This volume features essays on writing from the period of the Holocaust (1939-1945) as well as from its aftermath. The essays cover a wide geographic, linguistic, thematic and generic range of relevant material. Such a volume is warranted for several reasons. First, at the present juncture, the corpus of Holocaust literature has grown to immense proportions (indeed, it was formidable even during the war period). Students and teachers seek guidance in determining a canon of essential readings, a context to interpret them, and a paradigm for the evolution of writing on the Holocaust. Second, many readers lack the skills to negotiate the writings in the original languages, and need help in understanding how language (especially but not only Yiddish and Hebrew) is important to the literary response.
