"Once upon a time there was a
mother . . . In America. There she
was a waitress in a club. This mo-
ther had a great yearning. And the
yearning was red . . . When she
came home from work in the even-
ings, this mother was very tired,
and nobody was waiting for her. So
she began to knit. She knitted her
yearning into a round red cap with
a long tassel for the wind to play
with. She knitted every night, but
the yearning didn't grow smaller
and the cap grew to be as big' as a
halo, only red, and the tassel grew
to be as thick as a water ball . . .
Whether it was quiet outside . .
or whether a sea wind leaned
against the panes, she kept on knit-
ting. When the cap was finished,
the mother broke the thread from
her heart, packed the cap in a box,
and sent it across the ocean. Oh,
and before I forget — she put some
cake and wine into the box, and a
basket for the grandmother . . .
Heaven only knows how the whole
thing passed through customs . . .
But it did arrive . . . The paper
was a little scorched and the cake
smelled a bit burned, for the cap
was glowing. The child took it and
put it quickly on her head. But at
night, when she wanted to take it
off, it wouldn't go. It stayed on,
burning like a red halo. No one
should be envious of a halo . . .
"The bottle had a crack, but
Little Red Ridinghood still laid
it carefully in the basket, and the
scorched cake, too, and then she
started off to visit her grandmother.
Her grandmother lived in the same
room, but still it was a long path
through a dark wood. Once the bas-
ket bumped against a tree and the
bottle spilled. Then the cake fell
on the ground and War ate it up.
He had long, matted, dirty fur—al-
most like a wolf. Where are you
going? I'm going to see my grand-
mother. And what are you taking
her? he jeered. Your basket's empty.
I'm bringing her some yearning.
Then the wolf became angry be-
cause he couldn't eat yearning; it
would have burned his tongue. He
ran away angrily, always staying a
little ahead, and Little Red Riding-
hood ran anxiously behind him.
But the wolf' ran faster and he ar-
rived first. The grandmother lay in
bed. But she looked quite dif-
ferent . . .
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, Nov. 29, 1963
mother is in America, tells her
version of "Little Red Riding-
hood" to her exhausted and agi-
tated grandmother who hopes to
cheat the storm troopers by tak-
ing poison:
—
At the end of the war, when
the important German literature
came from Mann in California
and Hesse in Switzerland, a
young Viennese woman pub-
lished a novel about the modern-
day massacre of the innocents.
Since then, use Aichinger's no-
vel, "Herod's Children," has
achieved a reputation in Europe
as a post-war classic.
Atheneum published Miss
Aichinger's only novel 14 years
after its first appearance in
Ger man y and three years
after a new German edition mov-
ed its critics to write: "The only
answer of stature that our litera-
ture has given to recent German
history" (Die Zeit), and "A
novel of immeasurable beauty"
(Das Schonste).
Ilse Aichinger, now a 42 year
old Bavarian housewife, lived
amid the deportations to Poland
which emptied many Jewish
homes. The Nazi authoriies in
Vienna forbade her to continue
her studies, but she was not
deported. Miss Aichinger's un-
tenable situation, and that of
all unwilling witnesses to geno-
cide, is reflected in her heroine's
story: a young girl is rebuffed
in her attempts to share - the fate
of her Jewish friends. That she
finally succeeds is proof of the
strength of her commitment to
a vision shared by • her com-
panions.
The novel is predominantly
a poetic work about several
hunted children who overcome
terror by contributing to one
another's imagination, insight
n d childlike expansiveness.
They do not comiserate; they re-
built a world of love and dignity
that any utopian would envy.
They do more; they recreate
existence before they die. _ _
Here's an excerpt f r o m
Herod's Children. Ellen, whose
9
Immeasureable Beauty' in Novel 'llerod's Children'
"So Little Red Ridinghood said.
Grandmother, what big ears you
have! The better to hear you with!
But, Grandmother, what long teeth
you have! The better to bite you
with. But, Grandmother, what thick
lips you have! The better to swallow
it. The poison? Do you mean the
poison, Grandmother?
"Ellen jumped down from the
bed. She stood barefooted in the
middle of the roam, trembling with
cold and fright. The old woman
slept and never moved. The poison
gleamed on the table, but Ellen let
it lie. With one leap she got into
her bed. She pulled the covers over
her, buried her head in her arms,
and searched for the last question.
Grandmother, why do you have
such cold hands? But there was no
answer. She wiped the tears from
her cheeks and sighed. After a while
she fell into exhausted sleep."
Israel Ministry of Posts Issues
Stamps for Ship, Red Sea Fishes
100% BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKIES, 86 PROOF,
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The Israel Ministry of Posts has announced the forthcoming
issue of a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the
impending maiden voyage of the liner S.S. Shalom, flag ship of
Zim Israel Navigation Company. The stamp (top) shows the
luxury liner over part of an ancient map of the Israel coast.
The Ministry also announced the forthcoming issue of a series
of commemorative postage stamps depicting Red Sea fishes.
_Pictured in the bottom photo they are, from upper right clock-
wise, the Balistapus Undulatus, the Priacanthus Hamrur, the
Pomacanthus Imperator and the Pterois Radiata.
?ARTONrS® pre-holiday specials!
Save 580 on
Barton's Miniature . Continental Chocolates (1 lb.
different centers. Reg. $2.87, now
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1 Block North of Curtis
24790 COOLIDGE
at 10 MILE
Next Door to Dexter Davison Market
Open Evenings & Sunday
Tiger Pitcher Koch
Plays in Puerto Rico
Alan Koch, Detroit Tiger
pitcher, is currently playing in
the Puerto Rican Winter
League. And. he's doing quite
well. Brought up late in the
season by the Tigers, he put
together a 1-1 record after com-
piling an 11-2 mark at Syra-
cuse of the International
League. Like Sandy Koufax,
Koch is a strikeout artist. He
fanned 130 batters in 126 inn-
ings at Syracuse.
LOCAL CALL IN TEXAS
While at Disneyland, a Texan
decided to call the airline to
confirm his plane reservation
for the next day. He dialed the
operator and she instructed him
to deposit 35 cents. He was sur-
prised at the cost to call the
airport. "Why that's ridiculous,"
he told the operator. "Back
home in Texas we can call down
to hell and back for a dime!"
"I know, sir,' the operator re-
plied. "But that's a local call."
Michigan has 60 state parks
and recreation areas, 23 state
forests, five national forests and
150 county and municipal camp-
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13535 W. 7 MILE at Schaefer
DI 1-0569 — DI 1.3268
Open Sat. nite, all day Sun., eve. til 9