I.J. Singer, noted Yiddish novelist whose works, including “The Brothers Ashkenazi,” were published in English, died here today from a heart attack. He was 51 years old. His play “The Family Karnovsky” is now being produced on Broadway by the Yiddish Art Theatre.
Born in Poland, he was educated in Warsaw. He started to write at the age of 22 and soon won recognition not only in Europe but also in the United States. He became the correspondent of the Jewish Daily Forward, a New York newspaper, and held this post until 1939, when he emigrated to the United States, where he continued to work for the Forward. Among Singer’s works which have been translated into English are “The River Breaks Up,” “East of Eden,” and “The Sinners.” Translations of Singer’s works appeared also in Hebrew, Polish, Spanish, Swedish and other European languages.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.