Jacob Gordin, Yiddish Theatre, and the Idea of Russian Literature

FAIN: FT-53859-05

Barbara Jane Henry
University of Washington (Seattle, WA 98195-1016)

“Jacob Gordin, Yiddish Theatre, and the Idea of Russian Literature” is a book-length study of the use of Russian literary plots and themes by the leading playwright of the American Yiddish theatre, Jacob Gordin (1853-1909). This work examines how New York’s Yiddish theatre was the nexus for the interaction of Russian and American culture at the turn of the 20th century. The aim of the study is to demonstrate how Jewish theatre “assimilated” Russian culture to create a distinct American theatrical form, which reflected the interests, needs, and desires of East European Jewish immigrants to the United States before the First World War.