Polish-Jewish Literature in the Interwar Years

Popular notion has it that Polish Jewish writers, unlike their counterparts in Western, Northern and Central Europe, wrote solely in Yiddish or Hebrew. Yet between the two wars, Poland produces an elite group of assimilated Jews writing exclusively in Polish. Theirs was not an easy lot: torn between love of Poland and its literature and their own Jewish identity, they straddled a fine line between two cultural worlds - at once advocating acculturation while prey to virulent anti-Semitism. This volume examines the emergence and development of these writers, their personal plight and the profound effect they had upon Polish letters and poetry. It explores the role of language as a bridge, attitudes toward Polish writing, impact of the ghetto, and the transformation of Polish into a force for its Jewish populace. Finally, it pays homage to the literary voices silenced by the Holocaust.