WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — The Polish parliament adopted a resolution commemorating Yiddish novelist Isaac Bashevis Singer, who 40 years ago received the Nobel Prize for Literature.
In the resolution, Polish lawmakers stressed that Singer’s work — in Yiddish — is an integral part of Polish cultural heritage.
The resolution noted that Singer won his Nobel in 1978 for his “full-of-feelings prose, which, growing out of the Polish-Jewish cultural traditions, at the same time touches on eternal problems.”
“Isaac Bashevis Singer occupies a unique place in the history of Poland as a writer who in his work has perpetuated and commemorated images of a Jewish community that no longer exists today in our country,” reads the document approved by the Sejm.
Singer was born in 1902 in Leoncin, Poland and later lived in Warsaw and Biłgoraj. He depicted in his works an earthy, sometimes mystical and often erotic world of Jews who had lived in eastern Poland for centuries. The resolution also recalled his award-winning writing and journalistic activity after he immigrated to the United States in 1935, as well as his commitment to defending animal rights.
“Appreciating the great contribution of Isaac Bashevis Singer to the Polish and world culture, its sensitivity and originality of thought, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland today adopts a resolution regarding the commemoration of an outstanding artist, expressing the highest recognition for his work and honoring his memory,” said the document.
