Publisher Description
In the folklore of Eastern European Jewry, a dybbuk is a wandering soul that comes to rest in the body of a living person. In this case, the dybbuk is an impoverished student that possesses a young bride on her wedding day. She is taken to a great Chassidic rabbi for exorcism. But before he can expel the spirit, the sage must discover who the dybbuk was in life, why he has possessed the maiden, and most importantly, how to balance the scales of cosmic justice.
Part folk tale, part love story, and part allegory, The Dybbuk re-creates the atmosphere of a bygone era, with all its rich humor, music, folkways, magic, and humanity. This Audie Award–winning production by the Hollywood Theater of the Ear, the only sound recording of this revered play in the English language, was made possible in part by a grant from Steven Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation.
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“Exorcism, mysticism and superstition prevail as this drama of eastern Europe.”
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Audiofile
About the Authors
S. Ansky, Shloyme-Zanvel Rappaport (1863–1920), who wrote under the name Semyon Akimovich Ansky, was born in Belarus to a traditional, Yiddish-speaking Jewish family. He became a populist activist, ethnographer, and author of fiction, poetry, and drama in Yiddish and Russian. From 1911 to 1914, he traveled through villages as head of a Jewish ethnographic expedition. A story he heard during his researches became the foundation for his famous play, The Dybbuk.
Yuri Rasovsky (1944–2012) won wide critical acclaim during his forty-year career as an audio dramatist, writer, producer, and director. His numerous honors included two Peabody Awards, nine Audie Awards, and a Grammy. In 2011, his production for Blackstone, The Mark of Zorro, was nominated for a Grammy. His final production for Blackstone was Die, Snow White! Die, Damn You! He has left behind an incredible legacy.
About a full cast
Gabra Zackman is an actress, author, and narrator who has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards. She was educated at Northwestern University. A classically trained actress, she has appeared in theaters all over the country as well as on film and television.