The Sweet Fragrance of Life and other horror stories by Elizabeth Schwartz; Hoor, Sweden: Olniansky Tekst Farlag; © 2023; ISBN 9789198-721997; 47 pages in English; 66 pages in Yiddish.
SAN DIEGO – Elizabeth Schwartz is beloved in San Diego Jewish and music circles as a vocalist who sings in Yiddish and other languages, often in the company of her husband Yale Strom, an ethnomusicologist and leader of the Hot P’strom’i band.
Schwartz also is a storyteller and translator of Yiddish tales – here presented for those who read from left to right in English, and for those who read from right to left in Yiddish. Interestingly the thin book was printed in Sweden, but no Swedish version of these three harrowing stories is presented.
These are not the kind of stories that you would read to your little children, although you might be tempted by the time they are tweens to retell these stories around a nighttime campfire while using a flashlight to illuminate your face from the chin up.
One of the stories, “The Rebbe’s Prayer is Answered,” concerns a rabbi who regrets that his very loving wife is perfect in many ways except one: she is barren and as a result he will have no son to carry on his rabbinic dynasty. What he does about this situation, and the consequences, are the essence of an engaging, though horrifying, story.
The second story, from which the book title is taken, is called “The Sweet Fragrance of Life.” In a footnote, Schwartz explains that the story is “a meditation on the inter-war period in Germany.” Of course, that period was one of great contrasts: a libertine lifestyle for some contrasted with the darkness of growing Nazi power and furor, culminating in the elevation of Adolf Hitler as the chancellor of Germany.
This story does not mention the Nazis at all. Rather it concerns a teenage girl who lives in an apartment house which is serviced by an assistant janitor. He is all too happy to do the bidding of the often-cross teenager who for one reason or another dislikes her neighbors. As the neighbors begin to disappear, the girl fancies herself in love with the young man.
The third and final story is “The Jonah” concerning a female passenger who is thrown off a ship. The storms that engulfed her were not sent by God, but rather were generated by evil, antisemitic, male crewmembers.
Our imaginary 12-year-old campers will shiver in their bunks thinking about what happened after the young woman was splashed into the sea.
The English version of the book requires just 47 pages, including a Yiddish glossary for “The Rebbe’s Prayer is Answered” and a reference, following “The Jonah” to the February 1942 sinking of the Struma following it being torpedoed in the Black Sea. On the other hand, the Yiddish version required 66 pages, making one wonder if one can express ideas more concisely in English than in Yiddish.
On the eve of Comic-Con, where many graphic novels and comic books are devoted to horror, Schwartz’s unaffiliated book offers a taste of the genre for the many San Diegans and fans around the world who will remain outside the San Diego Convention Center. Comic-Con begins tonight with a media preview and continues through Sunday, July 23.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
Thanks so much for this review! For anyone interested in a copy of the book, you can find it here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1516734687/der-ziser-duft-funem-lebn-the-sweet?click_key=c77f3ea13b14a989b37aba3a908f6672eb418f53%3A1516734687&click_sum=c690ca96&ref=shop_home_active_3&crt=1