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The House of Memory: Stories by Jewish Women Writers of Latin America
This new edition of The House of Stories by Jewish Women Writers of Latin America revisits the meaning of heritage and home, exploring the experience of losing the familiar to embrace the unknown. While often painful in its examination of antisemitism, this collection of essays embraces the belief that hope and love can triumph over adversity and racism. This collection contains over thirty stories from internationally acclaimed writers, such as Clarice Lispector and Margo Glantz, as well as new voices, with some appearing for the first time in English translations. Although many of the stories are rooted in the Jewish experience and tradition, there is a universal resonance that transcends place, race, gender and religion to speak of matters that are still ever-present to all of us.
308 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1999
About the author
Marjorie Agosín
109 books78 followersMarjorie Agosín was born in Maryland and raised in Chile. She and her parents, Moises and Frida Agosín, moved to the United States due to the overthrow of the Chilean government by General Pinochet's military coup. Coming from a South American country and being Jewish, Agosín's writings demonstrate a unique blending of these cultures.
Agosín is well known as a poet, critic, and human activist. She is also a well-known spokesperson for the plight and priorities of women in Third World countries. Her deep social concerns and accomplishments have earned her many awards and recognitions, and she has gained an international reputation among contemporary women of color.
Agosín, a passionate writer, has received critical acclaim for her poetry collections, her close reflections on her parents and family, and her multi-layered stories. Within every novel, story, or poem, she captures the very essence of Jewish women at their best. Agosín's works reveal the experiences of pain and anguish of Jewish refugees. She writes about the Holocaust as well as anti-Semitic events that occurred in her native land.
Agosín has many fascinating works and is recognized in both North and South America as one of the most versatile and provocative Latin American writers. Agosín became a writer to make a difference: "I wanted to change the world through peace and beauty," she said. Today she is not only a writer, but also a Spanish professor at Wellesley College.
Agosín is well known as a poet, critic, and human activist. She is also a well-known spokesperson for the plight and priorities of women in Third World countries. Her deep social concerns and accomplishments have earned her many awards and recognitions, and she has gained an international reputation among contemporary women of color.
Agosín, a passionate writer, has received critical acclaim for her poetry collections, her close reflections on her parents and family, and her multi-layered stories. Within every novel, story, or poem, she captures the very essence of Jewish women at their best. Agosín's works reveal the experiences of pain and anguish of Jewish refugees. She writes about the Holocaust as well as anti-Semitic events that occurred in her native land.
Agosín has many fascinating works and is recognized in both North and South America as one of the most versatile and provocative Latin American writers. Agosín became a writer to make a difference: "I wanted to change the world through peace and beauty," she said. Today she is not only a writer, but also a Spanish professor at Wellesley College.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 8, 2023
Bad timing
This is collection of stories written by Jewish women. The stories within cover many topics from inhumanities suffered under the Nazi rule, Jewish customs, Jewish beliefs… It seems as though there is a push to get readers to not forget the past and the ways Jews were treated. But, Jews are doing the same things to the Palestinien people today. They have been for years. So this book doesn’t make me feel anything but anger towards the Jews. With so many stories, with so much hurt, so much pain, so miche worry that has been documented; why are they now being the murderers/thiefs/destroyers?
This is collection of stories written by Jewish women. The stories within cover many topics from inhumanities suffered under the Nazi rule, Jewish customs, Jewish beliefs… It seems as though there is a push to get readers to not forget the past and the ways Jews were treated. But, Jews are doing the same things to the Palestinien people today. They have been for years. So this book doesn’t make me feel anything but anger towards the Jews. With so many stories, with so much hurt, so much pain, so miche worry that has been documented; why are they now being the murderers/thiefs/destroyers?
May 23, 2018
All anthologies are mixed bags, but The House of Memory is more mixed than most, containing short stories, excerpts from novels, personal essays, family stories, et cetera. Editor Marjorie Agosín's introductory framework is definitely on the toothless side, but I encountered several new-to-me writers whose work I am interested in perusing further.
Volume highlights: "Sailing Down the Rhine" (Sonia Guralnik), "Rojl Eisips" (Teresa Porzecanski), "Camera Obscura" (Angélica Gorodischer), "The Sign of the Star" (Ana Vásquez), "Kaddish" (Graciela Safranchik), "From Belarus to Bolondron: A Daughter's Dangerous Passage" (Ester Rebeca Shapiro Rok)
Volume highlights: "Sailing Down the Rhine" (Sonia Guralnik), "Rojl Eisips" (Teresa Porzecanski), "Camera Obscura" (Angélica Gorodischer), "The Sign of the Star" (Ana Vásquez), "Kaddish" (Graciela Safranchik), "From Belarus to Bolondron: A Daughter's Dangerous Passage" (Ester Rebeca Shapiro Rok)
June 14, 2015
I am looking forward to discussing these stories with the Sukkat Shalom "Lunch & Learn" group: Sailing Down the Rhine, Camera Obscura, The Sign of the Star, and Gotlib, Bombero.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews