I recently read a collection of
found so amusing I could hard-
stories called When Schlemiel
ly communicate them without
Went to Warsaw and Other Stor-
stopping to laugh along the
ies, by Isaac Bashevis Singer. It
way – only to have my audien-
At the
Library
is a combination of stories writ-
ce stare at me in pity or disbe-
ten by Singer and stories he re-
lief.
membered being told. True to
But it was an interesting
By Julie Winkelstein
June 10, 2005
my recent reading habits, this is
day and one presenter in partic-
a children’s book – in fact, it is a
ular left a lasting impression on
“At the end Vera saw
Antonin looking seriously at the fort.
‘So serious after such
a triumph?’ she asked.
‘I’m thinking how
funny it is to be happy
at a time like this.’
‘What better time is
there to be happy?’
He looked at her and
he knew the truth.”
Newbury Honor book. But it is
me. This man, whose name I
– like many children’s books –
have forgotten, described the
well worth reading for adults.
use of humor in concentration
-From The Last Butterfly
by Michael Jacot, after
Antonin performs for
Jewish children in a
concentration camp;
quoted in Laughter in
Hell, by Steve Lipman
The stories are humorous
camps and in Jewish commun-
and some of them really made
ities. He also told us a humor-
me
is
ous story about an older Jewish
“Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the
couple during World War II. I
Miser,” in which Lyzer’s greed
will never forget that story –
costs him dearly. These stories
which was very funny – or the
reminded me of a workshop on
way it made me examine the
humor I attended several years
use of laughter in situations as
ago. In the course of that day,
grim as those experienced dur-
authors and storytellers dis-
ing that war.
laugh.
My
favorite
cussed the use of humor and
Since the Singer book re-
tried to analyze what makes
minded me about this partic-
something funny.
ular story, I decided to see if I
This is a challenging
could find a record of it some-
task, since there are so many
where. I searched the Internet
different kinds of humor - a
and a few databases, and finally
funny story for one person can
found
leave another simply bemused.
through LinkPlus - that won-
I know I have told stories I
derful resource which allows
a
possible
source
continued on page 2
“At the Library” – June 10, 2005 – page 2
public libraries access to univer-
ular today. The Lemony Snicket
sity and college library book
books, which are full of catas-
collection. This book, by Steve
trophes, and the Roald Dahl
Lipman, is called Laughter in
books, in which imperfect peo-
Hell: The Use of Humor during the
ple meet perfect ends, seem to
Holocaust, and it turned out to
exert the same kind of power.
be just what I was looking for.
Bad things happen to good and
Not only does it have the
bad people, and finding the
story I was seeking, but also
humor in that truism helps
many other stories and jokes, all
readers and listeners of all ages
put into an historical perspec-
cope with the uncontrollable.
tive. It is a funny, sad, poignant,
and thorough look at history
and humor, from the beginning
of the war to the years following it. There are jokes and stories
about
Hitler,
Goebbels,
Goering and others, as well as
insight into the daily lives of
Jews during that time. As Lipman says: “Jews wielded language as a weapon from the first
days of Hitler’s rule until his
defeat in a Berlin bunker – in
jokes, puns, rhymes, and wordplay” (page 141).
It is fascinating to juxtapose this book with some of the
children’s literature that is pop-
Julie Winkelstein is the Children’s Librarian of the Albany Library in Albany, California. Her column, “At the
Library,” is published weekly in the West County Times, the Journal, and other San Francisco Bay Area
newspapers. You can reach her at [email protected] or at the Albany Library, 510-526-3720, Ext. 17