Critics of Israel-criticism, both in Israel and abroad, take most kindly to what they consider moralistic criticism of Israel, on the one hand, and day to day coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict on the othr. There is not much room for literary and artistic criticism that does not adopt a realist or polemical stance. So, its easier to go after Caryl Churchill, than Michael Chabon. Granted, the narratives of their respective projects is highly different, but you get the point.
That doesn't mean to rank either of their respective approaches to their subject matter either. Its simply that novels such as The Yiddish Policeman's Union tend to undermine their objects of criticism differently, and its harder to take a stance on it because of that, and stigmatize such works, and their authors.
Joel
On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 12:45 AM, Max B. Sawicky <sawicky at verizon.net>wrote:
> In that vein, the lack of disapproval for the book is a little
> surprising.
> Though Chabon's suggestions are fairly well buried in the very dense
> narrative.
> I'd avoid saying more for fear of giving away bits of the plot.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org
> [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org] On Behalf Of joel schalit
> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 1:38 PM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] The Yiddish Policeman's Union
>
> I agree with your wife's reading of the book, Marv, though I would
> also say
> that Chabon uses their book stand-ins as a way of giving voice to
> evolving
> political differences between American and Israeli Jews.
>
> Joel
>
> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 4:56 PM, Marv Gandall
> <marvgandall at videotron.ca>wrote:
>
> > My wife read it. Also enjoyed it a lot. She also saw it as a vehicle
> for
> > Michael Chabon to contrast the former vibrant progressive
> Yiddish-speaking
> > culture of Eastern Europe with Israel's increasingly right-wing
> culture.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Max Sawicky"
> <sawicky at verizon.net>
> > To: "LBO-Talk" <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 10:24 AM
> > Subject: [lbo-talk] The Yiddish Policeman's Union
> >
> >
> >
> > Anybody read this? I just finished. Hugely entertaining.
> >> It's Borscht-belt comic dialog among European Jews who
> >> are resettled to Alaska (the "frozen chosen"), which was an
> >> actual proposal by Harold Ickes. In this alternate history,
> >> there is no holocaust. It's a detective story. The
> >> gangsters are Hassidem. A bit:
> >>
> >> "Meyer Landsman is the most decorated shammes
> >> (detective -- mbs) in the District of Sitka, the man who
> >> solved the murder of the beautiful Froma Lefkowitz
> >> by her furrier husband, and caught Podolsky the
> >> Hospital Killer. His testimony sent Hyman Tscharny
> >> to federal prison for life, the first and last time that
> >> criminal charges against a Verbover wiseguy have
> >> ever been made to stick. He has the memory of a
> >> convict, the balls of a fireman, and the eyesight of a
> >> housebreaker. When there is crime to fight, Landsman
> >> tears around Sitka like a man with a pant leg caught
> >> on a rocket. It's like there's a film score playing behind
> >> him, heavy on the castanets."
> >> ___________________________________
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> >>
> >
> > ___________________________________
> > http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> >
>
>
>
> --
> joel schalit
> editor, Zeek
> author, Israel vs. Utopia
> skype: jschalit
> email: jschalit at gmail.com
> web: www.joelschalit.com
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
>
> ___________________________________
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>
-- joel schalit editor, Zeek author, Israel vs. Utopia skype: jschalit email: jschalit at gmail.com web: www.joelschalit.com