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100pagesaday's review against another edition
4.0
A classic dramatic play that is a wonderful piece of Jewish literature along with other short stories and writings from S. Ansky. I enjoyed reading The Dybbuk, the premise mixed with the mysticism was very interesting. The other stories offered a nice window into the time period.
wechseling's review
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lgiunta's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Violence
margot_meanders's review
4.0
The Dybbuk is a Hasidic star-crossed love story with elements of mysticism. The dybbuk is a very interesting figure, a malicious possessing spirit and the play makes use of this motif.
But it's also more than that. The story of the play, and more importantly its many stagings is very rich. Ansky had problems getting it accepted for staging, he wrote it originally in Russian instead of Yiddish probably because he wanted to draw the attention of Konstantin Stanislavski. He drew inspiration from many sources. He was inspired to write about a star-crossed lover in one house he stayed at during his journeys - the father, a rich man put an end to a silent love affair between his daughter and a poor student, and as the girl cried into the night, Ansky reportedly wrote it all down, as it impressed him greatly.
The theme of the bride and the groom could also be for Ansky a metaphor for the Jewish nation. Similarly to Oskar Kolberg, he did ethnographic field research, travelled around to gather folkloric material and he was told this story of the bride and groom who were murdered approaching their wedding canopy by Khmelnytskyi. They were like a tree cut in just as they were blossoming and this metaphor described, to Ansky, the story of the Jewish nation - this is what he reports in his diaries from the period.
An interesting read immersed in Jewish culture and folklore, with a very rich and turbulent history behind it.
But it's also more than that. The story of the play, and more importantly its many stagings is very rich. Ansky had problems getting it accepted for staging, he wrote it originally in Russian instead of Yiddish probably because he wanted to draw the attention of Konstantin Stanislavski. He drew inspiration from many sources. He was inspired to write about a star-crossed lover in one house he stayed at during his journeys - the father, a rich man put an end to a silent love affair between his daughter and a poor student, and as the girl cried into the night, Ansky reportedly wrote it all down, as it impressed him greatly.
The theme of the bride and the groom could also be for Ansky a metaphor for the Jewish nation. Similarly to Oskar Kolberg, he did ethnographic field research, travelled around to gather folkloric material and he was told this story of the bride and groom who were murdered approaching their wedding canopy by Khmelnytskyi. They were like a tree cut in just as they were blossoming and this metaphor described, to Ansky, the story of the Jewish nation - this is what he reports in his diaries from the period.
An interesting read immersed in Jewish culture and folklore, with a very rich and turbulent history behind it.
abear1445's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
emeraldberkowitz's review against another edition
3.0
loved the dybbuk, obvs, kind of lukewarm on the "and other writing"
jiujiu1976's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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