I. L. Peretz (18521915), the father of modern Yiddish literature, was a master storyteller and social critic who advocated a radical shift from religious observance to secular Jewish culture. Wisse explores Peretzs writings in relation to his ideology, which sought to create a strong Jewish identity separate from the trappings of religion.

Ruth R. Wisse is research professor of Yiddish and comparative literature at Harvard University. She is the author of The Modern Jewish Canon: A Journey through Language and Culture and editor of The I. L. Peretz Reader.

I. L. Peretz (1852�1915), the father of modern Yiddish literature, was a master storyteller and social critic who advocated a radical shift from religious observance to secular Jewish culture. Wisse explores Peretz�s writings in relation to his ideology, which sought to create a strong Jewish identity separate from the trappings of religion.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Reason and Faith

2. Nation and Class

3. Hope and Fear

Notes

Index