Re Asch's Stories in the Howe-Greenberg _Treasury of Yiddish Stories_ [My thanks to the Sholem Asch estate and David Mazower in particular for permission to reproduce these letters. -- ed.] ------------------------------------------------------------- Letter 1: The Viking Press, Inc. June 3, 1953 Mr. Sholem Asch Dear Mr. Asch: Together wtth Eliezer Greenberg, the Yiddish poet and critic, I am editing an anthology of Yiddish prose literature, to be published by The Viking Press in 1954. We plan this as the first serious and comprehensive selection from a literature that is too little known among Yiddish [sic -- English is doubtless meant --ed.] readers; and we hope that our book will be based on the very highest literary standards. It goes without saying that we are eager to include some of your work. We are trying, however, to use almost entirely stories that have not been translated previously, so that the book will have a genuine freshness and interest. I am therefore asking you whether you could suggest for us one of your stories -- or several! -- of approximately 5 or 6 thousand words in length, which has, preferably, an east European setting. What we want is a story rich in traditional Jewish values, with a picture of the traditional Jewish world. And, of course, if that is possible, a story that has not been translated into English. I hope for an early reply. Sincerely yours, [signed] Irving Howe IH/je -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter 2: June 5, 1953 Mr. Irving Howe The Viking Press, Inc. 18 East 48th St. New York 17, New York Dear Mr. Howe: I have your letter of June 3rd addressed to Mr. Asch, who is now on his way to England. I am forwarding this to him, and I will be hearing from him in due course. I am sure he will be very happy to be represented in your anthology of Yiddish literature. Sincerely [signed] Marie Wilkerson] MW:KK ----------------------------------------------------------------- Letter 3: September 1,1953 Mr. Irving Howe 87 Parker Road Wellesley, Massachusetts Dear Mr, Howe: I have your letter of August 29th addressed to Mr. Asch who is still in England and not expected back here until some time in October. I am forwarding your letter and will also write to Mr. Asch in the hope that he may give you an answer promptly. Sincerely, [signed] Marie Wilkerson] MW:KK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter 4: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY Waltham, Massachusetts November 11, 1953 Dear Mr. Asch, During the past half year I have written you twice with regard to an anthology of Yiddish literature in English translation that is being edited by myseif and Eliezer Greenberg, the YIddish poet. In both instances, I asked for a suggestion for the inclusion of a story by yourseif. No reply was forthcoming, no doubt because you were too busy. We have since looked through your stories and concluded that we should like to reprint the story _Koila Gessel_ (Kola Road). Our plan is to have it translated anew , since the only existing translation, by Joseph Leftwich, suffers from the use of British slang. We are able to offer the modest fee of $35 for reprint rights, according to the enclosed form. I hope this meets with your satisfaction and that that you will consequenttly return the enclosed form to me as quickly as possible. We are eager to include your work in the anthology and should therefore like to hear from you. Sincerely yours, [signed] Irving Howe ------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter 5: November 30, 1953 Mr Irving Howe 87 Parker Road Wellesley Mass Dear Mr Howe: Mr. Asch happened to be here when your letter of November 11th arrived. He did not approve of your choice of KOILA GESSEL for inclusion in your anthology and suggested that you consult Mr. Samuel Niger, 176 Seeley Street, Brooklyn 18, New York, as he coul d probably help you to select the story. Mr. Asch would prefer to have you include a story representative of American Jewish life. Sincerely yours, [signed] Marie Wilkerson MW:KK ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter 6: November 30, 1953 Mr. Samuel Niger: 176 Seeley Street Brooklyn 18, New York Dear Mr. Niger: Mr. Irving Howe of Brandeis University is editing an anthology of Yiddish prose literature to be published by the Viking Press in 1954. He has been anxious to include a story written by Sholem Asch, a story that has not yet been translated into English. Mr. Asch was not able to suggest a story but, when Mr. Howe decided he would like to include KOILA GESSEL, Mr. Asch did not want that one used. He suggested to Mr. Howe that he contact you, as, undoubtedly, you would be able to help him. It is Mr. Asch's desire that a story be selected that is more representative of American Jewish life. Thank you very much for your help. Sincerely, [signed] Marie Wilkerson MW:KK ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter 7: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY Waltham, Massachusetts December 29, 1953 Miss Marie Wilkerson G.P. Putnam's New York City Dear Miss Putnam, I am writing to you again with regard to the Shalom Asch section for our Yiddish literature anthology. We are approaching the end of our work and would very much like to bring this matter to a conclusion satisfactory to everyone. As Mr. Asch suggested, we have consulted with the Yiddish critic, Samuel Charney (Sh. Niger). and together with him have agreed upon the following section: 1) A story called Sanctification of the Name. 2) A second story called Kola Road. 3) A third story called A Quiet Garden. These three stories provide. in miniature, -- I should like to pass this idea on to Mr. Asch -- a survey of his various kinds of work. The first is a legend; the second is set in Europe; the third is a story about American Jewish life. Thus, the three tog ether form a kind of unity. Would you please also tell Mr. Ascb that Samuel Charney approves of this selection. The first of these stories has been translated by Maurice Samuel and published, I believe, by Putnam's. Permission for use of the story as translated by Samuel would then be negotiated by Viking Press in communication with Putnam's. The other two stories we should like to translate specially for our anthology. and we therefore enclose a form which we would like Mr. Asch to sign, if he accepts our selection. I would greatly appreciate your rushing this matter through., since the book is virtually ready to go to the printers and waits largely upon this matter. I think Mr. Asch will feel that Mr. Charney's approval indicates a valid selection. Sincerely yours, [signed] Irving Howe ------------------------------------ Contract [no date] To Irving Howe: I hereby give permission for the publication of Koila Gessel (Koila road) on which I hold the copyright in Yiddish in an anthology tentatively entitled, A TREASURY OF YIDDISH PROSE, edited by Eliezer Greenberg and Irving Howe, for the sum of $35. It is understood that Messrs. Greenberg and Howe shall have world rights to the English language translation of this story they obtain for this anthology. Should the editors be unable to secure a satisfactory translation, the aforesaid sum shall not be payable to me; if the story is used in the anthology, payment is to be made to me on publication. If it should be sold to a magazine for use in advance of book publication, I am to receive 33-1/3% of the fee paid by the magazine; if sold for use elsewhere after publication of the book, I am to receive 50% of the fee paid to the editors. Signed [Sholem Asch] Date [empty] Address[ empty] P.S. It is understood that the above terms apply only to the translation to be made for the above-mentioned anthology and do not refer in any way to other translations that may have been made of the specified story. Irving Howe Return to Irving Howe 87 Parker Road Wellesley, Mass. ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter 8: PUBLISHERS THE VIKING PRESS INC NEW YORK 17 NY Cable address Vikpress 18 EAST 48TH STREET Telephone. Plaza 5-4330 February 15, 1954 Miss Jeanne Goodspeed G.P. Putnam's Sons 210 Madison Avenue New York 16, New York Dear Miss Goodspeed: We are writing you on behalf of Irving Howe and Eliezer Greenberg, who are editing a book tentatively entitled A TREASURY OF YIDDTSII PROSE, which we hope to publish late this year. The retail price will probably be about $5.00. The editors would like to use "Sanctification of the Name" from CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM by Sholom Asch, translated by Maurice Samuel. Will you please let us know how much the editors will have to pay for the use of this material in the United States, Canada, and the open market. Sincerely yours, [signed] Dorothy L. Shereff The Viking Press, Inc. DLS.-ht ------------------------------------------------------------- [On March 3 Putnam's gave Viking Press permission to publish "Sanctification of the Name" and charged a fee of $25.00. On March 8, Viking sent Putnam's copies of the permission form for this story and asked for the exact wording of the copyright line (i. e. date, and name of copyright owner).] ----------------------------------------------------------- Letter 9: THE VIKING PRESS INC- PUBLISHERS 18 EAST 48th STREET- NEW YORK 17 NY Cable: Vikpress Telephone: PL 5-4330 October 29, 1954 Miss Jeanne M. Goodspeed G. P. Putnam's Sons 210 Madison Avenue New York 16, flew York Dear Miss Goodspeed: We enclose our check for $25.00, your fee for permission to use "Sanctification of the Name" from CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM by Sholem Asch in A TREASURY OF YIDDISH STORIES. We take pleasure in sending you, under separate cover, two copies of the book. You will find the selection on page 255. Thank you for making this material available to the editors. Sincerely yours, [signed] Dorothy L:. Shereff The Viking Press, Inc. DLS: cs -------------------- [On the same date as the above (29 October 1954) a check for $70 was sent to Asch for "Kola Street" and "A Quiet Garden Spot."] ------------------------------------------ Letter 10: [handwritten by Asch on stationery of Dan Hotel, 99 Hayarkon St., Tel Aviv] December 16/[19]54 Dearest Marie, I have received the book "The treasury of idish stories" and I wished you should have spared me this unpleasant book. I have know well that the editors of this book were my enemies. friend of the Forward, waiting only for an acasion [sic -ed] to belittle me in the eyes of the English readers. This was the reason I have refused to participate in this book. As probable Viking would not publish the book without my participation they have insisted in persuading you to make me to contribute to this book have selected a story of mine that I have written 50 years ago when I started to write. and they have besmired [sic -ed.] me and my name in the preface. I wish Mr. Minton writes a note to Mr. Huebsh in this effect. I did not yet received the material of my manuscript from the first part (chapters 6-12) which I have sent back to Mr. Perlman to correct. I need very much this material for the Hebrew translation chapter 7-8 II [i.e. second --ed.] part I have received. Thanks [added on the left hand margin at right angle to the above] [Wou]ld you send me Seconal by wire. The sleeping pills they help me the best?! -------------------------------------------------------- Letter 11: December 29, 1954 Dear Mr. Asch, Thank you very much for your letter of December 16th. I got a prescription for Seconal from Dr. Salzer, and we got them off to you last week by air mail. I hope they arrive safely. Mr. Poznansky was in to see me last week and will he back next Monday mor ning as I have told him that I would have $500 in cash for him then. Thank you for the clipping from the paper. I am glad that they are all treating you as you deserve in Israel. I am also happy that you like it there and can stay for the winter. I am enclosing a review of THE FLOWERING PEACH, a new play which opened last night and in which your old friend Menasha Skulnik has the lead. I imagine you would like to see this play. Perhaps he will be taking it to London when you get back there. On November 22, we sent you Chapters 6 to 12 of the first part to the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. On December 3rd, I got a cable from Tel-Aviv saying that you had received the manuscript and were expecting the rest. If what you refer to in that cable was not Chapters 6 tn 12, then they are still in Jerusalem. You had better call the hotel and investigate. Much love, [signed] Marie Wilkerson] Mr. Sholem Asch Hotel Dan Tel-Aviv, ISRAEL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter 12: December 30, 1954 Mr.Harold K. Guinzburg The Viking Press, Inc. 18 East 48th Stteet New York 17, New York Dear Harold, Some time ago we gave permission to Messrs. Howe and Greenberg to use one of Sholem Asch's stories. Instead of using one, they used three, which is going it a little bit strong. I don't know who handled this in your place, but I suggest that you discuss it with that person. Mr. Asch is very much upset, not so much because you overdid what you were supposed to do, but because, after getting permission to use the material, the editors' comments were none too flattering to say the least. I wish you would look into this whole thing yourself. I think it is the wisest and quickest way out. It is not the sort of thing you would like to have done. I would appreciate very much your looking into this. With all best wishes, I am Sincerely yours, [signed] Melville Minton MM:KK ----------------------- Letter 13: PUBLISHERS THE VIKING PRESS INC NEW YORK 17 NY Cable address. Vikpress 18 EAST 48TH STREET telephone PLaza 54330 January 3, 1955 Mr. Melville Minton G.P.Putnam's Sons 210 Madison Avenue New York 16, N.Y. Dear Mel: As far as I can find out, Sholem Asch seems to have forgotten correspondence he had with the editors of our book. They bought one story direct from you. At the same time they asked Asch for the right to make translations of two other stories ("Kola Road " and "A Quiet Garden") which I gather had not been previously done in English. An authorization form was sent to Asch covering these two stories and payment was made to him for those rights. If there is anything further about this matter that needs clarification, please let me know and we will get in touch with the editors. With kindest regards. Faithfully Yours, [signed] Harold K. Guinzburg hkg-dls 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 30 May 2002 From: Leonard Prager Subject: Index of Names Index of Names -Asch, Sholem [Sholem Ash] = Yiddish writer -Balch, Earl = Putnam's editor, worked with Asch; Minton, Balch and Co. had united with Putnam's -Charney, Samuel = Sh. Niger, Yiddish critic -Goodspeed, Jeanne = a member of G. P. Putnam's permission dept. staff -Greenberg, Eliezer = Yiddish poet; co-editor of _Treasury_ -Griesser, Marjorie = Viking Press staff (MG) -Guinzburg, Harold K. = Viking Press executive, co-founder of Viking Press -Howe, Irving = distinguished critic, writer, translator, editor and anthologist -Huebsch, B.W. = Viking Press executive (Huebsch's firm united with Viking in 1925) -Huebsch, B.W.(company) = acquired by Viking in 1925 -Leftwich, Joseph = Dutch-born English and Yiddish journalist, writer and translator -Minton, Balch and Co. = publisher, merged with Putnam's -Minton, Melville = G.P. Putnam's executive; partner in Minton, Balch and Co. pre-Putnam's merger -Niger, Sh[muel] = leading Yiddish literary critic -Perlman = Asch's copyist/critic in New York (see _Briv_ nos. 112, 162) -Poznansky = Asch's agent in America? -Putnam's = publisher, in 1930: G.P. Putnam's Sons merged with the publishing firm of Minton, Balch & Co. Control of the company passed to Minton & Balch upon Palmer C. Putnam's retirement. -Salzer, Dr. = a New York physician who prescribed Seconal for Asch -Seconal (= secobarbitol) = a short-acting barbiturate sedative used for short-term treatment of insomnia; addictive and can seriously damage health if abused. -Shereff, Dorothy L. = DLS, Viking Press staff member -Viking Press was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim. In 1925, Viking acquired the firm of B.W. Huebsch; Huebsch brought with him a backlist of titles by James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, and Sherwood Anderson. -Wilkerson, Marie = MW, a Putnam's staffer who handled Asch's affairs. ____________________________________________________ End of _The Mendele Review_ 06.005 Leonard Prager, editor Subscribers to _Mendele_ (see below) automatically receive _The Mendele Review_. Send "to subscribe" or change-of-status messages to: listproc@lists.yale.edu a. For a temporary stop: set mendele mail postpone b. To resume delivery: set mendele mail ack c. To subscribe: sub mendele first_name last_name d. To unsubscribe kholile: unsub mendele ****Getting back issues**** _The Mendele Review_ archives can be reached at: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele/tmrarc.htm