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Friday, September 12, 1947

THE JEWISH NEWS

Page Sixteen

Jewish Books Make Publishing History

Reading Public Recogriizes
'TOWS ' Place In Americana

By HAROLD U. RIBALOW

(Copyright. 1947, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

For the first time in many years, books by Jewish authors
have garnered wide public and critical acclaim and have at-
tained tremendous sales during the past book season.
Of course, Jewish writers have always made an impact
on American literature, but most often the writers were read
and admired within small cliques and coteries. Few American

Jewish writers reached "best sel-
lerdom." Except fOr Sholem Asch,
most Jewish writers have made
their money through writing
books of general American inter-
est. Thus Fannie Hurst, Edna Fer-
ber, Howard Fast, to mention a
few, are known for books which
are fairly distinguished but hard-
ly deal with their fellow Jews.
This past year. however, things
were different. At one time both

the fiction and non-fiction best-
,a•Ilers were written by Jewish
authors who used their Jewish
backgrounds in their books. The
fiction leader was Asch's "East
River " and the non-fiction list
was headed by Rabbi Joshua
Loth Liebman's "Peace of Mind."
When Asch's novel left the top
rung , Laura Z. Hobson's "Gentle-
man's Agreement," which deals

with anti-Semitism in America,
zoomed to the top.
These are the more obvious
books. But if one is to study the
best-seller lists, there are other
books by Jews which have sold
well: Arthur Koestler's novel on

outsold every other book in
America. Asch's name is so solid
in America that an improbable
plot, a poor translation and other
faults did not stop its rocketing
spurt.
Laura Hobson's "Gentleman's
Agreement" sold over 100,000
copies within a month of publi-
cation and is still a top seller.
More: it is being made into a
movie, which means that its mes-
sage will reach millions more.
Asch's book, too, is being Holly-
woodized. Hobson's book tells of
a journalist whose job is to write
about anti-Semitism in America.
He finds an angle: For a few fiery
weeks he becomes a Jew. That is,
he tells people he is Jewish. The
treatment he is given, the poison-
ous attitude of his one-time
Palestine, "Thieves in the Night"; friends, the lessons he learns are
Joe Sinclair's "Wasteland" and the gist of the novel. It is en-
Arthur Miller's "Focus," both couraging that it was a big best-

seller.
It is important that Rabbi
Liebman's "Peace of Mind" has
sold so well. It is phenomenal
that the preachings of a rabbi
(the book treats with modern.
psychology and psy c hi a try
from t h e religious angle)
should enjoy such success. It is
an indicatior that the American
reading public is willing to lis-
ten to Jewish leaders as well as
to others, if the writer has any-
thing to say.
Such books as "David the
King," by Gladys Schmitt, a non-
Jewess married to a Jew; "Earth
Could By Fair," by Van Paassen,
ernments is on the increase, but the Jews. This was especially a non-Jew long associated with
are
in few civil service departments , true of those _books which
, Jewish and Zionist life in Amer-
'stage of Jews as large , now appearing about the war.
' ica; "Brandeis," a biography of
Ex
-
soldiers,
whose
exper-
a, . postal service of New
the great jurist and Zionist by a
crystallizing,
find
fences are
York City. It has some 7,000 Jews
Princeton professor, deserve long-
out of 22,000 postal employees in the Jew as a symbol is a potent
er treatment; but their signifi-
and part of American life. In effect
the boroughs of
cance lies in the fact that the
the Bronx—a total of 30 percent. the Jew has •"arrived" in Amer-
composite mind of the American
ican
literature.
Th is was not so around the turn
reader has been influenced and
The image of the Jew as he ap-
of the century when Louis Blum-
affected by Jews, either through
letter
carrier
in
pears
to
non-Jews
is
a
subject
berg became a
their writings or their Jives.

Postal Workers
loin Strong
Welfare League

apart. What has the Jewish writer
'Brandeis' Teaches Zinoism
had in America written this year I
A non-Jew who reads the chap-
one outstanding grievance—be- which has so greatly appealed to
. ters in "Brandeis" which deal
cause of lack of a planned sched- ; non-Jewish American readers?
with Zionism will unconsciously
ule, most Jews could not observe I Koestler's "Thieves i n t h e
the High Holy Days. Blumberg, ' Night" described Palestine in all learn as much as the reader of
fiction who devours "Thieves in
an officer of The Letter Carriers its cultural, political and social
the Night." Those who read
Association, and nine other car- aspects. That Palestine remained
"David the King - will carry away
riers d —id d
th a t th e ti me
me was • the number one subject on the
Jewish angle was further subsian- a feeling about the Jews which

lower Manhattan.

,l

i pe f or
or an organization of Jews
in the Post Office, particularly
since a Catholic organization had
been formed earlier. So they set
up the Jewish Postal Workers
Welfare League, with Blumberg
as its first president.
The struggle for recognition of
the High Holy Days took a long

Hashanah?
Many books refer to this
custom as being found as far
-back as one can remember. We
find in the Bible that Ezra and
Nehemiah told the people to
"eat good things and eat
sweets" on that day. Different
people eat many different

sweet delicacies: "May it be

thy will, 0 Lord, to grant us a

happy and sweet year." Eating
sweets was thus considered an
omen for a "happy- and sweet
year." It is to be noticed that
some people will take an apple
and dip it in honey. Some
writers associate this custom
with the blessing which our
dying Patriarch Isaac gave un-

to his son Jacob, "See, the
smell of my son is as the smell
of the field which the Lord has

blessed" (Genesis 27:17). The
Rabbis interpret the "smell of

the field" to mean the sweet
smell of an apple orchard

(Sdai Tapuchim). Dipping the
apple in honey is thus regard-
ed as an omen of this blessing.

.• •

•

Why do some people cere-
moniously eat the head of a
fish on Rash Hashanah?
Most writers claim that this
custom stems from an earlier
custom which called for the
eating of the head of a ram on
Rosh Hashanah which was
supposed to recall the fact that
a ram was substituted for the
body of Isaac as a sacrifice. It
later became customary to eat
the head of a fish, fowl or ani-
mal to signify that we may be
at the head and not at the tail
in the struggle for life.
• • •

MERE VAN PAASSRN

evade his birthright and is final-
ly set aright by a psychiatrist,
signifies that the Jew is a human
being is important in the scheme
of American things. Equally im-
portant is a book like "Focus"
which deals with a non-Jew who
is mistaken for and persecuted as
a Jew. It is a tour de force and a
frightening one at that. It also in-
dicates that anti-Semitism has be-
come a factor in the literature of
our time; the literature n only
of scholars but of writers wMo are
capable of writing books which
will be read by the uninformed
general public.
In a world of the atom bomb,
books are strike weapons in the
war of ideas. Books by Jews
which reach and influence mil-
lions of non-Jews should be not-
ed, observed, read—and appre-
ciated.

Why is it. custosnary to re-
frain from sleeping during
the day of Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah, being the

day of judgement, is said to find
every human being at the bar
of justice. It was therefore ill-
fitting to find one sleeping at
the Bar m'Justice. Many claim
that the angel who seeks to
find some good in an individ-
ual is inactive while he sleeps.
Perhaps the most fascinating
reason is a play on logistics.
Man is judged in heaven.
While he is awake both his
body and his soul are on the
earth. While he sleeps his soul
is in heaven. It is an old dic-
tum in Hebrew law that at
man cannot be legally fined or
charged unless he himself is
present. Man thus keeps his
soul away from the presence

of the tribunal of heaven to
"fine" him.

9

By LEON GUTTERMAN

It is a consistent contributor to , sago. that she writes her famous radio
series and her popular books and movie
the United Jewish Appeal. Last
scenarios (RKO's "Having Wonderful
year it presented a donation of
Crime," 20th Century Fox's "Home Sweet
$33,900.
Homicide," etc.), which have won for her
The League is a member organ-
ization of the American Jewish ! national as well as international recogni-
Congress. Its work with the Con- ' tion as America's foremost feminine
mystery story writer.
gress earned this praise from
Mother of three children (David, 14;
Rabbi.Stephen S. Wise, the presi- I
Iris, 16; and Nancy, 18), Miss Rice is as
dent, on its 20th anniversary:
colorful a writer as she is an unusual
"Through the years its loyal sup-
person. "My children are of tremendous
port has been a source of strength

(Copyright, 1947, Jewish
Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

will offset any of the irrespons-
ible rantings of anti-Semites in
the land.
There is a tendency in liter-
ary circles to laugh off the in-
fluence of best-sellers. But a book
or books, read by millions of
people cannot be laughed off. By
the same token, these books are
read about by people who don't
get around to reading the books
themselve.S.
A display of Koestler's book in
"Life", and Hobsores novel in
"Look" are deeply influential.
And the Jew in literature has be-
come big business. For when Har-
per's presents its annual $10,000
prize to a novel about Jews and
Jewish life ("Wasteland"), it is
a recognition of the tremendous
importance of the Jew in Amer-
ica.
Anti-Semitic Factor
The fact that the hero of
"Wasteland" is a maladjusted
Jew who seeks to escape and

'Be Persistant ' Mystery Writer Warns Neophytes

When her English teacher in San
Diego, California, told Craig Rice, au-
thor of ABC's "Murder and Mr. Malone,"
time and it was not until last
nationwide radio series, numerous mur-
yc-rr that it bore full fruit and
der mystery novels and motion pictures,
ever, Jew who asked for time
that she would never be able to write,
off durNg that period was ex-
she packed up her bags and headed for
cused.
Chicago, bent on becoming a newspaper
The League rapidly expanded
woman whether or not.
to include social, charitable, re-
Her first job in the Windy City was
ligious and welfare functions. It
delivering messages for a large mail
loans money, aids the sick, pro-
order house. On her rounds she met a
vides convalescent facilities, owns
a cemetery plot. Its membership ' city editor who, when he learned she
could type, gave her a job in the circula-
has now risen to more than 5,000.
-THE LEAGUE takes an active 1 tion department. This eventually led to
part in Jewish .affairs, contribut- • a reporter's job at the Hall of Justice
during the prohibition era. It is from
ing to yeshivas, hospitals and
this inside-track knowledge of legal pro-
as
other worthy organizations,
well as to non-Jewish institutions. ! cedure in crime cases as practiced in Chi-

and encouragement to those
charged with leadership in the
Congress program."

-
By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
Why is it customary to dip
bread into honey on Rosh

.

tiated by the selling qualities of
Bartley Crum's "Behind the Silk-
en Curtain" and Richard Cross-
man's "Palestine Mission," both
of which told the "inside" story
of the Anglo-American Commis-
sion of Inquiry by two of its
members.
Asch's Inter-Faith Novel
- Sholem Asch's "East River,"
which is another story praising
inter-faith, also did well. Within
three weeks of its publication it

dealing with the effect of Jew-
hating in America. Books by non-
Jews which deal with Jews in-
clude Professor Mason's gargan-
tuan biography of Justice Bran-
deis; "Earth Could Be Fair" by
Pierre Van Paassen, which con-
tains wonderful passages about
the Jews of Holland; "David the
King" by Gladys Schmitt, which
is in essence a Jewish book.
Play Major Roles
In many other books of general
interest Jews played major roles.
In countless novels which appear-
By HARRY BROWN
ed this year and which dealt
The number of Jews working with the American scene, the
for national, state and local gov- author felt impelled to write of

BY 192% Je w ish

New Year
Quiz Box

help to me. They read each page of script
as it comes off the typewriter. They're
great critics, and I owe much to their
ideas and suggestions."
Miss Rice's life is as helter-skelter and

disorganized as any great writer's life
should not be. She is very unmethodical
about her work. Some days she is at her
typewriter at eight in the morning, some-
times at noon, often at all hours of the
night. Family noise never bothers her.
When she sits down to pound out the
pages at her typewriter on the old
kitchen table she forgets everything. In
this odd way, she has been able to write
16 popular mystery books.
Miss Rice believes that anyone who
is intelligent enough to be able to read
and write has the qualifications for be-
coming an author. "Writing is not as
difficult as people make it out to be," she

says. "If one is observant, has an open
mind, reads and thinks intelligently, that

is all the equipment one needs to be a
writer. Of course, time will improve the
ability, but once a start is made nothing
can hold a good person back from be-
coming an author—but himself.
"I often heard people say to me, 'Some-

day I'll write a book. I've lived life fully,
have experienced much and understand
a great deal. What a great book the story
of my life and experiences would maker
But that person never gets around to
writing. It is those people who have the
courage to begin working even though

they have little to offer at first who
turn out to be the most successful writers
of our day.
"Education need not stand in one's
way. I never finished high school. And
yet the late President Roosevelt was one

of my most loyal mystery readers. On
the other hand, I've known college men
and women with many degrees and edu-
cational advantages who turned out to
be failures in the art of writing because
they weren't sincere with themselves to
begin with, and they thought they had
already learned everything about the
profession of writing. -
"When their first efforts failed, they
stopped writing. This is the greatest mis-
take. It's the plodders and persistent
workers who turn into writers. They
never give up. Their confidence in them-
selves is unlimited. Later, when they turn
out to be successes, people stand around
wondering how they managed to do it.
Persistence, courage and effort is the
secret."
Where does she get all her plots? "Very
simple," she says. "They come to me
f rom everywhere. Conversations, news-
papers, radio, friends, books, the children.
It's not so much the idea as how you de-
velop it on paper that counts.
To make certain she has all technical
details correct, Craig checks all legal and
medical aspects of a case with either her
lawyer or her doctor. Being an ex-news-
paperwoman herself and a former court
reporter, she is well aware of the im-
portance of these details in crime stories.
Said one child of Miss Rice's: "Of
course, sometimes I do wonder what kind
of mind mother must have. But so far
she's proved quite harmless."

Jewish (Copyright, Agency, Ine.)