Last week, Booknik learned that books do not necessarily have to be on paper, and visited Spain, yet he did not see a bullfight; he also arranged the best study in the world for himself, read some Agnon in his spare time, mastered a prestigious trade, and caught a “golden carp.” Meanwhile, Booknik Jr. failed to become a member of the Hadassah but learned French.

What Our Nets Have Brought
Booknik tell you what to read in electronic libraries. There are five new books for all tastes, from the 20th century underground classics and non-fiction works, to the publications of a human rights foundation, and mystic crime novels.

The Man of Classical Tradition
The Integral Feeling. A Poetry Collection, by Mikhail Tsetlin (Amari)
Booknik’s contributor Mikhail Yefimov who is on lease from the Lechaim magazine introduces us to the works of the less known author Mikhail Tsetlin. The poet’s long-standing submergence into the history of Decembrists and the wider history of Russian culture does not negate the fact that Tsetlin and other people of his circle have remained a significant part of the Russian Jewry. In Tsetlin’s poetic world, there is a modicum of specific Jewish themes that naturally interweave with the classical tradition Tsetlin belonged to.

…and many other redoubtable readings in the Books & Reviews section.

Jewish Zaragoza
Nine hundred years ago, the Jewish community of Zaragoza prospered. There were two Jewish quarters in the city. In addition, the city can be proud of the fact that the first blood libel in history happened here in 1250. Booknik’s roaming photographer Ariel Bulstein offers you glimpses of the city you might enjoy without leaving your armchairs in front of your computer monitors.

…and many other trying travels in the Events & Reports section.

 

The Study of My Dreams
Booknik’s Israeli kibbutz resident Elisha Zinde has finally built himself a study he would use from now on to communicate with the ground control editorial offices and you, our readers. “I do not have a fish tank with sea water in it. What I have is a branch of the fresh Jordan River where turtles live. From time to time, they climb up the bank to warm themselves in the sun. Ducks also used to live here but something drew them to Russia, and they left. There are porcupines and mongooses in the bank thickets. Turtledoves and kingfishers fly around in my new study, accompanied by swallows, sandpipers, sunbirds, and green parrots. They also sing, live. No hi-end stereo could compete with this living sound.”

…and many other recursive reconstructions in the Columns & Columns section.

 

To This Day, by Shmuel Yosef Agnon
The Text:Knizhniki Publishers have published the Russian translation of one of the last novels by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, To This Day. The translators Rafail Nudelman and Alla Furman have already introduced Russian readers to many books by Meir Shalev, and now they present the Jewish classic you might have never guessed could be like this. Booknik is proud to reprint an excerpt of the first chapter.

…and many other replete republications in the Stories & Essays section.

 

Hebrarium, the Lexicon of Jewish Whatnots: Yu
Who saved the Jews from the Assyrians? What Jewish trade our video wizard Kirill Chichayev would like to master? Whom do the Jews laugh at? Watch our Hebrarium and learn all this and more.

The Yiddish Fest 2012: The Golden Carp
The first tune was composed by the Kharkov Klezmer Band member Yury Khainson (accordion), and is called A Yiddische Jenka. The Golden Carp is the song by another band member, Gennady Fomin (clarinet), and it tells of the real-life events that happened to him in summer of 2011, at the banks of an unknown river. The carp is not to be envied but the audience got lucky.

…and many other tuneful tunas in the Video Blog section.

 

A Glance Back
Alim Shealu Min HaEfer, by Sarah Beinhorn (Klein)
On April 19, at ten o’clock in the morning, in all Israeli cities there sounded a siren commemorating the Jews who had died in the Shoah. Booknik Jr. now publishes the introduction to the book Leaves Resurrected from Ashes by Sarah Beinhorn (Klein) who tells about her childhood years, the Jewish community of Mukachevo, the terrible time in concentration camps, and how she survived it, and lived in Sweden and Cyprus after the liberation.

The Historettes of Bernard Friot. The First Time in Russian
What should junior school kids read who study French? Bernard Friot, naturellement. His mini stories are laconic, elegant, paradoxical, and they read on the fly, as all good literature for children should. He can be very funny, too, and he understands kids’ logic really well. Moreover, he mixes magic and mundane in his books in a really good proportion.

What Is Hadassah?
Hadassah is a medical center and hospital with a synagogue decorated with stained glass windows created by the famous artist Marc Chagall. It is also a huge university where they teach how to be doctors, nurses, paramedics, and lab technicians. It is also a Jewish female name. Hadassah is also known as Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim events. The women’s Zionist organization was named after her in 1912. The organization aimed to assist in restoring medical health in the Land of Israel.

…and many other medical mediators at Booknik Jr., also known as Family Booknik, our own web site for kids and their parents.

 

Don't be bitter. It leads to Botox. Booknik and Family Booknik are supported by the AVI CHAI Foundation.