Mazel and Shlimazel, Or The Milk of a Lioness

by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Margot Zemach (Illustrator), Elizabeth Shub (Translator)

The now classic tale about the conflict between Mazel, the debonair spirit of good luck, and Schlimazel, the wicked old spirit of bad luck

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Americana

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Isaac Bashevis Singer was a Polish American author of Jewish descent, noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978.
His memoir, "A Day Of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw", won the U.S. National Book Award in Children's Literature in 1970, while his collection "A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories" won the U.S. National Book Award in Fiction in 1974.

Reviews

[Francisco Barrios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un cuento de raíces hebreas, bellamente traducido y editado, escrito por la genial pluma del Premio Nobel Isaac Bashevis Singer, que si bien aparece dentro de la colección infantil y juvenil de Conaculta, se trata de una lectura brevísima que podría aprovecharle a todo el mundo.

[Miguel Lupián · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poco a poco he estado leyendo los cuentos de Isaac, así que tampoco dudé en llevarme esta edición ilustrada. Me encanta su humor, pero las ilustraciones de Joel Rendón son una verdadera delicia.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those fairy tales about plucky young lads who go from rags to riches because kindly fairies bless them. Butt with the addition of a spectral bet in play, the youth in question has more than the usual share of trials to overcome.

There is a princess, as you might expect, but she’s more than a pretty face. Rather than passively submitting to a suitor, she has already rejected several because of idiotic habits and what she suspects is a lack of intellect. Tam proves to be skillful, diplomatic, brave, elegant generous and kind, absolutely worthy of any woman’s favor. Who wouldn’t want him as a husband?

The Jews have been called “people of the book” because they prize reading, literature and scholarly discussion and this Yiddish story has subtlety running under its fairy tale trappings. This seemingly ordinary story of a charmed youth actually poses difficult questions. How much of our fates are under our conscious control? Are there truly accidents or are there outside invisible forces toying with human lives and destiny?

The illustrations are rather drab, sepia in tone and showing a lack of perspective with everything depicted in the foreground. But they suit the traditional nature of the narrative and I found myself warming to them. In any case, it is the story that captivates, managing to be hopeful, scary and gratifying as everyone gets what they deserve. Even Shlimazel manages to be happy, after a fashion, by attaching himself to a fallen inebriate.

Happy endings all around. Mazel tov!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely Jewish folktale on the powers of the mind through both good and bad luck. This is the second tale I have read by this author and love his work.

[Nathaniel Buffington]

A folktale about luck and bad luck. With a lesson in drive, and believing in one's self.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of a man caught between two spirits, and how he rises in life.

[Lluvia ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

La historia te atrapa desde el principio, cuando logras parpadear te das cuenta que ya llevas más de la mitad del libro, una pequeña pausa y has terminado. Me encantó. ¡Lo necesito en mi biblioteca!

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While neither Logan nor I really liked the 1960s illustrations much, the story (translated from Yiddish)was fun and interesting. Isaac Bashevis Singer has an accessible and folksy style that makes it easy to read aloud. Mazel is the the invisible spirit of good luck and devilish Shlimazel is the spirit of bad luck and destruction. The two have an argument about who is more powerful and end up making a bet to settle the argument: Mazel will have one year to bring some poor sod (Tam) good luck and then Shlimazel will have one second to undo all that good luck. The catch is that Shlimazel can't use any of his "old and tired games," which are death, sickness, poverty, and accident. I was initially frustrated with the lack of free will in the story. It seemed like the message was that success is simply good luck or bad luck; that your own initiative or work didn't matter. But in the end, "Tam no longer needed Mazel, excepting once in a while. Tam had learned that good luck follows those who are diligent, honest, sincere, and helpful to others. the man who has these qualities is indeed lucky forever."

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Isaac Bashevis Singer, and I love this style of story. A fairy tale with interesting spiritual elements. Mazel is the spirit of good luck. He makes a bet with Schlimazel (bad luck). Mazel accuses Schlimazel of always using the same old tricks - poverty, famine, death and sickness. Mazel bets Schlimazel that he can't undo what he's done using anything new. Schlimazel says he only needs one second to undo what Mazel takes a year to accomplish. Schlimazel wins the bet, drinks the "wine of forgetfulness" (his prize). Mazel goes back to the boy he helped, saves him just in time, while Shlimazel completely forgets about the boy and instead attaches himself to the drunks in the tavern. The moral is that good luck follows those who are honest, hard working, and kind to others. It was a bit long for a picture book, but the story had a good flow, and my 5 and 6 year olds listened through to the end.

[Saralyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute. Some of the pictures are a little... strange. But I really enjoyed this book about good and bad luck.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long by today's picture book standards, this book holds my interest to the end. I wanted to known if the good guy would win!

[Tripleguess · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, your average fairy tale. Everything comes down to luck being on the hero's side.