January 24, 2008
Roundup: Schönhaus, Gross, poetry and more
Here are a few links to Jewish book news around the Web:
• There is another new Holocaust memoir hitting bookstore shelves this week and it's getting high marks. William Grimes of the New York Times reviewed Cioma Schönhaus' "The Forger: An Extraordinary Story of Survival in Wartime Berlin" and said this:
In the vast literature devoted to the Jewish experience under the Nazis, Mr. Schönhaus’s slim book deserves a special place, as much for its tone as for the remarkable events it records: a catalog of hairbreadth escapes, clever ruses and brazen coups. The background is undeniably grim, and his personal circumstance dire, but Mr. Schönhaus relates his experiences with an often joyful bounce and a dry sense of humor.
• Speaking of Holocaust-themed books, the saga of Jan T. Gross continues in Poland. He participated in a pair of debates while on a book tour in Poland this week, one of which was broadcast on national television.
• Over at the Forward, Jay Michaelson says Jewish poetry is alive and well, even if most people don't realize it.
• In the L.A. Times, Donna Seaman reviewed Arnon Grunberg's "The Jewish Messiah."
• And lastly, here's something you don't see every day — literally. Scientists have new photos of a crater on the planet Mercury named for Sholem Aleichem.