Early Modern Hebrew Literature in Translation from Yiddish and German

Around 1800, when Hebrew existed primarily as the language of Jewish prayer and commentary, innovative authors charted a route to colloquial Hebrew speech. European literature was also shifting, in the Romantic period, away from “poetic diction” and toward oral-style language. In the spirit of the times, Nathan Sternharz and Mendel Lefin embodied a new trend in Hebrew writing : in translation from Yiddish and German. Drawing from the author’s book Travels in Translation, the article shows that narratives of sea travelers contributed to the rise of modern Hebrew.