Who comes to mind when you think of friendships in Yiddish literature? Perhaps the epistolary friendship of writers Chava Rosenfarb and Blume Lempel, or the lifelong friendship of cultural activists Sh. An-sky and Chaim Zhitlowsky? Or maybe you think of the youthful camaraderie of literary groups like the Khalyastre or di Yunge. Within the fictional worlds of Yiddish we can see the story-telling relationship between Sholem Aleichem and Tevye as a friendship, as well as the complicated friendship built on a secret between Yentl and Avigdor in Singer’s classic tale.
This year, the Yiddish Book Center’s Yiddish in Translation Series is seeking new translations of short works of Yiddish literature on the theme of friendship. We’re thinking about frayntshaft, khavershaft, and khavruse as different terms for relationships that may or may not be romantic, political, or based in learning; they may be homosocial or heterosocial, normative or queer; but they are all that special something based in shared experiences. Friendships often receive less attention in song and story than romantic or familial relationships. What stories of friends exist in Yiddish literature that should be shared in English translation? Send us your frenemies, your will-they-won’t-theys, your comrades, and your besties.
Translations may be of any genre: short story, poetry, essay, memoir, drama, etc. Prose submissions should be under 4,000 words. Translators may submit up to 3 poems. The honorarium for prose is $100, regardless of length; the honorarium for poetry is $50 per poem. Translators are invited to submit a brief introduction to the work (max. 250 words), as well as a short biographical statement about themselves and the author (max. 100 words each). Please note that translators are responsible for securing the rights to translate the work and to publish their translation. Translations should not have been published previously.
Accepted translations will be published on the Yiddish in Translation page of the Yiddish Book Center’s website throughout 2025.
The deadline for submissions has passed. Sign up here to receive updates on the Yiddish in Translation Series.