Isaac B. Singer: A Life

When I started this book, I thought "this is just a collation of information from Singer's own autobiographical essays, along with some information from the biographies that have been published." By the second chapter, my opinion hadn't dramatically changed, but my appreciation of what Noiville had accomplished was much higher. This fine, short bio summarizes many strands of Singer's psychological complexity, whose own internal conflicts were amplified by his relationship with his older brother, his first translator (Saul Bellow), and surprisingly, even extended to his relationship to Yiddish. I learned for the first time that not only did Singer extensively revise and modify his stories as they were moved into English (this was well-known), but he has forbidden that translations be made of the Yiddish versions, and all foreign translations use the English texts. "A writer who gives up the text he has produced in his own language, a very strong, subtle, linguistically rich text; who forbids using it, consigns it to the dust, dooms it to oblivion..." (p98, quoting Henri Lewi). I may track down a recent book, edited by Seth Wolitz, called The Hidden IB Singer (2001). I also found a list of IB's favorite books (on p161): second only to the Bible, is "The Best of Pearls, by Moses Hayyim Luzzato", above Crime & Punishment (3rd), and Knut Hamsun's Pan (8th).

As a fan of Singer's writing, I was pleased to learn more about the man from this engaging short biography. Noiville is respectful, curious, insightful. My only disappointment is that she makes no effort to chronicle Singer's work per se. Individual pieces are mentioned as they fit into the narrative of his life, but there's no comprehensive survey of the work. Nevertheless, Singer's character emerges vividly. Noiville is also attentive to the essential role in Singer's success played by a number of devoted women. - LJ

This biography is another contribution to the growing Literature about the Yiddish language master who is arguably one of the world's greatest short- story writers. Noiville a LeMonde correspondent who published this book originally in France in 2003 has her work elegantly translated here by Catherine Temerson. She does not aim at a comprehensive study but rather one which illuminates certain points of Singer's life, including his childhood background, his revolt against Orthodoxy, his dedication of his life to two passions, Women and Literature- his devotion to Yiddish, his complex depiction of world's lost, his literary genius. In one of the many interesting anecdotes Noiville tells of the four -year old Singer amazing his mother with descriptions of the place they left when Singer was only one year old. His genius at observing and above all remembering would go with him all his life and help him bring back the lost worlds of his childhood and youth when he wrote about them years later in America. Singer was many many things, an improbable collection of one who had rejected Orthodoxy and yet somehow knew more about Jewish life and practice, and cared more than almost any other writer I can think of. No one I think compares to his 'inner Jewishness' his feeling for every nuance of Jewish life and culture. His tremendously lively imagination confronted the most perplexing of philosophical questions about the meaning of human life. He lived at times in deep depression and yet a capacity to surprise and startle with the most powerful perceptions of life. His depictions of misery and suffering of the Jews of pre- war Poland are part of his providing a picture of a world which was to be lost. This book is a valuable contribution to what will hopefully be more works about this great master of modern Literature.