''Menahem-Mendl'' () is a series of stories in
Yiddish
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
by
Sholem Aleichem
Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich (; May 13, 1916), better known under his pen name Sholem Aleichem (Yiddish language, Yiddish and , also spelled in Yiddish orthography#Reform and standardization, Soviet Yiddish, ; Russian language, Russian and ), ...
about hilarious exploits of an optimistic ''
shlemiel''
[ Menahem-Mendl, who dreams of getting rich. They are presented as an exchange of letters between him and his ever-scolding wife Sheyne-Shendl, and later published as ]epistolary novel
An epistolary novel () is a novel written as a series of letters between the fictional characters of a narrative. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse other kinds of fictional document with the letters, most commonly di ...
s.
Character
From the story ''The Roof Falls In'', in which Tevye the Milkman
Tevye the Dairyman, also translated as Tevye the Milkman (, ''Tevye der milkhiker'' ) is the fictional narrator and protagonist of a series of short stories by Sholem Aleichem, and their various adaptations, the most famous being the musical '' ...
meets Menahem-Mendl we learn that his full name is Menachem-Mendl Boruch-Hersh Leah-Dvossi's and he is a distant relative of Tevye, hailing from Kasrilevka
Kasrilevka or Kasrilevke () is a fictional ''shtetl'' introduced by Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem. Located "exactly in the middle of
that blessed Pale", it is an idealized town of "little Jews" (''kleyne mentshelekh''), who met their misfortunes ...
(as also hinted in Sholem Aleichem's story "Eighteen from Pereshchepena"["Signposts to the Middle of Nowhere"]
''The Forward
''The Forward'' (), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ''The New York Times'' reported that Set ...
'', March 17, 2010).
However in the Menahem-Mendl stories we meet him mainly in Yehupetz
Yehupetz (, , ) is a semifictional city in the Russian Empire, a portrayal of Kyiv (Ukraine) in Sholem Aleichem stories. It can be viewed as a transitional place between the classical shtetl and a modern city.
Name
The name derives from for "Egy ...
(a portrayal of Kiev
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
in Sholem Aleichem stories) before goes to America.[
Menahem-Mendl is "arguably the most famous representation of the '' Luftmentsh'', "man of the air", a Yiddish economic metaphor for Jewish poverty: petty traders, peddlers, various paupers, i.e., people with no definite occupation. He is a naive person, constantly scolded by his down-to-the earth wife, who stays at home and despises the enterprises of her husband. In early 20th century Menahem-Mendl became an archetype petty entrepreneur and his name was used metaphorically.][Nicolas Vallois, Sarah Imhoff, "The Luftmentsh as an economic metaphor for Jewish poverty: a rhetorical analysis", ] In his quest to fortune Menahem-Mendl fails in all his endeavors: as a currency and stock speculator, as a '' shadkhn'' (marriage broker
Matchmaking is the process of pairing two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the intermediary or matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. Matchmaking may be done as a profession for a fee or it may ...
), as writer, and as an insurance agent.
Hillel Halkin
Hillel Halkin (; born 1939) is an American-born Israeli translator, biographer, literary critic, and novelist who has lived in Israel since 1970.
Biography
Hillel Halkin was born in New York City two months before the outbreak of World War II. ...
in the preface of his translation of ''Menahem-Mendl'' notices that unlike Tevye
Tevye the Dairyman, also translated as Tevye the Milkman (, ''Tevye der milkhiker'' ) is the fictional narrator and protagonist of a series of short stories by Sholem Aleichem, and their various adaptations, the most famous being the musical '' ...
, Mehahem-Mendl does not have a real-life prototype, despite Sholem Aleichem in his own preface to the 1910 edition wrote that Menahem-Mendl is a real person, with whom "the author was personally and intimately acquainted, having lived through a great deal with him for nearly 20 years". Halkin suggests that this statement is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the writer himself, who indeed was engaged in stock speculations, among other occupations, and traveled a lot, although the stories are in no way autobiographical.[
]
Publication history
The stories were written during 1892-1913 in various publications. In 1909 the first book was printed under the title מנחם מענדל, reprinted in 1910 in a significantly abridged ferm. In 1913, 45 more letters were printed in the Yiddish daily ''Haynt
''Haynt'' ( - "Today"; Yidishes tageblat 1906-08) was a Yiddish daily newspaper, published in Warsaw from 1906 until 1939.
Newspaper ''Yidishes tageblat'' (יידישעס טאגעבלאט) was founded in 1906 by Zionist Samuel Jackan, a former ...
'', and from which the second volume was published.
The first book was first translated in English as ''The Adventures of Mehahem-Mendl'' in 1969 by Tamara Kahana,[ the second one was first translated as ''The Further Adventures of Menachem-Mendl: (New York―Warsaw―Vienna―Yehupetz)'' in 2001.
The (translation of the) 1910 edition the stories are grouped in six chapters:]["The adventures of Menahem-Mendl"]
at WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
*I: London:["Londons" refer to perishable goods, as Menakmen-Mendl explains to his wife: "...Londons, you should know, are highly perishable. You buy and sell them on a pledge without seeing them..."] The stock exchange in Odessa (לאנדאן (אדעסער בערזע))
*II: Papers: The Yehupetz stock exchange (פאפירלעך (יעהופעצער בערזע))
*III: Millions: Merchants, brokers, and speculators (מיליאָנען (סוחרים, מעקלערס און "שפּעגעלאַנטען))
*IV: A respectable occupation: Menahem-Mendl, writer (א בכבוד'ע פרנסה (מנחם-מענדל - א שרייבער))
*V: No luck!: Menahem-Mendl, marriage broker (עס פידלט נישט (מנחם-מענדל - א שדכן))
*VI: Terrible luck!: Menahem-Mendl, agent. (שלים-שלים-מזל (מנחם-מענדל - אן אגענט))
It also has a vitriolic postscript commentary from his ''shviger'' (mother-in-law
A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a child-in-law ...
).[
In 2002 the translation of the second edition of the first book by ]Hillel Halkin
Hillel Halkin (; born 1939) is an American-born Israeli translator, biographer, literary critic, and novelist who has lived in Israel since 1970.
Biography
Hillel Halkin was born in New York City two months before the outbreak of World War II. ...
was published as ''The Letters of Mehaknem-Mendl and Shayne-Sheyndl'' by Yale University.[Preface to "The Letters of Menakhem-Mendl and Sheyne-Sheyndl"]
/ref>
*Londons:[ The Odessa Exchange
*Stocks & Bonds: The Yehupetz Exchange
*Millions: Traders, Agents, and Speculators
*An Honorable Profession: Menakhem-Mendl Becomes a Writer
*It’s No Go: Menakhem-Mendl the Matchmaker
*Always a Loser: Menakhem-Mendl the Insurance Agent
]
Other media
''Jewish Luck''
In 1925, a silent film ''Jewish Luck
Jewish Luck () is a 1925 Soviet black and white silent film directed by Alexis Granowsky.J. Hoberman"THE CROOKED ROAD OF JEWISH LUCK"/ref>
Plot
Menahem-Mendl, with the goal of making money, opens an insurance company, and he involved in the ...
'' () was released in the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
directed by Alexey Granovsky
Alexis Granowsky (), born Abram Mikhaylovich Azarkh (; – 11 March 1937), was a Russian theatre director who later became a film director.
Life
Alexis Granowsky was born as Abraham Azarkh into a Jewish family in Moscow. After studying in St. Pe ...
, starring Solomon Mikhoels
Solomon (Shloyme) Mikhoels ( lso spelled שלוימע מיכאעלס during the Soviet era , – 13 January 1948) was a Soviet actor and the artistic director of the Moscow State Jewish Theater. Mikhoels served as the chairman of the Jewish ...
as Mehahem-Mendl. The Russian intertitle
In films and videos, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (hence, ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred ...
s were written by Isaac Babel
Isaac Emmanuilovich Babel ( – 27 January 1940) was a Soviet writer, journalist, playwright, and literary translator. He is best known as the author of ''Red Cavalry'' and ''Odessa Stories'', and has been acclaimed as "the greatest prose write ...
. The film was one of the first Soviet Yiddish films released in the United States.[
The initial setting is in ]Berdichev
Berdychiv (, ) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Berdychiv Raion within the oblast. It is south of the administrative center of the oblast, Zhytomyr. Its population is approximat ...
[Berdichev was described as "the most Jewish" town of the Russian Empire and early Soviet Union. According to the 1897 Russian Census, 80% of its 54,000 population were Jews ( s:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Berdichev)] rather than Kasrilevka
Kasrilevka or Kasrilevke () is a fictional ''shtetl'' introduced by Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem. Located "exactly in the middle of
that blessed Pale", it is an idealized town of "little Jews" (''kleyne mentshelekh''), who met their misfortunes ...
.
In 1991 the restored version was released produced by the National Center for Jewish Film The National Center for Jewish Film is a non-profit motion picture archive, distributor, and resource center. It houses the largest collection of Jewish-themed film and video outside of Israel. Its mission is to collect, restore, preserve, catalogu ...
, with new English intertitles by Robert Szulkin.["Jewish Luck"]
/ref>
The Menahem-Mendl adventures were dramatized by the Moscow State Yiddish Theater as the last Soviet stage production by Granovsky, ''Luftmentshn'' (see wikt:luftmensch) in 1928."Solomon (S.M.) Mikhoels"
/ref>J. Hoberman
James Lewis Hoberman (born March 14, 1949) is an American film critic, journalist, author and academic. He began working at ''The Village Voice'' in the 1970s, became a full-time staff writer in 1983, and was the newspaper's senior film critic f ...
"THE CROOKED ROAD OF JEWISH LUCK"
/ref>
''Tevye and His Seven Daughters''
In the 1968 Israeli film ''Tevye and His Seven Daughters
''Tevye and His Seven Daughters'' (, Transliteration, translit. Tuvia Vesheva Benotav) is a 1968 Israeli drama film directed by Menahem Golan. Based on stories by Sholem Aleichem, which were also the basis for the Fiddler on the Roof, stage ...
'' Mehahem-Mendl () acting as a '' shadkhn'' (marriage broker
Matchmaking is the process of pairing two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the intermediary or matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. Matchmaking may be done as a profession for a fee or it may ...
) borrows from Tevye
Tevye the Dairyman, also translated as Tevye the Milkman (, ''Tevye der milkhiker'' ) is the fictional narrator and protagonist of a series of short stories by Sholem Aleichem, and their various adaptations, the most famous being the musical '' ...
33 rubles of dowry
A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
money to play on stock exchange promising hefty return, a promise never kept.
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Novels by Sholem Aleichem
Fictional Jews
Literary characters introduced in 1892
1909 novels
1913 novels
Jewish comedy and humor