Sholem Asch
Overview
Sholem Asch, born Szalom Asz , also written Shalom Asch
(November 1, 1880 - July 10, 1957) was a Polish
-born American Jewish novel
ist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language.
Asch was born in Kutno
, Poland
, one of ten children of Moszek Asz (1825 Gabin-1905 Kutno), a cattle-dealer and innkeeper, and Frajda Malka, née Widawska (1850 Łęczyca), and received a traditional Jewish education; as a young man he followed that with a more liberal education
obtained at Włocławek, where he supported himself as a letter writer for the illiterate Jewish townspeople.
(November 1, 1880 - July 10, 1957) was a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born American Jewish novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language.
Asch was born in Kutno
Kutno
Kutno is a town in central Poland with 48,000 inhabitants and an area of 33,6 km2. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Płock Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kutno County....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, one of ten children of Moszek Asz (1825 Gabin-1905 Kutno), a cattle-dealer and innkeeper, and Frajda Malka, née Widawska (1850 Łęczyca), and received a traditional Jewish education; as a young man he followed that with a more liberal education
Liberal education
A Liberal education is a system or course of education suitable for the cultivation of a free human being. It is based on the medieval concept of the liberal arts or, more commonly now, the liberalism of the Age of Enlightenment...
obtained at Włocławek, where he supported himself as a letter writer for the illiterate Jewish townspeople.
Quotations
Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence.
The lash may force men to physical labor; it cannot force them to spiritual creativity.
Through our soul is our contact with heaven.
Without a love of humankind there is no love of God.
Each time he hears Jews groan, he tries to break his chains- but God has vowed not to release him (the Messiah) till the Jews tear the chains from his hands.