Additional information
by Lili Berger (Author), Frieda Forman (Editor), Sam Blatt (Editor)
Lili Berger wrote about the most traumatic and transformative developments of the twentieth century to which she herself was an eyewitness. On the Waves of Destiny presents an anthology that reflects her early life in interwar Poland during the rise of Hitler, her Second World War activities in occupied Paris where she was active in the Communist resistance, and her sojourn in Communist Poland from 1949 to 1968.
The majority of her essays are pen portraits, often based on her own personal recollections, in which she made clear that she considered it her duty to memorialize the tens of thousands of Polish Jewish writers and artists who were murdered during the Holocaust, such as author and painter Bruno Schulz, historian Emanuel Ringelblum, and artist Gela Seksztajn, as well as to preserve their work. Even her short stories are based on actual experiences, not only her own but also those of people around her.
In her stories, her essays, and her allegorical fables, she explored issues such as equality for women, the moral responsibility of a writer, the question of Jewish identity, and the creative process in general. The translations in On the Waves of Destiny ensure that Lili Berger's legacy will continue to resonate with future generations of readers.
Author Biography
Frieda Johles Forman was an author, translator, pioneer of feminist Jewish studies, who founded the Women's Educational Resource Centre at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and the award-winning editor of Found Treasures: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers. Sam Blatt is a Yiddish educator, translator, and editor, who has served as the coordinator of Yiddish teachers for adult education in the Toronto Jewish community. Judy Nisenholt is a Yiddish Book Center translation fellow with extensive experience translating Yiddish memoirs and letters. Vivian Felsen is an award-winning translator of French and Yiddish, whose published translations include books on Canadian Jewish history, Holocaust memoirs, and short stories.
