The Podolian Nights

Essential Tales

Nachman of Bratslav, Jordan Finkin, Adam Kirsch , Robert Adler Peckerar

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Yiddish

Pushkin Press
01 July 2025

Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Classic fiction (pre c 1945); Short stories

Nachman of Bratslav, descended from the founder of the Hasidic movement, carved a unique path as a Jewish spiritual leader. Towards the end of his life, he lost his young son, prompting him to turn increasingly inward and seek consolation from the world of the creative imagination.

The result was the thirteen fascinating tales in this collection. A landmark in Jewish literature, they depict a surreal world where princes bleed jewels and princesses sail the seas in men's clothing, leaving destruction in their wake. In a sparkling new translation, Nachman's skewed fables reveal strange and profound depths, prefiguring the modern sensibilities of Gogol and Kafka.

By: Nachman of Bratslav
Introduction by: Adam Kirsch
Translated by: Jordan Finkin, Robert Adler Peckerar
Imprint: Pushkin Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781805331230
ISBN 10: 180533123X
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 July 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

• First Tale • Of the Loss of a Princess • Second Tale • Of a King and an Emperor • Third Tale • Of a Lame Man • Fourth Tale • Of a King who Decreed the Conversion of the Jews • Fifth Tale • Of a Prince of Jewels • Sixth Tale • Of a Humble King’s Portrait • Seventh Tale • Of a King’s Journey • Eighth Tale • Of a Rabbi and his Only Son • Ninth Tale • Of a Wise Man and a Simpleton • Tenth Tale • Of a Wealthy Merchant and a Poor Man • Eleventh Tale • Of a Prince and a Handmaid’s Son • Twelfth Tale • Of a Master of Prayer • Thirteenth Tale • Of Seven Beggars

Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1811) was the great-grandson of Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. Born in the small town of Medzhybizh in Ukraine, he initially refused to carry on the family tradition of Jewish spiritual leadership. After a spiritually important trip to Israel, he returned to Ukraine and eventually moved to Bratslav. Nachman attracted many followers in his lifetime, including the young Torah scholar Nathan Sternhartz, who went on to transcribe Nachman's formal teachings, as well as the imaginative tales that make up The Podolian Nights.