NINETEEN TO THE DOZEN
Monologues and Bits and Bobs of Other Things
by Sholem Aleichem & edited by Ken Frieden & translated by Ted Gorelick
Nineteen To The Dozen ($24.95; Feb. 14; 196 pp.; 0-8156-0477-7): A cacophony of zesty, feisty, eccentric voices resounds throughout this entertaining collection of (mostly comic) monologues that the Yiddish master composed during the years 190116, many of which have not previously been translated into English. They're entreaties, variously addressed to doctors, rabbis, and other eminences (and, in one case, to Aleichem himself); emotional declarations of the daily tribulations of getting by, getting married, and keeping the faith. It's best to read only one or two at a time, but anyone who loves Fiddler on the Roof (and who doesn't?) will respond to the earthy humanity of Aleichem's wily matchmakers, elusive bachelors, and exhausted, indomitable housewives and matriarchs. A funny and life-affirming work.