
The Sweet Fragrance of Life and Other Horror Stories
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Narrated by:
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Elizabeth Schwartz
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Yelena Shmulenson
About this listen
Renowned Jewish vocalist and writer Elizabeth Schwartz’s first book of fiction “The Sweet Fragrance of Life & Other Stories” is a meditation on historic European Jewish Culture seen through the lens of a woman’s point of view.
As if Sholem Aleichem and Angela Carter had a child, The Sweet Fragrance of Life & Other Horror Stories explores European Jewish history, culture, and real world events through a feminist, shtetl perspective.
This is an eerie collection of new Jewish-themed horror stories from a world that was. A Rabbi commits the gravest of sins as he lusts for a younger wife, evil is lurking in an apartment building in pre-war Germany and a young girl experiences hell at sea. These are thrilling and dark stories, but also political reflections about racism and misogyny.
©2023 by Elizabeth Schwartz. Yiddish translation © 2023 by Olniansky Tekst Farlag. (P)2024 SueMedia ProductionsCritic reviews
“Each story is wonderfully unsettling in its balance between historical accuracy and horror told through an insightful feminist lens. Schwartz speaks in a smooth voice that, coupled with her descriptive prose, brings even the most unsympathetic character to life…Shmulenson follows with a commanding performance of the collection entirely in Yiddish.” AudioFile
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