Between Sky and Sea
 First English edition | |
| Author | Herz Bergner |
|---|---|
| Original title | Zwishn Himl un Waser |
| Translator | Judah Waten |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Dolphin Publications |
Publication date | 1946 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 169 pp. |
Between Sky and Sea is a novel by Polish-born Australian writer Herz Bergner.[1]
The novel was originally published in serial form in Jewish Youth magazine between August and October 1946. It was then published in 1946 by Dolphin Publications, translated from Yiddish to English by Judah Waten. This Dolphin Publications edition contained a foreword by Vance Palmer and illustrations by V. G. O'Connor.[2]
Synopsis
[edit]The novel concerns a group of Jewish refugees sailing for Australia on a dilapidated Greek tramp steamer just before World War II. Conditions on board the ship are terrible and are made even worse when a tyhpus outbreak occurs.
Publication history
[edit]After the novel's initial serialisation in Yiddish, and then translation for the Dolphin Publication's edition in 1946[1] it was later republished as follows:
- Text Publishing, 2010[3]
- Text Publishing, 2016[4]
Critical reception
[edit]Writing about the 2010 edition in Australian Book review reviewer Richard Freadman hailed "Bergner’s mastery of narrative point of view" which enabled him to bring "his characters so vividly to life while at the same time tracking the group’s fragile dynamics, its oscillating moods and shifting patterns of conflict and alignment."[5]
In his review of the same edition in The Weekend Australian Alan Gold found it to be "Beautifully written with extraordinary insight into the frailties of humanity".[6]
Award
[edit]The novel received the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal in 1948.[7]
Notes
[edit]- Arnold Zable wrote a foreword to the 2010 Text Publishing edition. An excerpt of this foreword was published by The Age.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Between Sky and Sea by Herz Bergner (Dolphin)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Between Sea and Sky by Herz Bergner". Austlit. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Between Sky and Sea by Herz Bergner (Text 2010)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Between Sky and Sea by Herz Bergner (Text 2016)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ ""Between Sky and Sea by Herz Bergner"". Australian Book Review, November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Hope and survival by Alan Gold"". Weekend Australian, 26 June 2010, p28. ProQuest 519653824. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Wins medal for book". The News. Vol. 51, no. 7, 912. South Australia. 13 December 1948. p. 4. Retrieved 17 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ""Between hope and damnation: ASYLUM by Arnold Zable"". The Age, 29 May 2010, p19. ProQuest 346965656. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
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