The Fall of Berlin

"Mendl Mann’s autobiographical novel The Fall of Berlin tells the painful yet compelling story of life as a Jewish soldier in the Red Army. Menakhem Isaacovich is a Polish Jew who, after fleeing the Nazis, finds refuge in the USSR. Translated into English from the original Yiddish by Maurice Wolfthal, the narrative follows Menakhem as he fights on the front line in Stalin’s Red Army against Hitler and the Nazis who are destroying his homeland of Poland and exterminating the Jews. Menakhem encounters anti-Semitism on various occasions throughout the novel, and struggles to comprehend how seemingly normal people could hold such appalling views. As Mann writes, it is odd that ""vicious, insidious anti-Semitism could reside in a person with elevated feelings, an average person, a decent person”. The Fall of Berlin is both a striking and timelylook at the struggle that many Jewish soldiers faced. An affecting and unique book, which eloquently explores a variety of themes – such as anti-Semitism, patriotism, Stalinism and life as a Jewish soldier in the Second World War – this is essential reading for anyone interested in the Yiddish language, Jewish history, and the history of World War II.

The Fall of Berlin

"Mendl Mann’s autobiographical novel The Fall of Berlin tells the painful yet compelling story of life as a Jewish soldier in the Red Army. Menakhem Isaacovich is a Polish Jew who, after fleeing the Nazis, finds refuge in the USSR. Translated into English from the original Yiddish by Maurice Wolfthal, the narrative follows Menakhem as he fights on the front line in Stalin’s Red Army against Hitler and the Nazis who are destroying his homeland of Poland and exterminating the Jews. Menakhem encounters anti-Semitism on various occasions throughout the novel, and struggles to comprehend how seemingly normal people could hold such appalling views. As Mann writes, it is odd that ""vicious, insidious anti-Semitism could reside in a person with elevated feelings, an average person, a decent person”. The Fall of Berlin is both a striking and timelylook at the struggle that many Jewish soldiers faced. An affecting and unique book, which eloquently explores a variety of themes – such as anti-Semitism, patriotism, Stalinism and life as a Jewish soldier in the Second World War – this is essential reading for anyone interested in the Yiddish language, Jewish history, and the history of World War II.

STAGING IRELAND’S YANKS: AMERICAN CHARACTERS IN CONTEMPORARY IRISH THEATRE

Over the past 50 years Ireland has undergone a sweeping series of changes that have transitioned the nation from a protectionist agrarian state to a modern, globalized entity. The United States has played a significant role in that evolution. Once the destination for a majority of Irish emigrants, later an arbiter in the peace process, and then the primary investor fueling a new Irish economy, America has a relationship with Ireland that is concurrently political, economic, and cultural. Consequently, when Irish playwrights and theatres produce work that engages with contemporary issues facing Ireland, they often use American characters as catalysts to explore specifically Irish problems. On a basic level, this study contends that American characters have emerged as an important paradigm in contemporary Irish theatre, and that these characters dynamically track the evolution of Ireland’s relationship with the United States. Further, this study demonstrates that Irish playwrights often use American characters in order to document, question, or criticize trends within contemporary Irish culture. Through the analysis of thirteen plays and their historical contexts, this work looks at both theatrical production and reception within the three major paradigms of contemporary Irish history: Emigration, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and the Celtic Tiger economy. After assessing how American characters are portrayed in Irish theatre across multiple historical contexts, it becomes clear that these characters do not exist in isolation, but instead have become an integral part of contemporary Irish theatre itself