Life

Sholem Aleichem, Internet Star

By Alex Weisler June 22, 2009

Sholem Aleichem probably never imagined he’d end up an Internet star.

But the noted Yiddish writer is the subject of an episode of the new series Penguin Classics on Air — an online radio show devoted to rediscovering classic literature. The episode, subtitled “Yiddish Classics by the Creator of Tevye from ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’” includes a lively discussion with Aleichem translator Aliza Shevrin — read about her translation of Aleichem’s “Wandering Stars” here and an excerpt from it here — and a reading from “Tevye the Dairyman” by Penguin editor and associate publisher Stephen Morrison.

Listen here.

Alex Weisler is a former journalist and the senior video and digital content producer for JDC, the global Jewish humanitarian organization.

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