Book cover of The Dybbuk: A Play in Four Acts

Book description

The Dybbuk, regarded as the classic drama of the Yiddish stage, has long frightened yet fascinated audiences throughout the world. Based on Jewish folklore, its dark implications of mysterious, other-worldly forces at work in a quaint and simple village make for gripping, suspenseful theater. To the Chassidic Jews of eastern…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Dybbuk as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Perhaps the best-known play in the Yiddish canon, The Dybbuk has spawned other cinematic, dramatic, and literary efforts.

Of course, the dybbuk is, by definition, a malevolent entity: a dead spirit unwilling to depart; instead it takes possession of a living person. In Ansky’s play, the pious Khonen was not necessarily “evil,” but he felt betrayed by Leah’s engagement to Menashe, took possession of “his” intended, and had to be exorcised by Rabbi Azriel (with the inevitable tragic consequences). 

An ibbur is a benevolent spirit, and in my novella, Benjamin works willingly with Miriam, in order to help…

From Lenny's list on Jewish paranormal literature.

If you love The Dybbuk...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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