Jewry's Role in EXPERT CARE CLOSE Human Affairs Henry Ford OB/Gyn Physician Michelle D. Wolfe, M.D. LIONIZING LITERARY LUMINARIES France has produced fine Jewish writers who vaulted to international fame, among whom is part-Jewish Romain Gary, author of the widely translated best-seller The Roots of Heaven. Andre Maurois was praised for his novels, essays and criticism. The Last of the Just, a towering tale of the Holocaust's havoc by Andre Schwarz-Bart, won the prestigious Goncourt prize. Before them came Marcel Proust, one of last century's most influential writers. A continent away, the Jewish American literary tradition dawned in 1805 when a southerner, Isaac Harby, published his neo-classic Alexander Severus. He predated a literary flowering unmatched in extent by any other ethnic population. Our most gifted and popular novelists of these times include Saul Bellow, E.L. Doctorow, Howard Fast, Joseph Heller, Erica Jong, Ira Levin, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, J.D. Salinger, Budd Schulberg, Leon Uris and Herman Wouk. Before them came Dorothy Parker, once labeled the most widely quoted writer since Shakespeare. The only similarity intended in featuring Proust and Parker-- both half-Jews--is how their lives and works were mindful of their different cultures. MARCEL PROUST (1871-1922) b. Auteuil, France Plagued since youth with delicate health, he turned away from a commercial career to dedicate his future to writing and social advancement. By the mid- to late- 1890s, the charming and witty conversationalist became a popular guest in elite Parisian salons and composed a body of short stories, poetry and sketches. His fictional images were often drawn from the snobbish and self-indulgent dilettantes and aristocrats whom he befriended. Proust was devoted to his Jewish mother, an adoring caregiver who deeply influenced his life; after her death in 1905 he began to withdraw from society. Walled in a cork-lined room shut to sound and daylight--to appease his crippling asthma--Proust soon began producing his seven- volume masterpiece: Remembrance of Things Past. The cyclical work, published in sections from 1913 to 1927, projected himself in its pages as Charles Swann, a sophisticated and erudite Jew in conflict with his identity. Proust's homosexuality also ruled many of his personal relationships and subtly colored some of his writings. His elegant and profound grand opus has had formative effects on later writers dealing with time and memory, and with internal and external reality. The adjective, "Proustian," entered in dictionaries, reflects the impact his work has made on world literature. DOROTHY (ROTHSCHILD) PARKER (1893-1967) b. West End, NJ On hearing of President Calvin Coolidge's death she snapped, "How can they tell?" "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses," was another of her immortal remarks for which the sardonic, mischievous and droll writer gained fame. The daughter of an affluent New York City family launched her career as a book and drama reviewer for Vanity Fair, Vogue and for The New Yorker which also ran much of her short fiction. Parker came into her own with the poignant "Big Blonde," a winner of the 1929 0. Henry award for the year's best short story-- considered her finest. Three of her early books of verse, reissued in Collected Poems: Not So Deep as a Well (1936), were acclaimed for their satirical wit with ironic overtones. While churning out short stories which appeared in Laments for the Living (1930) and Death and Taxes (1931), she also scripted Hollywood films and co-authored two hit Broadway plays. A legend among urbane readers, Parker furthered her reputation as a co-founder with Robert Benchley of the celebrated Algonquin (Hotel) Round Table to which many writers of the period were drawn. Her biting and trenchant humor outlives her, as when tweaking Katherine Hepburn: "She ran the whole gamut of emotions from A to B." - Saul Stadtmauer Visit many more notable Jews at our website: www.dorledor.org COMMISSION FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF JEWISH HISTORY Walter & Lea Field, Founders/Sponsors Irwin S. Field, Chairperson Harriet F. Siden, Chairperson To HOME 71, 2800 is now seeing patients at the Henry Ford Medical Center in Southfield 22777 W. Eleven Mile Rd. (just East of Lahser) Every Woman deserves a Pampered Pregnancy and Henry Ford has developed a special package of extras for moms who deliver at Henry Ford Hospital. Call 1-800-HenryFord for an appointment with Dr. Wolfe and find out more about how you can have a Pampered Pregnancy. Experience Education • Dr. Wolfe served as a Navy physician for several years. She joined Henry Ford Hospital in May 2003. Dr. Wolfe is experienced in all aspect of Obstetrics/Gynecology and has a special interest in minimally invasive surgery. • A graduate of Northwestern University Medical School, Dr. Wolfe completed her residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. PAMPERED s