From the Buenos Aires abridged publication, 1961.
Publication History by Rachel K. Fischer
While some scholars consider the complete Tevye the Dairyman, a novel, most consider this to be a collection of short stories. Short stories about the character were written and published in periodicals between 1894 and 1916. Because these works are considered short stories, various editions of the different stories about this character have been published in volumes by other names. Publishers continue to print these stories in English to this day.
Because European Jews have dispersed to countries around the world, Sholom Aleichem's works have been published in the Yiddish language in many different countries. The complete Tevye the Dairyman was first published in Yiddish in New York in 1912. In 1918, a 28 volume set of the complete works of Sholom Aleichem was published, in Yiddish in New York. The Complete Tevye the Dairyman was volume 5. The entire book is located in Google Books and can be downloaded for free.
This work has also been published in other countries in Yiddish, such as Russia, Mexico, and Argentina. It is usually published without illustrations. Some editions have been published with different spellings, i.e. milkhiker instead of milkhiger. In 1961, an abridged and illustrated edition was published in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the use in Yiddish schools. The illustrations were by more than one artist and in different styles. Because research has to be done in Yiddish on some websites, it can be difficult to get the exact number of editions in Yiddish that have been published. The Yivo Institute appears to have 14 editions of books that include stories of Tevye in its holdings. Additionally, the Yiddish Book Center has a large amount of Yiddish editions of Sholom Aleichem's works.
While some scholars consider the complete Tevye the Dairyman, a novel, most consider this to be a collection of short stories. Short stories about the character were written and published in periodicals between 1894 and 1916. Because these works are considered short stories, various editions of the different stories about this character have been published in volumes by other names. Publishers continue to print these stories in English to this day.
Because European Jews have dispersed to countries around the world, Sholom Aleichem's works have been published in the Yiddish language in many different countries. The complete Tevye the Dairyman was first published in Yiddish in New York in 1912. In 1918, a 28 volume set of the complete works of Sholom Aleichem was published, in Yiddish in New York. The Complete Tevye the Dairyman was volume 5. The entire book is located in Google Books and can be downloaded for free.
This work has also been published in other countries in Yiddish, such as Russia, Mexico, and Argentina. It is usually published without illustrations. Some editions have been published with different spellings, i.e. milkhiker instead of milkhiger. In 1961, an abridged and illustrated edition was published in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the use in Yiddish schools. The illustrations were by more than one artist and in different styles. Because research has to be done in Yiddish on some websites, it can be difficult to get the exact number of editions in Yiddish that have been published. The Yivo Institute appears to have 14 editions of books that include stories of Tevye in its holdings. Additionally, the Yiddish Book Center has a large amount of Yiddish editions of Sholom Aleichem's works.
Tevye the Dairyman
and the Railroad Stories, 1996
Sholom Aleichem's works have been translated into all European languages, as well as, Turkish, Japanese, Chinese, and Indonesian. His writing was first translated into English to be published in periodicals, like The New York World. The first English edition of his writing was published in book format in 1926. An index of all of Sholom Aleichem's writing and the English translations is located at: http://yiddish.haifa.ac.il/SholAley/indices.pdf. Using the current edition of Tevye and the Dairyman in Tevye the Dairyman and the Railroad Stories, one can use this index to look up the title of each chapter, for a listing of other editions that the short stories have been published in. Many of the stories have been published individually in different anthologies. The Tevye Stories and Others was first published in 1949. Tevye's Daughters was first published in 1949, as well. These stories, including many more stories about Tevye that were not published in The Complete Tevye the Dairyman have been published in the following editions: The Best of Sholom Aleichem, Tevye the Dairyman and the Railroad Stories, The Three Great Classic Yiddish Writers of Modern Yiddish Literature, The Old Country, Tevye's Daughters, Selected Stories of Sholem Aleichem, A Treasury of Yiddish Stories, Great Jewish Short Stories, and Favorite Tales of Sholom Aleichem. Additional images of some of these books are located at the bottom of this page. Sholem Aleykhem's Tevye the Dairyman is one of the few illustrated editions. It was published in 1994. The illustrations are by Manuel Bennett.
Krakow Jewish Theater Poster
The timeless legacy of Sholom Aleichem's writing is really due to the musical adaptation "Fiddler on the Roof". This was not the first adaptation of Sholom Aleichem's works for theater and film. Tevye the Dairyman was first adapted for theater in 1914. The image of this theater poster from Krakow is the only advertisement that can be found. This is from a play titled Tevye der Milkhiker. A silent film titled "Khave" was produced in the United States by Charles Davenport in 1919. This was based on the story of one of Tevye's daughters. On May 24, 1920, the "Boston Herald" published an article on the occasion of "Tovye der Milchiger" being performed, in Yiddish, at the Boston Opera House for the first time. The article summarizes the plot and reviews the actors' performance. In 1938, a full length movie titled "Tevye" was filmed in Yiddish in New York. Although Yiddish is a dying language now, the Yiddish theater industry thrived in the United States in the early 20th century. In the 1960s, some of the stories from Tevye the Dairyman and Tevye's Daughters were adapted for the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". The playwright was John Stein. The composer was Jerry Bock, and the lyricist was Sheldon Harnick. It was first performed in 1964. The movie was produced in 1971. The theme of the fiddler on the roof was not Sholom Aleichem's idea, but actually was based on a painting by Marc Chagall. The movie starred Chaim Topol as Tevye. The songs from this musical were so popular that many major musicians have performed them on stage. Parodies of these songs have been performed by the Muppets in a Monsterpiece Theater segment for Sesame Street, and most recently by Gwen Stefani. More information can be found on the "Legacy" page.
English Editions of the Works by Sholom Aleichem
- Jewish Children, translated from Yiddish by Hannah Berman, Knopf (New York, NY), 1926.
- The Old Country, translated from Yiddish by Julius and Frances Butwin, Crown (New York, NY), 1946.
- Inside Kasrilevke, Schocken Books (New York, NY), 1948.
- Tevye's Daughters, translated from Yiddish by Frances Butwin, Crown (New York, NY), 1949.
- Wandering Star, translated by Frances Butwin, Crown (New York, NY), 1952.
- Adventures of Mottel, the Cantor's Son, translated from Yiddish by Tamara Kahana, Schuman (New York, NY), 1953.
- Selected Stories of Sholom Aleichem, Modern Library (New York, NY), 1954.
- The Great Fair: Scenes from my Childhood, translated from Yiddish by Tamara Kahana, Noonday Press (New York, NY), 1955.
- Stories and Satires, translated from Yiddish by Curt Leviant, Yoseloff (New York, NY), 1959.
- Old Country Tales, translated from Yiddish by Curt Leviant, Putnam (New York, NY), 1966.
- Some Laughter, Some Tears: Tales from the Old World and the New, translated from Yiddish by Curt Leviant, Putnam (New York, NY), 1968.
- The Adventures of Menahem-Mendl, translated from Yiddish by Tamara Kahana, Putnam (New York, NY), 1969.
- The Best of Sholom Aleichem, edited by Irving Howe and Ruth R. Wisse, Weidenfeld and Nicolson (London, England), 1979.
- Holiday Tales of Sholom Aleichem, translated from Yiddish by Aliza Shevrin, Scribner (New York, NY), 1979.
- Marienbad, translated from Yiddish by Aliza Shevrin, Putnam (New York, NY), 1982.
- Favorite Tales of Sholom Aleichem, translated from Yiddish by Julius and Frances Butwin, Avenel Books (New York, NY), 1983.
- In the Storm, translated from Yiddish by Aliza Shevrin, Putnam (New York, NY), 1984.
- Why do the Jews Need a Land of their Own?, translated from Yiddish and Hebrew by Joseph Leftwich and Mordecai S. Chertoff, Cornwall Books (New York, NY), 1984.
- From the Fair: The Autobiography of Sholom Aleichem, translated from Yiddish and edited by Curt Leviant, Viking (New York, NY), 1985.
- Memoirs, Viking (New York, NY), 1985.
- The Nightingale, or, The Saga of Yosele Solovey the Cantor, translated from Yiddish by Aliza Shevrin, Putnam (New York, NY), 1985.
- Tevye the Dairyman, and The Railroad Stories, translated from Yiddish by Hillel Halkin, Schocken Books (New York, NY), 1987.
- Around the Table: Family Stories of Sholom Aleichem, selected and translated from Yiddish by Aliza Shevrin, Scribner (New York, NY); Maxwell Macmillan International (New York, NY); Maxwell Macmillan Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1991.
- The Bloody Hoax, translated from Yiddish by Aliza Shevrin, Indiana University Press (Bloomington, IN), 1991.
- A Treasury of Sholom Aleichem Children's Stories, translated by Aliza Shevrin, Jason Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1996.
- Happy New Year! And Other Stories, translated from Yiddish and edited by Curt Leviant, Dover Publications (Mineola, NY), 2000.
- My First Love Affair and Other Stories, translated from Yiddish by Curt Leviant, Dover Publications (Mineola, NY), 2002.