The Quest to Publish a Lost Yiddish Masterpiece

For decades, Altie Karper, a dedicated editor at Knopf, had been waiting for the call that would change everything. Her mission was to publish an English translation of Chaim Grade’s final, unfinished novel, Sons and Daughters, a work many believed to be the last great Yiddish novel. Grade, a towering figure in 20th-century Yiddish literature, was less famous than Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer but held a special reverence among literary purists. His novel, written over the 1960s and 1970s, was serialized in Yiddish newspapers but never finalized before his death in 1982. The manuscript’s fate became a mystery, tangled in the eccentricities of his widow, Inna Hecker Grade, who controlled his papers and thwarted efforts to publish the book. Karper took on the project in 2007, but progress was elusive—until 2014, when Jonathan Brent of the YIVO Institute delivered the news she had been waiting for: the missing pages had been found.

The Long Journey to Publication

The discovery of Grade’s manuscript was nothing short of miraculous. After Inna’s death in 2010, her estate—a chaotic trove of 20,000 books, manuscripts, and letters—was handed over to YIVO and the National Library of Israel. Miriam Trinh, a scholar, finally located the elusive galleys in 2014, tucked into a plain manila envelope. The excitement was palpable; in the small, passionate world of Yiddish literature, this was akin to uncovering a lost Hemingway manuscript. Karper, who called the novel the “Holy Grail,” retired in 2022, but her work ensured the project’s continuation. Rose Waldman, a skilled translator steeped in Yiddish culture, spent eight years translating the text, interrupted by life’s challenges. The final product, a 649-page masterpiece, was edited over two more years before its publication in March 2023. For all involved, this was more than a book—it was a cultural treasure.

Chaim Grade’s Legacy and the Novel’s Timeless Themes

GRADE: A LIFE DEDICATED TO STORYTELLING

Chaim Grade, born in 1910 in Vilna, Lithuania, grew up in a city teeming with Jewish intellectual life. His early years were marked by rigorous yeshiva study and a passion for poetry, which led him to co-found Yung Vilne, a group of avant-garde artists. His life took a tragic turn during World War II; his wife and mother perished in the Holocaust, while Grade escaped to Russia, where he later married Inna. The couple immigrated to the United States in 1948, settling in the Bronx. There, Grade wrote prolifically about the vanished world of Eastern European Jewry, earning acclaim from figures like Elie Wiesel, who hailed him as one of the greatest Yiddish novelists. Sons and Daughters is his magnum opus, a sweeping exploration of faith, identity, and the unraveling of tradition in the years between the two World Wars.

The Novel’s World and Its Universal Appeal

Sons and Daughters tells the story of Rabbi Sholem Shachne Katzenellenbogen, an Orthodox rabbi in the fictional Lithuanian shtetl of Morehdalye. His children, drawn to the freedoms of modern life, drift away from the traditions he holds sacred. Their journeys—to entrepreneurial success, Zionist pioneering, or cultural exploration in America—reflect the broader tensions of Jewish identity in a rapidly changing world. While the novel’s premise may evoke the humor of Sholem Aleichem’s tales (familiar to many from Fiddler on the Roof), Grade’s tone is darker, more profound. As Todd Portnowitz, who took over editing from Karper, noted, the novel is “Tolstoyan in scope,” capturing the intricate layers of religious, economic, and cultural life in a bygone era. Grade’s prose is unadorned yet evocative, weaving vivid descriptions of landscapes and characters with a nuanced blend of warmth and wry humor.

The Translator’s Challenge and the Novel’s Incomplete Ending

Rose Waldman, the translator, faced a unique challenge in bringing Sons and Daughters to life. A native Yiddish speaker from Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, Waldman had previously translated works by S. Ansky and I.L. Peretz. Yet, Grade’s novel presented a particular difficulty: it didn’t end. The galleys cut off abruptly, leaving Waldman and editors scrambling to piece together the intended conclusion. A breakthrough came when a graduate student in Tel Aviv discovered correspondence indicating that the galley was only the first volume of a two-volume work. Using newspaper installments, Waldman reconstructed the second volume, though the novel still feels incomplete. In a poignant translator’s note, Waldman includes fragments of Grade’s attempted ending, offering readers a glimpse of what might have been. Despite its lack of closure, Sons and Daughters remains a triumphant achievement.

A Celebration of Yiddish Culture and a Testament to Perseverance

The publication of Sons and Daughters is more than a literary milestone; it’s a testament to the enduring legacy of Yiddish culture. Karper, Waldman, and the team at Knopf have ensured that Grade’s masterwork will resonate with readers today, offering insights into the struggles and aspirations of a generation. As Jonathan Brent observed, the novel distills conflicts that still resonate within the Jewish community—between tradition and modernity, faith and secularism. Grade, who once said he felt saved from the Holocaust to document this lost world, would have been proud. His novel, like its publication journey, is a story of resilience, a reminder that even the most hidden treasures can find their way to light with patience and dedication.