The Yiddish Book Center's

Wexler Oral History Project

A growing collection of in-depth interviews with people of all ages and backgrounds, whose stories about the legacy and changing nature of Yiddish language and culture offer a rich and complex chronicle of Jewish identity.

How Having Celia Dropkin as a Grandmother Influenced My Identity as a Writer

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Kenneth Levinson, novelist and grandson of Yiddish writer Celia Dropkin, reflects on the impact his grandmother left on his writing and his sense of identity.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Kenneth Levinson.

This excerpt is in English.

Kenneth Levinson was born in Northampton, MA in 1953.

This interview is part of the Beyond the Books: Yiddish writers and their descendants series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

Exploring the Legacy of Female Ancestors: Writing About Celia Dropkin

5 min 28 sec

"She Was Always There in the Paintings": Celia Dropkin's Presence in the Family

1 min 11 sec

Celia Dropkin's Transition From Writing in Russian to Writing in Yiddish

1 min 33 sec

Celia Dropkin's Writing Process

2 min 8 sec

The Resonance of Celia Dropkin's Writing: New Audiences in the 21st Century

3 min 9 sec

Reflections on My Jewish Identity

8 min 44 sec

"A Frieda Kahlo Figure of Poetry": The Thematic Depth of Celia Dropkin's Poetry

3 min 52 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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