Books with author Dr. Howard Schwartz

Noted folklorist Howard Schwartz retells 12 Jewish tales from around the world. Each tale combines elements of magic with a link to a Jewish holiday, giving new perspectives on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Purim, and Passover—plus Shabbat, the weekly Sabbath. These memorable stories of holiday miracles and miraculous escapes have been passed down orally for thousands of years. Now the best of them—from “A Flock of Angels” to “The Enchanted Menorah” and “The Magic Winecup”—have been collected, and enriched by Monique Passicot’s luminous illustrations.

Tales of magic and wonder can be found in every phase of Jewish literature, from the sacred to the secular. The fairy tale in particular--set in enchanted lands and populated with a variety of human and supernatural beings, both good and evil--holds a very special place in the Jewish tradition. For in the fairy tale, where good and evil engage in a timeless struggle, we have a clear reflection of the Jewish world view, where faith in God can defeat the evil impulse. In Elijah's Violin, Howard Schwartz offers a sumptuous collection of thirty-six Jewish fairy tales from virtually every corner of the world. At once otherworldy and earthy, pious and playful, these celebrated tales from Morocco and India, Spain and Eastern Europe, Babylon and Egypt, illustrate not only their Jewish character but also their universality of themes. Invoking the biblical tale of David and Goliath, we read as King David defeats the giant by hovering above its spear in King David and the Giant. In the romantic tale of The Princess in the Tower, a variant of Rapunzel, we watch as the cautious King Solomon recognizes the vanity in trying to prevent Providence from taking place. And we see the religious nature of the quest for Elijah's violin in the title story. The successful completion of the king's quest enables the violin's imprisoned melodies, emblematic of the Jewish spirit, to be set free. Throughout this richly illustrated collection, one can find the quests and riddles of the traditional fairy tale along with the divine intervention that characterizes the Jewish fairy tale. Skillfully translated, these stories will captivate children and adults alike in which romance and magic become enchantingly entwined with faith, duty, and wisdom.

Title: In Search of a Wider Audience Subtitle: Stories, Essays, Poems and the Psychoanalysis of Dreaming. While awaiting the final editing of a book in production “Women: Biology, Culture and Literature”, I read essays by several accomplished authors, including Michel de Montaigne, who coined the word essays from the French essai (trials). While not in the category of acknowledged masters of the form (Philip Roth, Janet Malcom and Zadie Smith, I have published a chapter book of children’s stories “All Aboard” and a hybrid/compilation book, “Hide and Seek/Hidden and Found- In Search of a Balanced Life”- Psychoanalytic Memoirs, Stories and Essays”. With time to read essays it occurred to me to write “ Essays in Search of a Wider Audience” with the subtitled topics as a road map of what to expect or perhaps, a better analogy, a chef’s favorite dishes prepared for a surprise price- fixed sampling to be digested at leisure with a sampling of wines for each course, presented as Part I,II, and III. Part I is best introduced with amuse-bouches often accompanied by a complementary wine, are served both to prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse of the chef's style (see Wikipedia). So perhaps to start, “A dog named Duppy (ghost in Jamaican culture) that introduces the first course “ Nanny: The Ashanti Warrior” that is laugh-out-loud hilarious (no spoiler alert). Followed by more substantial fare about two fraternal twins raised in foster care telling each other in a Writer’s Workshop about their need to separate, each feeling concerned because they don’t want to hurt the other who is their best friend in the world. But forced to choose from Part I, I pick “Arnold’s Story: Halvah Moments” Arnold is me and it’s about how at age sixteen I dumped my girlfriend because of a new girl in town, more urban and with attitude, who attracted me more. “ Ace Powers Foils Plot to Attack New York” is as timely as today. Part II has so many favorites, including my granddaughter taking me by surprise asking me, “Grandpa, Am I Your Favorite?”, prompting a wide ranging essay on the philosophy of the tension between fairness and favoritism , various religious precepts and “To Kill a Mockingbird” (Who was Atticus Finch’s favorite, his ten-year old daughter Scout, who was a tomboy and didn’t want to go to school where she was told what to read, or her brother Jem who aimed to be a lawyer like his father and risked his life to save his sister?) . My granddaughter’s poems on mortality and courage will leave you in awe . My only political essay, after Dickens’ “The Pickwick Club” satirically identifies (for me) , our Pickwickian President. It will amuse or appall you depending on your political views. A long essay, perhaps ordering a la carte to take and read at home is worth the price of the book alone: Richard Cohen’s “How to Write like Tolstoy: A Journey into the Minds of Our Greatest Writers” ( Hint: write, read out loud to get the rhythm of the words, rewrite, have plenty of paper and a large wastebasket and perhaps a wife willing to copy by hand multiple rewrites- 2000 pages- of “War and Peace”.) Think, of Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” who after dutifully doing his job for years one day simply said, “ I choose not to.” The last essay in Part II, “Dreaming Naming and Remembering- Reflections on Mortality”- introduces: Part III. A Psychoanalytic Paper I wrote in 1979 “A Note on Fire in Myth, Religious Ritual and a Dream at Easter-Time”, and a new Essay on Philip Roth: A Eulogy and review and comments on "Why Write and Patrimony" with extensive discussion of Roth's account of his dreams and associations.

In this collection of fifteen classic Jewish folktales, the authors share some of the richest stories of Jewish tradition from countries the world over, including France, Turkey, Israel, Yemen, Egypt, and Iraq, thus opening up new worlds for young readers. Each tale, magnificently illustrated with a pen-and-ink drawing, reveals a specific Jewish value handed down from one generation to the next.

Come to a world where angels, ghosts, and demons walk amongst the living and anything is possible. Here, in nine tales of the supernatural, invisible creatures take shape and roam the earth to aid or interfere in the lives of humans. A magic staff makes a man see ghosts, a handsome demon tricks a village girl into marriage, and an angel directs a young man through a dangerous venture -- in the guise of a goat!Howard Schwartz's vibrant retelling of mystical Jewish folktales is full of magic and wonder. The stories span many centuries and range in origin from Middle East to Eastern Europe. Weather you believe in angels, ghosts, and demons is for you to decide, but not before you enter these invisible kingdoms and step into a world where the impossible takes shape and anything can happen!

"The writing of these stories, strung together as chapters but really imagined independently, took me over. I couldn't wait to sit at my computer each night, write, and read the results to Sue, my wife (I should say "Grandma Sue"). I . . . realized it would make sense to complete . . . as a book that I could give to [my grandson] Alexander. . . . I was successful in doing that. The stories are about him and me, but they are also about myself as a child, and my past and present family, as seen through my eyes. They are a blend of invention and recalled facts. The decision to make Kenny and Benny eight, going on nine, was spontaneous, and . . . a good idea . . . because . . . older children might have more opportunities for adventure than younger children."--Howard Lester Schwartz

Title: In Search of a Wider Audience Subtitle: Stories, Essays, Poems and the Psychoanalysis of Dreaming. While awaiting the final editing of a book in production “Women: Biology, Culture and Literature”, I read essays by several accomplished authors, including Michel de Montaigne, who coined the word essays from the French essai (trials). While not in the category of acknowledged masters of the form (Philip Roth, Janet Malcom and Zadie Smith, I have published a chapter book of children’s stories “All Aboard” and a hybrid/compilation book, “Hide and Seek/Hidden and Found- In Search of a Balanced Life”- Psychoanalytic Memoirs, Stories and Essays”. With time to read essays it occurred to me to write “ Essays in Search of a Wider Audience” with the subtitled topics as a road map of what to expect or perhaps, a better analogy, a chef’s favorite dishes prepared for a surprise price- fixed sampling to be digested at leisure with a sampling of wines for each course, presented as Part I,II, and III. Part I is best introduced with amuse-bouches often accompanied by a complementary wine, are served both to prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse of the chef's style (see Wikipedia). So perhaps to start, “A dog named Duppy (ghost in Jamaican culture) that introduces the first course “ Nanny: The Ashanti Warrior” that is laugh-out-loud hilarious (no spoiler alert). Followed by more substantial fare about two fraternal twins raised in foster care telling each other in a Writer’s Workshop about their need to separate, each feeling concerned because they don’t want to hurt the other who is their best friend in the world. But forced to choose from Part I, I pick “Arnold’s Story: Halvah Moments” Arnold is me and it’s about how at age sixteen I dumped my girlfriend because of a new girl in town, more urban and with attitude, who attracted me more. “ Ace Powers Foils Plot to Attack New York” is as timely as today. Part II has so many favorites, including my granddaughter taking me by surprise asking me, “Grandpa, Am I Your Favorite?”, prompting a wide ranging essay on the philosophy of the tension between fairness and favoritism , various religious precepts and “To Kill a Mockingbird” (Who was Atticus Finch’s favorite, his ten-year old daughter Scout, who was a tomboy and didn’t want to go to school where she was told what to read, or her brother Jem who aimed to be a lawyer like his father and risked his life to save his sister?) . My granddaughter’s poems on mortality and courage will leave you in awe . My only political essay, after Dickens’ “The Pickwick Club” satirically identifies (for me) , our Pickwickian President. It will amuse or appall you depending on your political views. A long essay, perhaps ordering a la carte to take and read at home is worth the price of the book alone: Richard Cohen’s “How to Write like Tolstoy: A Journey into the Minds of Our Greatest Writers” ( Hint: write, read out loud to get the rhythm of the words, rewrite, have plenty of paper and a large wastebasket and perhaps a wife willing to copy by hand multiple rewrites- 2000 pages- of “War and Peace”.) Think, of Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” who after dutifully doing his job for years one day simply said, “ I choose not to.” The last essay in Part II, “Dreaming Naming and Remembering- Reflections on Mortality” introduces: Part III. A Psychoanalytic Paper I wrote in 1979 “A Note on Fire in Myth, Religious Ritual and a Dream at Easter-Time” and Philip Roth: A Eulogy and "Why Write and Patrimony".