All I Could Never Be: A Novel by Anzia Yezierska (English) Paperback Book

The Nile on eBay   All I Could Never Be by Anzia Yezierska, Catherine Rottenberg

A rediscovered novel by Anzia Yezierska, author of Bread Givers, a modern classic of the Jewish American tradition. "The capstone of her work." -Alice Kessler-Harris

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

Fanya, a young Polish Jew, living and working on the Lower East Side, attends a lecture by a famous educator, Henry Scott, that seems meant specifically for her. Scott calls America "the meeting ground of all the nations of the world" and exhorts Americans to "blaze a trail to a future where people would be judged not by membership in a group . . . but as individuals on their own merits." On an impulse, Fanya goes to Scott's university office and boldly asks him to read the autobiography she has written. After a highly charged exchange, the rational, older, American professor is won over by the young, passionate, Jewish immigrant. She is his fascination; he is her "symbol of all she could never be." Scott becomes her mentor, leading Fanya to success as an author. He also expresses romantic interest in her, but ultimately rebuffs her socially. Although she is crushed, instead of returning to the ghetto to live among "her own people," as so many before her have done, Fanya chooses to advance further into America. She buys a house in a quiet New England village, where, eventually, another newcomer becomes an unexpected soul mate-and she prepares to make a home. This moving portrait of a vibrant and talented immigrant woman is based on the author's true relationship with John Dewey, the important and famous educator who was her most significant influence. It depicts the workings of American society during the 1930s, especially between the privileged class and immigrants who were striving for a better life. It is an early and optimistic story of Jewish assimilation, and grapples with issues still faced by immigrants today. The comprehensive introduction by Dr. Catherine Rottenberg, who rescued the novel from obscurity, describes the novel's significance, placing it in the context of Yezierska's work and life, as well as within the Jewish American literary tradition.

Author Biography

Anzia Yezierska (1882-1970) was born in Poland and came to the Lower East Side of New York with her family in 1890 when she was nine years old. By the 1920s she had risen out of poverty and become a successful writer of stories, novels-all autobiographical-and an autobiography, Red Ribbon on a White Horse (Persea). Her novel Bread Givers (Persea) is considered a classic of Jewish American fiction. Her acclaimed books also include How I Found America: Collected Stories and The Open Cage. She died in 1970. Catherine Rottenberg teaches American literature and gender studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.

Long Description

Rediscovered: a Jewish American classic. A young Polish Jew transforms herself from shirt factory worker on the Lower East Side to successful author living in a quiet New England village. An insightful, deeply felt novel presaging the assimilation of Jews into American life. "The capstone of Anzia Yezierska's work." -Alice Kessler-Harris

Details ISBN0892554657 Author Catherine Rottenberg Short Title ALL I COULD NEVER BE Pages 256 Language English ISBN-10 0892554657 ISBN-13 9780892554652 Media Book Format Paperback Birth 1880 Death 1970 Subtitle A Novel Imprint Persea Books Inc Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States NZ Release Date 2021-01-12 US Release Date 2021-01-12 UK Release Date 2021-01-12 Year 2021 Publication Date 2021-01-12 Publisher Persea Books Inc DEWEY 813.54 Audience General AU Release Date 2021-02-11 We've got this

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