One of the main tasks of the introduction is to make the work of an author relevant for contemporary readers. But sometimes book publishers choose the wrong people to write introductions for books of dead authors. And what happens is that the legacy that this or that writer wished to pass on – if indeed […]
When it comes to Jewish humor, self-mockery is not new. Sanford Pinsker argues that Ibn Ezra, the 12th century Rabbi and Torah commentator, used self-mockery to epitomize the comedic state of exile (in general) and the schlemiel (in particular). Self-mockery is found in the classic joke about the schlemiel, the schlimazel, and the nudnik. One […]
Today, on his Facebook page, Gary Shteyngart announced that he is a “nebbish no more” since “The Forward puts me in its Top Five of 2014 list, where I’m the only sort-of-male listed.” The only “sort-of-male” is another name for the schlemiel, the man-child. He is, in other words, the only schlemiel on the list. […]
Near the end of Gary Shteyngart’s second novel – Absurdistan – Misha, the main character, reflects on what he learned about America from “Accidental College.” What we find in this account is a description of America as a place where the fine line between childhood and adulthood “has been eroding.” At Accidental College, dreams are […]
Ok. Its good to know what someone is doing, but when is too much…too much? And what happens when what he or she is saying is not particularly that insightful? When it comes to the schlemiel, there is a limit. Every good writer knows that. Overkill doesn’t do the schlemiel well. This is what I […]
As far as schlemiel theory goes, I’ve been writing on a variety of the schlemiels this week. The differences between them are suggestive. But, more importantly, I’m seeing that I identify more with one variety rather than another. And the reasons I have for this identification speak most to what I find, today, most important […]
I recently stumbled across a trailer for Gary Shteyngart’s new book – Little Failure – which will hit the streets on January 2014. I came across the trailer by way of an article in Slate. The title of the piece, “Gary Shteyngart’s Homophobic Little Failure of a Book Trailer,” suggests that the trailer, because it […]
Following Gary Shteyngart’s depiction of Misha’s (fictional) circumcision – his first “American experience” – there are two chapters that address the two people closest to him. The first person to be addressed, in a chapter entitled “Who Killed Beloved Papa?” is his father. As I pointed out in other blog entries, his father – who […]
In the Jewish world, circumcision has prompted many jokes that have found their way into the mainstream. On the internet you’ll find a lot of these Jewish jokes. Here’s one from Comedy Central’s Website; its entitled “Circumcision…At Your Age?” Two men are sharing a hospital room. “What are you in for?” the first man asks. […]
In Hebrew the word for circumcision is “brit.” Brit is the same word used for “the covenant” between God and Man. In fact, the first covenant between God and Man mentioned in the Torah is between Abraham and God. When Abraham, at his late age in life, circumcises himself, God makes a covenant with him […]
Schlemiel Theory 