World Literary Awards

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Michael Wex

マイケル・ウェックス

Maikeru Wekkusu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1954-09-12 （Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada）
Nationality
Canada
Languages
English, Yiddish
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Toronto

Career

Occupations
writer, novelist, playwright, translator, lecturer, performer
Active Years
1993-2024
Affiliations
University of Toronto, University of Michigan, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language And Culture in All Its Moods

2005 Language and Culture

An exploration of Yiddish language and Jewish culture, focusing on the art of kvetching.

Yiddish languageJewish culturekvetching

Bibliography

  • The Frumkiss Family Business
  • How to Be a Mentsh (and Not a Shmuck)
  • Just Say Nu: Yiddish for Every Occasion (When English Just Won't Do)
  • Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language And Culture in All Its Moods
  • Shlepping the Exile
  • The Adventures of Micah Mushmelon, Boy Talmudist
  • Classic Yiddish Stories of S.Y. Abramovitsh, Sholem Aleichem, and I.L. Peretz
  • The Wishing-Ring
  • Rhapsody in Schmaltz: Yiddish Food and Why We Can't Stop Eating It

Style & Themes

Literary Style
humorouscolloquial
Recurring Motifs
Yiddish expressionsJewish traditions

Legacy

Canadian author renowned for his expertise in Yiddish; his book Born to Kvetch became a surprise bestseller in 2005.

Trivia

  • Born to a family of descendants of Rebbes of Ciechanów and Stryków.