The Prose Poems of Avrom Sutzkever
Tuition: $480 | YIVO members: $375**
Students: $240 (Must register with valid university email address)
This is a live, online course held weekly on Zoom. Enrollment will be capped at about 15 students. All course details (Zoom link, syllabus, handouts, assignments, etc.) will be posted to Canvas. Students will be granted access to the class on Canvas after registering for the class here on the YIVO website. This class will be conducted in Yiddish and English.
Instructor: Shane Baker
Who should take this course?
This course is appropriate for Yiddish students at the intermediate level and above.
Course Description:
Renowned for his Yiddish poetry and songs, writer and partisan of the Vilna Ghetto Avrom Sutzkever also published several short story collections which have received relatively little critical attention, and yet these stories are as rich and rewarding as his poetry and no less poetic. Having made a study of Sutzkever’s prose which resulted in the production of a theatrical evening dedicated to these tales, Shane Baker will guide you through selected stories, examining the deep historical and cultural contexts that inform them and highlighting their unique literary and stylistic achievements.
The materials will be provided in Yiddish and, where possible, in English translation as well. The language of instruction and class discussion will be a combination of English and Yiddish.
Is knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet required?
Yes, knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet is required.
Course Materials:
All course materials will be provided digitally on Canvas.
Questions? Read our 2025 Fall Classes FAQ.
Shane Baker serves as Executive Director of the Congress for Jewish Culture, a Yiddish arts organization based in New York. His Yiddish translation of Waiting for Godot, in which he also played Vladimir, has played Off-Broadway and internationally to critical acclaim. In 2020, he received the Adrienne Cooper Dreaming in Yiddish Award.
**Become a member today, starting at $54 for one year, and pay the member price for classes! You’ll save on tuition for this course and more on future classes and public programs tickets.