Saving Literature From Amnesia
Saving Literature From Amnesia: Revisiting Isaac Bashevis Singer - Review
Even though not clearly observant, Yiddishkeit is manifest in Singer’s writings. The presence of God can be seen in his writings.
By Sandra Lee Braude
Old Truths and New Clichés is a compilation of 19 essays by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Written mainly in Yiddish, these are now appearing in English for the first time.
Singer is known mainly for his short stories and fictional works. During his lifetime he did not publish a volume of his non-fiction writings, many of which have passed into libraries and archives.
He was born in 1902 in the village of Leoncin, Poland. In 1907, his family moved to Warsaw, where his father became head of the Radymin Yeshiva. They subsequently moved to an apartment on Krochalma Street, where Singer spent much of his youth. The Singer family home was religious. It was full of books and discussion, all of which influenced Isaac’s development. His parents worshiped Jewish books and contended that books of other faiths were false, declaring that parchments and prophets belonging to other faiths could not be relied on.
Singer, however, began to develop different ideas. As he read books outside the Jewish faith, he came to the conclusion that the existence of God, the soul, free will and other religious truths could not be proved simply by logic. He found arguments for and against religion in such books as the Guide for the Perplexed; The Kuzari; Beliefs and Opinions; and Duties of the Heart.