In this masterly collection of stories, Isaac Bashevis Singer once again weaves bewitching fables from seemingly ordinary lives, showing us with subtlety and compassion humanity at its most mundane and mysterious. From modern apartments in Miami to nineteenth-century Polish villages, from bravery in wartime Warsaw to a different kind of courage in Lisbon, these tales span the world and the range of human life. Read More
In this masterly collection of stories, Isaac Bashevis Singer once again weaves bewitching fables from seemingly ordinary lives, showing us with subtlety and compassion humanity at its most mundane and mysterious. From modern apartments in Miami to nineteenth-century Polish villages, from bravery in wartime Warsaw to a different kind of courage in Lisbon, these tales span the world and the range of human life. Read Less
Add this copy of Passions to cart. $17.03, like new condition, Sold by Démons & Merveilles rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Joinville, GRAND EST, FRANCE, published 1980 by Stock.
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Add this copy of Passions-Stories to cart. $12.98, very good condition, Sold by Sixth Chamber Inc. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from River Falls, WI, UNITED STATES, published 1975 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
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Farrar Straus and Giroux 1975. Light Wear. Previous Owners Name Inside Front Cover. Clean Text, No Water Damage, Strong Binding. Unless Listed in this decription, VG or Better.
Add this copy of Passions to cart. $15.95, very good condition, Sold by Columbia Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1976 by Fawcett Books.
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1976 Singer, Isaac Bashevis PASSIONS NY: Fawcett Crest, c1976 Fourth printing 287pp Previous owner signature on rear-inside cover, near fine mass market paperback copy.
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Add this copy of Passions [Fawcett Crest; 24067-3] to cart. $21.99, very good condition, Sold by Gear rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from The Bronx, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1976 by Fawcett Crest Books/A Unit of CBS Publications.
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Very Good. Book. 12mo or 12° (Duodecimo): 6¾" x 7¾" tall. 287 pp. Solidly and tightly bound copy with minimal external and overall wear and use. Copy with crisp pages and clean text. Very mild foxing on page edges, not affecting text.
Add this copy of Passions and Other Stories to cart. $25.00, very good condition, Sold by All-Ways Fiction rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from DAYTON, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1975 by Farrar Straus & Giroux.
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Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. Book A First edition, Second Printing Book is in Near Fine condition. Boards are clean, not bumped. Interior is clean and legible. Not remaindered. Dust Jacket is in Near Fine condition. Not chipped or crinkled. Not price clipped. Dust Jacket is covered by Mylar Brodart. All-Ways well boxed, All-Ways fast service. Thanks.
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Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 0374229937. A collection of stories by the winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize for literature. First printing. Very near fine in like dust jacket.
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. First edition. First edition. Ex-library with expected markings, else Very good in very good dust jacket, light tearing on edges, front flap creased.
The mysteries of religion and faith and of human sexuality are universal. Isaac Bashevis Singer explores these passions in his own unique voice in this 1975 collection of stories. Singer (1902 -- 1991) grew up in Poland the son of a deeply Orthodox and learned Rabbi in an Orthodox Jewish home. He emigrated to the United States in 1935. He wrote in Yiddish but in his later years helped supervise the translation of his works into English, which he regarded as his second original language. A highly successful writer in America, Singer received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978.
The twenty stories in "Passions" originally were published in magazines. They are set primarily both in pre-WW II Poland and in the United States, largely in New York City, but some stories are set elsewhere. In a brief Author's Note, Singer offers insight into the themes and passions of the collection. He wrote: "I deal with unique characters in unique circumstances, a group of people who are still a riddle to the world and often to themselves -- the Jews of Eastern Europe, specifically the Yiddish-speaking Jews who perished in Poland and those who emigrated to the U.S.A." The more he thought about this group, the more he was "baffled by the richness of their individuality" and, including himself in the group, "by my own whims and passions". Singer concluded with a strongly religious statement: "While I hope and pray for the redemption and the resurrection, I dare to say that, for me, these people are all living right now. In literature, as in our dreams, death does not exist."
Many of the stories in "Passions" have a strongly autobiographical cast and often involve a Singer-like character interaction with others and sharing their stories. Some of the stories in this collection are extended while others, less effectively, are in the nature of brief vignettes. The force of religion seems to me to become stronger in Singer's later works. He was deeply influenced by the God and religious beliefs of his youth although he was not a practicing or believing Jew. The title story of this collection, tells three inter-related tales of Polish Jews each of whom goes to extraordinary lengths in the pursuit of religious faith. The story ends with the teller of the tale realizing: "Everything can become a passion, even serving God." Another story with a strongly religious tone, "The Tutor in the Village" explores the tension between faith and modernity and concludes with the suggestion: "The gates of repentance are always open".
Most of the stories combine the search for meaning and for a religious life with Singer's equally strong passion for sexuality. The struggle for sexuality is part of the struggle for God and in Singer's stories it takes place in both the Old World and the New. Sex and religion also are combined with supernaturalism, the world of dybuuks, imps, witches, and spirits. Several of the stories explore love and sexuality at an advancing age, almost always with a religious overtone. These stories include "Hanka", "Old Love", "Sam Palka and David Vishkover" and "The New Year Party", among others. Stories including "The Witch" and "A Tale of Two Sisters" offer mystical explorations of the search for love and passion. The stories in the collection share a commonality of themes through their varied settings. They are thoughtful and enjoyable to read and the religious sense becomes stronger while there is also a falling off in energy and variety from some of Singer's earlier stories.
I have been moved reading Singer again, after an absence of many years. This collection of "Passions" is available in the second volume of Singer's stories, "Collected Stories: A Friend of Kafka to Passions", published by the Library of America.
