Shirley Kumove 
  is a writer and  translator 
   on the subject of Yiddish 
   — folklore, literature and 
  on the art of translation
 

  photo: Alex Page 

Books by 
Shirley Kumove
Magazine &
Journal Articles
SpeechesReviews and commentsContact me

News: Drunk From the Bitter Truth: The Poems of  Anna Margolin , translated, ediited and
introduced by Shirley Kumove, published by SUNY Press, Albany, N.Y. is a runner up in
the National Jewish Book Award for Poetry, 2007.
           "Shirley Kumove has done Jewish letters an amazing service in her fine renditions, and
             wonderfully presented biographical and bibliographic material. Highly recommended."       
             — J.C.,
Jewish Book World, National Jewish Book Council,  New York, Spring, 2006        

News: Drunk From the Bitter Truth: The Poems of  Anna Margolin , translated, ediited and
introduced by 
Shirley Kumove, published by SUNY Press, Albany, N.Y. awarded the
Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award forYiddish/Yiddish Translation for 2007
.

Forthcoming: 
           
Ordinary Jews, translation of the Yiddish novel, Yidn fun a gants yor by
              Yehoshua Perle. To be p
ublished by SUNY Press,, Albany NY. Spring 2009.

Books by Shirley  Kumove

Drunk From the Bitter Truth: The Poems of  Anna Margolin(bilingual edition) translated, edited, and introduced by Shirley Kumoveavailable in bookstores or from
SUNY Press, Albany, N.Y. 2005
Words Like Arrows, A Collection
of Yiddish Folksayings
 
bilingual edition University of Toronto Press, 1984 
Out of print. Inquire at
Amazon.com
More Words, More Arrows,  A Further Collection of Yiddish folk sayings
bilingual edition Wayne State University Press
Detroit, 1999.
Found Treasures, stories by 
Yiddish women writers
Contributing translator Second Story PressToronto, 1994. 

Even More Words, More Arrows, A Further Collection of Yiddish folk Sayings.
              (3rd volume)

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Awards
  Multicultural Department, Secretary of State, Goverment of Canada, puilication 
    Award for Words Like Arrows

•   Travel grant from the Canada Council to promote Words Like Arrows, 1984

•   Ontario Arts Council award for Words Like Arrows, 1984

•  


Magazine & Journal Articles 
Articles and translanslations about Anna Margolin have appeared in
           Writ Magazine, Toronto 1995;  
           Prism International, Vancouver, 1996; 
           Two Lines, San Francisco 1997;
           Metamorphoses,  Amherst, MA 1997;
           From Memory to Transformation, Jewish Women's Voices,
Toronto 1998;
           Parchment, Toronto 2001; 
           Five Fingers Review, San Francisco, 2002

Columnist for the Paken Treger, quarterly magazine of the National Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, MA 1997-2003
 

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Speeches
Topics include :a• A Little Salt, A Little Pepper: About Yiddish Folk Sayings.
• Talking Among Ourselves: Further Discussion About Yiddish Folk
   Sayings.
• Catching Arrows: Translating Yiddish Folk Sayings.
• Drunk From the Bitter Truth: The Life, Times and Poetry of Anna
   Margolin.

Shirley Kumove has spoken at:
• Conferences of The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)
   of which she is a member;
•  Toronto Jewish Book Fair, 1984, 1999, 2005
• The Jewish Historical Society of Canada;
• The National Conference on Yiddish;
• The Jewish Women’s Voices Conference;
• The Precious Legacy Exhibit of Czechoslovakia at the
   Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto;
• Students in the Uriel Weinreich Program in Yiddish Literature and
   Culture at Columbia University in New York;
• Students in the Yiddish Program at the University of Toronto.
• Conference on "Yiddish After the Holocaust" at Oxford University;
• Various groups in Toronto, the United States and Israel, in both English
   and Yiddish.

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Reviews 
and 
Comments
  

About Drunk From the Bitter Truth: The Poems of Anna Margolin:

"This astounding bilingual edition presents Margolin complete for the first time in English.. Translator, editor and introducer Shirley Kumove has done Jewish letters an amazing service in her fine renditions, and wonderfully presented biographical and bibliographic material. Highly recommended."       
         — J.C.,
Jewish Book World, National Jewish Book Council,
              New York, Spring, 2006
        
"Shirley Kumove's assiduous research, profound knowledge of Yiddish, and poetic sensibilities combine to make this a valuable and desirable contribution to the library of translated texts."
          — Barbara Harshav,co-translator of American Yiddish Poetry:
               A Bilingual Anthology

"This bilingual edition makes available an important body of Yiddish poetry by a major author whose concerns remain relevant today."
          — Ken Frieden, editor and cotranslator of Classic Yiddish Stories   of S. Y. Abramovitch, Sholem Aleichem and Peretz.
"Drunk From the Bitter Truth is a welcome addition to the growing body of Yiddish Literature published bilingually. All nuances of Margolin's complex poetry are reflected in Kumove's precise, coherent and eloquent translation."
          — Anna Shternshis, University of Toronto.
"... the translations read beautifully. I will use it in my teaching as I do your other books. Great work!
      
— Ellie Kellman, Brandeis University.
"...Shirley Kumove offers a sensuous escape into the brilliance of Anna Margolin's talent."
      — Heidi Busch, Der Bay,
           The International Anglo-Yiddish Newsletter

About Words Like Arrows and More Words, More Arrows:

“All honour to the author and publisher for this delightful addition to my shelf of books of enduring Jewish interest.”
          — Bernard Baskin Canadian Jewish News
“Shirley Kumove is to be congratulated for providing us with such a well-presented and entertaining collection.”
          — Enoch Padolsky, The Ottawa Citizen
“The most comprehensive collection ever assembled for an English-speaking audience.” 
          — The Vancouver Bulletin
“This fascinating collection of folk wisdom and lore, this rich melange... A handsome book for browsing, it includes an impressive and scholarly bibliography.” 
          — Canadian Book Review Annual
“Ms. Kumove’s new collection... is an excellent one.”
          — Philologus The Forward
“Shirley Kumove’s new collection of Yiddish proverbs sparkles with wit and seykhl. Like her first collection, it is a goldmine... making it accessible to readers at any level of Yiddish literacy.”
          — Ellie Kellman, Lecturer, Brandeis University
“An entertaining anthology of bon mots, maxims and proverbs that shed a great deal of light on Jewish life in Eastern Europe and in the new world.” 
          — Jerusalem Post Magazine.
***** Rating based on comments by  purchasers, Amazon.com.

Contact me

Shirley Kumove
41 Marbury Crescent
Toronto, ON  M3A 2G3
Telephone 
416 444-1333
Fax
416 444-5850

Email shirley@shirleykumove.com

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