French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Astro, Autour du yiddish de Paris à Buenos Aires (pref. H. Raczymow, ed. C. Coquio)
Other Literary Studies
Alan Astro
Autour du yiddish de Paris à Buenos Aires
Foreword by Henri Raczymow
Edited by Catherine Coquio
Paris, Classiques Garnier, "Littérature, histoire, politique" series, 2021
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EAN: 9782406112693
243 pages
26 €
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The work examines Yiddish literary works produced in France and Latin America before, during, and after the Holocaust, bringing echoes of this Jewish language to the writings of French- and Spanish-speaking authors.
Yiddish was a central language of Ashkenazi Jewish culture, which faced near-total destruction in Europe during the Holocaust. This book situates Yiddish literary production within a global diaspora, specifically focusing on the migration axes between Europe and South America. By tracing how Yiddish culture survived and adapted in cities like Paris and Buenos Aires, the study highlights the resilience of minority languages. It explores how the trauma of the Holocaust shaped subsequent literary expression, transforming Yiddish from a living community tongue into a haunting presence within French and Spanish texts.
This volume is highly valuable for scholars and students of comparative literature, Jewish studies, and translation history. It addresses crucial questions about cultural transmission, exile, and memory, showing how writers navigate the loss of a mother tongue. Readers interested in how minority literatures interact with dominant national languages will find Astro's analysis particularly illuminating. By bridging European and Latin American contexts, the book offers a transnational perspective on post-war Jewish identity, making it an essential resource for understanding the enduring legacy of Yiddish in the modern literary imagination.