Arts 15 Entertainment

A Touch
of New York
at Andiamo,
Royal Oak

Home-Town Author

Former Detroiter returns to Temple Beth El to
read from his collection of short stories.

author found an agent through a friend
and sold his book before completing
the remainder of the stories.
Although Hasak-Lowy wants to keep
himself out of his fiction, he enters in
two places. The story about weight loss
recalls his feelings as a child, and he
becomes a character in "The End of
Larry's Wallet."
"It came to me that there was some-
thing almost inappropriate about the
premise of 'The End of Larry's Wallet'
and that I should apologize," he
explains about the tale that contrasts
nuclear war in one part of the world
with everyday problems in America.
"The direction sort of went on in a
way that I didn't anticipate. The apolo-
gy let me continue to the story's end
and at the same time acknowledge to
the reader that there may be something
inappropriate."

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special to the Jewish News

T

odd Hasak-Lowy hasn't decid-
ed which passage to read when
he introduces his book of short
stories to a group at Temple Beth El,
but he has narrowed his choices. The
author of The Task of This Translator
(Harvest Original; $13) is wavering
between a story that takes place at Yad
Vashem and another that takes place in
suburban America.
The reading will be at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 27, preceded by a
"meet the author" reception at 6:30
p.m. and followed by a book sale and
signing. The author, who took classes
and had his bar mitzvah at
the temple, will read for 20
minutes and answer ques-
tions.
"Explicit Jewish content
in this book is uneven," says
Hasak-Lowy, 36, an assistant
professor of Modern
Hebrew literature at the
University of Florida in
Gainesville. "After the Yad
Vashem story, 'On the
Grounds of the Complex
Commemorating the Nazis'
Treatment of the Jews,' I
think of the Jewish content
as being latent.
"I definitely thought
about most of the characters as Jewish,
and occasionally, there will be a men-
tion of something that lets you know
that. This is a world of mostly assimilat-
ed Americans. I'm considering the sec-
ond story, 'How Keith's Dad Died,'
because it is made up of incredibly long
sentences; and I'm interested to see if I
can read it out loud."

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Todd Hasak-Lowy:
"This is a world of
mostly assimilated
Americans," says the
author about his
short story collection.

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Academic Life

Hasak-Lowry credits Michigan's Camp
Tavor as the formative experience in
his life. The exposure to Zionism
made him interested in learning about
the Middle East and set the course for
his work in comparative literature.
During a study program in Israel,
Hasak-Lowry met his wife, Taal, and
they have two daughters. The family
belongs to a Conservative congrega-
tion, where his wife is executive direc-
tor. Because of considerable activity at
home, he takes his laptop and earplugs
"Those aren't things of real interest to to a cafe for serious writing.
me. As a writer, I'm interested in draw-
"When I was writing the short sto-
ing up near to failures, sadness and suf-
ries, I was focusing on a way to get my
fering and investigating all of that. I
voice to sharpen, and I played around
think it's also a way to balance out my
with language and technique,"
natural instinct to gravitate toward
explains Hasak-Lowy, whose disserta-
being funny.
tion explores tensions expressed
"I was intent on avoiding just being a through modernism and realism in
comic writer and nothing more. I tried
Hebrew fiction. "My main focus now
to write about people in situations that
is finishing up my academic book
Investigating Sadness
are straddling in weird ways, something based on my dissertation."
There are seven stories in The Task of
very funny and something very sad,
This Translator, including "Will Power,
which winds up placing me in an area
Todd Hasak-Lowy will be featured
Inc.," which is about an unconvention-
that's absurd and ridiculous."
in a free program that begins 6:30
al way of losing weight, and "The
Most of the stories were written
p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at
Interview," which has to do with work
when Hasak-Lowy was in graduate
Temple Beth El, 7400 Telegraph,
issues.
school at the University of California at
in Bloomfield Township.
"When I sit down to write, I don't sit Berkley, where he headed after earning
Following a "meet the author"
down to investigate happiness and satis- his undergraduate degree at the
reception, there will be a reading
faction," says Hasak-Lowy, who
University of Michigan. He was con-
at 7:30 p.m., followed by a book
changed his last name from just Lowy
centrating on Hebrew literature and
sale and signing. (248) 851-1100.
after marrying and combining his wife's wanted a release from that subject. The
maiden name with his last name.

❑

‘....10S TERI A •

'

For reservations please call:

248-582-9300

129 S. Main Street, Royal Oak
www.andiamoitalia.com

999040

JN

7/21
2005

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