Jewish Literature Recommendations

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Well?

hint, search for jewish writers !

I remember being a bit obsessed with The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg. It's a compilation of medieval Jewish legends, and it is spectacularly imaginative.

I also liked Jewish Children by Scholem Aleichem. My favorite stories from that collection involve the prophet Elijah acting as an anti-Santa, and another where a bunch of kids beat up children from a neighbouring village in a ritual mock-battle.

Franz Kafka is one of the most famous Jewish writers. On Project Gutenberg there's translations of Metamorphosis and The Trial. You can also read a translation of America here, as well as some shorter pieces. Kafka is my favourite high-brow writer in the Western literary canon.

There are a couple of Polish-Jewish novels that might interest you:

1. 'Meïr Ezofowicz' by Eliza Orzeszkowa - I read it in French, not sure if it's available in English.

2. 'Who was David Weiser' by Pawel Huelle.

For obvious reasons, Central and Eastern European literature is a rich source of Jewish novels, novellas etc.

There are also a lot of Sephardic (Iberian) historical fiction novels out there. One I just read is called the Books of Rachel chronicling the history of one family over 500 years through descendants named Rachel.

just finished Call It Sleep--a tremendous work.
Beautiful Losers also.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union...

Etgar Keret.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etgar_Keret

Mostly known for his short stories. Modern literature.

Shmuel Yosef Agnon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmuel_Yosef_Agnon

Classic and more well-known.

Spinoza, Moses Maimonides, Bar Kochba, Martin Buber ("I and thou"), Wittgenstein, Josephus, Pliny, Wisdom of Solomon, Maccabees, Theodor Herzl, and Baal Shem Tov (founder of Hasidic Judaism). These combined give a great overview of Jewish thinking, although that is just the tip of the iceberg. Clearly the Talmud itself is the elephant in the room.