Scholem Alejchem Biography

Sholom Aleichem, writing under the pseudonym Sholom Rabinovich, stands as a central figure in Yiddish literature. His narratives are distinguished by the naturalness of his characters' speech and the accuracy with which he depicted life in the shtetl. While early critics focused on the cheerfulness of his characters as a way of coping with adversity, later critics found a tragic undercurrent in his work. His writing style and use of pen names led to him being called the "Jewish Mark Twain."