CC Spin #33: Motl the Cantor's Son

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 Motl, the Cantor's Son, by Sholem Aleichem

 I'm late delivering my Spin title, even though I finished it a couple of weeks ago!  I enjoyed this so much.  Various people told me that it was a lot lighter than Tevye the Dairyman, which I read a few years ago, and it definitely was.

Motl is a little boy, 8 and 9 years old, telling his story of getting to America -- in installments, because it was published as a serial in a newspaper.  We start in a shtetl in the Russian empire; I'm pretty sure it would be Ukraine now.  Motl's family is poor but cultivated, because his father is Peysi the cantor and a very well-respected man.  After his death, the family is left penniless and Motl's older brother resolves to take everyone to America, 'everyone' being their mother, Elyahu the brother, his wife, his best friend (a comedic bookworm given to declaiming about Columbus), and little Motl.  It's about 1910, the pogroms are getting worse, and America promises a better life.

Slowly they make their way across Europe.  They're robbed by fixers and helped by Jewish organizations, they make friends and meet up with other emigrants from home, and eventually they take a ship to New York, where they're put through the examinations (their mother's weepiness is a constant concern -- what if she's turned away for her eyes?) and expelled upon the streets of the city.  They first live with Elyahu's in-laws while they look for work; by this time half their old neighbors are also in New York.

Motl describes everything that happens with childish zest and charm.  Because he is a child, and doesn't understand some things, Aleichem can hint at dark realities but also hold them at a remove, keeping the story comedic and fun.  Motl is having an adventure, and nothing is really too terrible to bear.  Surely everything will work out.

Sadly, Sholem Aleichem died before completing Motl's story.  In fact, there is relatively little action in New York; it's cut short far too soon.  It's an absolutely delightful story, full of humor and character.  I was lucky to get it for this Spin!

 

Comments

  1. LoryApril 30, 2023 at 11:45 PM

    This does sound delightful! Too bad it was cut short.

    ReplyDelete
  2. reeseMay 1, 2023 at 5:41 AM

    Hooray, I'm an orphan! (Though your translation looks different than mine.) It's both funny and sad, and is exactly what you say of Motl--he doesn't understand some things, but is full of zest anyway. Glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JeanMay 2, 2023 at 11:33 AM

      That's pretty similar to what mine said! Yes, I'm really glad I read this one.

      Delete
  3. Lisa @ Bookshelf FantasiesMay 1, 2023 at 7:44 AM

    Sounds wonderful! I think I need to add this to my list!

    ReplyDelete

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