Sammy Gronemann’s “Little Mirror”: Translating Tohuwabohu into Utter Chaos
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Penny Milbouer
Abstract
Reflecting on her English translation of Sammy Gronemann’s novel Tohuwabohu (originally published in German in 1920), which was released under the title Utter Chaos in 2016, Penny Milbouer’s essay reconstructs the enthusiastic reception of the novel by Albert Einstein, a discerning and knowledgeable reader. Milbouer explores the resonance between Gronemann’s and Einstein’s perspectives on modern German Jewish identity, nationalism, and antisemitism. Her essay examines Einstein’s disillusionment with American Jews’ assimilationist tendencies and analyses reasons for the failure to recognize Gronemann’s satire. Delving into Einstein’s experiences with antisemitism in America, Milbouer describes his evolving views on Zionism, contrasting American and European Jewish identities in the “little mirror” of Gronemann’s novel. Her conclusion highlights the contemporary relevance of Gronemann’s satire and Einstein’s warnings about the persistence of antisemitism, confirming that American Jews cannot escape confronting their identity or responding to discrimination and persecution.
© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Introduction
- Essays
- Jewish Wit – In the Original, and in Translation
- Sammy Gronemann’s “Little Mirror”: Translating Tohuwabohu into Utter Chaos
- Questions of Belief: Sammy Gronemann’s Short Story “Der himmlische Lohn”
- From Zurishaddai to Menachem Mendel: The Shlemiel’s Journey from Ancient to Modern Israel
- When Sammy Gronemann Met Nathan Alterman: The Story of Israel’s Most Successful Comedy
- Lawyer, Littérateur, and Legislator: On Gronemann’s Profession, Self-Perception and Place in Scholarship
- Research Articles
- Dreaming of a Jewish Democracy: Sammy Gronemann as High Judge and Chief Architect of the Pre-State Zionist Judiciary (1911–1946)
- Illustrating a Jewish Life: Portrait Photography, Biography and the Creation of a Jewish Public Sphere
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Introduction
- Essays
- Jewish Wit – In the Original, and in Translation
- Sammy Gronemann’s “Little Mirror”: Translating Tohuwabohu into Utter Chaos
- Questions of Belief: Sammy Gronemann’s Short Story “Der himmlische Lohn”
- From Zurishaddai to Menachem Mendel: The Shlemiel’s Journey from Ancient to Modern Israel
- When Sammy Gronemann Met Nathan Alterman: The Story of Israel’s Most Successful Comedy
- Lawyer, Littérateur, and Legislator: On Gronemann’s Profession, Self-Perception and Place in Scholarship
- Research Articles
- Dreaming of a Jewish Democracy: Sammy Gronemann as High Judge and Chief Architect of the Pre-State Zionist Judiciary (1911–1946)
- Illustrating a Jewish Life: Portrait Photography, Biography and the Creation of a Jewish Public Sphere
