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5/28
1999

74 Detroit Jewish News

Playwright, actor and novelist Norman Beim

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41 1

When Norman Beim's-Father died,
the playwright/actor tried to think of
a way to keep his dad's memory alive.
And then it came to him. As a writer,
what better way than to pen a power-
ful novel in which the heroic central
character would be based on his
father. The result: the heartwarming
story of Hymie and the Angel (New
Concept Press; $12.95).
"I never realized how attached I
was to my father until he passed
away," says Beim, who's published
several collections of his plays,
including My Family: The Jewish
Immigrants, Plays at Home and
Abroad and Six Award Winning
Plays.
"I wrote the first draft of Hymie
and the Angel some years ago and put
it away," he recalls. "Then, about a

year and a half ago, I took it out,
liked it and polished it."
Part suspense story/part memoir,
Beim's first novel draws on his fami-
ly's experiences. The story is set in
Newark, N.J., in 1933, an era when
the town was largely Jewish.
Hymie, a Polish immigrant, is a
tavern owner who constantly is being
nagged by his wife, Frieda. One day,
a mysterious, shabbily dressed
stranger named Adam walks into the
bar. He proves to be a terrific help
around the tavern, and Hymie offers
him a job.
But as life starts to improve,
Hymie becomes seriously ill, and
meets up with a well-dressed gentle-
man, who turns out to be the Angel
of Death. While Hymie pleads for his
life with the Angel of Death, Adam
suddenly appears. Hvinie is in for an
even bigger shock — Adam is, in