The People of the Book in the World of Books is a Russian bimonthly publication for serious readers with Jewish interests. Our English website includes only the summaries of the published articles. To access the complete text of them, please visit the Russian version of this website.


66

December 2006

This issue of the magazine includes:


• Memoirs: On the History of Jewish Press in Russia


This magazine continues to publish fragments from the memoirs of the prominent Jewish historian and journalist Saul Ginsburg (1866–1940). The memoirs deal with the history of Der fraynd—the first Yiddish daily in Russia.


History: Being a Soviet Spy


This article discusses the lives of many Jews who were involved in Soviet espionage in the 1920s–1940s. Recently published materials from the archives of the Soviet secret service present additional information about their tragic fates.


New Dimensions: Making the Sound Track for the Past


This magazine presents an unusual cultural project: “The Upward Flight: The Musical World of S.An-sky” is a CD which was issued as a supplement to the proceedings of an international conference at Stanford University. The conference was dedicated to the life and works of the prominent Russian-Jewish public figure, writer and folklore scholar S.An‑sky (1863–1920).


Review: Everything is Disinformation


This article analyzes the much talked-of novel Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer and its Russian translation, which was published in 2005. The reviewer points out the danger that readers (both in the USA and Russia) will accept this book as presentation of historical truth: “For those, who are sure that gefilte fish can be served only from a can, Everything is Illuminated is an interesting trip into their family histories. Those who knew nothing about East-European Jews, their history and culture, after reading it will know even less.” Trying to understand the book’s success, the reviewer assumes that the novel is a literary game, mystification, provocation—a conscious attempt to find a language with which to speak to young readers about important questions of memory and responsibility.


Jewish Calendar of Significant Dates: January–February 2007


Bibliography: 55 New Books