Michael Wex.com"I don't want a niche - I want an empire!" - Michael Wex, Globe and Mail2010-07-27T13:00:20Zhttp://michaelwex.com/feed/atom/WordPressMichaelWexhttp://feedburner.google.comWexhttp://michaelwex.com<![CDATA[When is a slob not a slob?]]>http://michaelwex.com/?p=14692010-05-22T18:08:50Z2010-07-27T13:00:20ZWhen is a slob not a slob? is a post from: Michael Wex.com
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Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]><p><img src="http://michaelwex.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/grumpy-wex.jpg" alt="" title="grumpy-wex" width="195" height="260" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1783" />Random House, as part of their marketing for <em><a href="http://michaelwex.com/books/the-frumkiss-family-business/">The Frumkiss Family Business</a></em>, asked Wex twenty questions. These are the results. </p>
<p><strong>1. How would you summarize your book in one sentence?</strong></p>
<p>A comic look at what it means to be a Jew--or anything else--today.</p>
<p><strong>2. How long did it take you to write this book?</strong></p>
<p>Slightly over a year.</p>
<p><strong>3. Where is your favorite place to write?</strong></p>
<p>At the kitchen table.</p>
<p><strong>4. How do you choose your characters’ names?</strong></p>
<p>Not very systematically. I just wait until I get something that sounds right.</p>
<p><strong>5. How many drafts do you go through?</strong></p>
<p>About 8.</p>
<p><strong>6. If there was one book you wish you had written what would it be?</strong></p>
<p>The Bible.</p>
<p><strong>7. If your book were to become a movie, who would you like to see star in it?</strong></p>
<p>Gilbert Gottfried (Faktor), Jamie Lee Curtis (Mrs. Faktor), Oliver Platt (Randall), Eugene Levy (Earl), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Vanessa), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Rachel)</p>
<p><strong>8. What’s your favourite city in the world?</strong></p>
<p>New York</p>
<p><strong>9. If you could talk to any writer living or dead who would it be, and what would you ask?</strong></p>
<p>Samuel Beckett. "Now are you happy?"</p>
<p><strong>10. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind??</strong></p>
<p>No, never. I work in Proustian silence.</p>
<p><strong>11. Who is the first person who gets to read your manuscript?</strong></p>
<p>My wife.</p>
<p><strong>12. Do you have a guilty pleasure read?</strong></p>
<p>Not really. If something's good enough to give me pleasure, I don't feel guilty about reading it. </p>
<p><strong>13. What’s on your nightstand right now?</strong></p>
<p>Kleenex. I don't read in bed.</p>
<p><strong>14. What is the first book you remember reading?</strong></p>
<p>The Hebrew Bible with interlinear Yiddish translation.</p>
<p><strong>15. Did you always want to be a writer?</strong></p>
<p>I thought about it, but didn't do anything until I was almost thirty. </p>
<p><strong>16. What do you drink or eat while you write?</strong></p>
<p>Coffee.</p>
<p><strong>17. Typewriter, laptop, or pen & paper?</strong></p>
<p>Pen and Paper</p>
<p><strong>18. What did you do immediately after hearing that you were being published for the very first time?</strong></p>
<p>Went back to serving coffee at Timothy's. There was a long line and we weren't supposed to take personal calls. </p>
<p><strong>19. How do you decide which narrative point of view to write from?</strong></p>
<p>POV is part of the initial idea. I've never re-worked anything from first to third or third to first person. You know what feels right before you start.</p>
<p><strong>20. What is the best gift someone could give a writer?</strong></p>
<p>Cash.</p>
<p><a href="http://michaelwex.com/2010/07/20-writerly-questions-for-michael-wex/">20 writerly questions for Michael Wex</a> is a post from: <a href="http://michaelwex.com">Michael Wex.com</a></p>
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Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]><p><img src="http://michaelwex.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/moishe-200x300.jpg" alt="" title="moishe" width="200" height="300" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1463" /><strong>Every wondered where the express Moishe Kapoyr comes from? You're not alone.</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Would you be able to explain the origin of the Yiddish expression, Moishe Kapoyer, used, to the best of my knowledge, to describe someone who always appears to do things in a way diametrically opposed to they way they should be done? Thank you very much.</p></blockquote>
<p>Kapoyr means upside-down. The original Moyshe Kapoyr was<span id="more-1462"></span> a character created by the columnist B. Kovner, who had a humour column in the Forverts; Moyshe would always do exactly the opposite of what you would expect a person to do in a given situation.</p>
<p>Below are some items for sale from eBay for those of you with an interest in Yiddish.</p>
<div>
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<option selected="selected" value="US">US Auctions</option>
<option value="AU">Australian Auctions</option>
<option value="AT">Austrian Auctions</option>
<option value="BE">Belgian Auctions</option>
<option value="CA">Canadian Auctions</option>
<option value="FR">French Auctions</option>
<option value="DE">German Auctions</option>
<option value="HK">Hong Kong Auctions</option>
<option value="IN">Indian Auctions</option>
<option value="IE">Irish Auctions</option>
<option value="IT">Italian Auctions</option>
<option value="NL">Dutch Auctions</option>
<option value="PL">Polish Auctions</option>
<option value="SG">Singapore Auctions</option>
<option value="ES">Spanish Auctions</option>
<option value="CH">Swiss Auctions</option>
<option value="GB">UK Auctions</option>
</select>
</form>
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<td align="right"><script type="text/javascript">
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function Sort_yiddish(){
document.forms['sort_yiddish'].submit();
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<form name="sort_yiddish" id="sort_yiddish" method="post" action="" style="width:100%;margin:0; text-align:right;">
<select name="sortnum_yiddish" onchange="Sort_yiddish();" style="width: 170px;">
<option value="0">Best Match</option>
<option value="1" selected="selected">Time: ending soonest</option>
<option value="2">Time: newly listed</option>
<option value="3">Price: lowest first</option>
<option value="4">Price: highest first</option>
<option value="5">Price + Shipping: lowest first</option>
<option value="6">Price + Shipping: highest first</option>
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<input name="country" type="hidden" value="US" />
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<table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" bgcolor="" onmouseover="style.backgroundColor='';" onmouseout="style.backgroundColor=''" style="font-size:12px;">
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<td width="100" align="left"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/e/400076724289_0.jpg" alt="1949 ZDRAJ POLAND YIDDISH to Warszawa POSTCARD JUDAICA" border="0" /></td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word;"><a href="http://michaelwex.com/item-1949-zdraj-poland-yiddish-to-warszawa-postcard-judaica_400076724289_US.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><strong>1949 ZDRAJ POLAND YIDDISH to Warszawa POSTCARD JUDAICA</strong></a></td>
<td width="20" align="right"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/pp.gif" alt="Paypal" /></td>
<td width="60" align="right"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/0-bin.gif" alt="" /></td>
<td width="100" align="right">US $9.00</td>
<td width="80" align="right">47m </td>
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</table><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" bgcolor="" onmouseover="style.backgroundColor='';" onmouseout="style.backgroundColor=''" style="font-size:12px;">
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<td width="100" align="left"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/e/370254494755_0.jpg" alt="YIDDISH ENGLISH sermons Rabbi Herman Mantel 1948 book" border="0" /></td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word;"><a href="http://michaelwex.com/item-yiddish-english-sermons-rabbi-herman-mantel-1948-book_370254494755_US.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><strong>YIDDISH ENGLISH sermons Rabbi Herman Mantel 1948 book</strong></a></td>
<td width="20" align="right"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/pp.gif" alt="Paypal" /></td>
<td width="60" align="right"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/0-bin.gif" alt="" /></td>
<td width="100" align="right">US $9.99</td>
<td width="80" align="right">48m </td>
</tr>
</table><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" bgcolor="" onmouseover="style.backgroundColor='';" onmouseout="style.backgroundColor=''" style="font-size:12px;">
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<td width="100" align="left"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/e/300422967573_0.jpg" alt="HOLOCAUST SLONIM POLAND JEWISH COMMUNITY 1966 YIDDISH" border="0" /></td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word;"><a href="http://michaelwex.com/item-holocaust-slonim-poland-jewish-community-1966-yiddish_300422967573_US.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><strong>HOLOCAUST SLONIM POLAND JEWISH COMMUNITY 1966 YIDDISH</strong></a></td>
<td width="20" align="right"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/pp.gif" alt="Paypal" /></td>
<td width="60" align="right"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/0-bin.gif" alt="" /></td>
<td width="100" align="right">US $22.00</td>
<td width="80" align="right">1h 39m </td>
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</table><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" bgcolor="" onmouseover="style.backgroundColor='';" onmouseout="style.backgroundColor=''" style="font-size:12px;">
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<td width="100" align="left"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/e/270600432311_0.jpg" alt="VR 1950 YIDDISH Illus WARSAW Polish BOOK Fables KRYLOV" border="0" /></td>
<td style="word-wrap: break-word;"><a href="http://michaelwex.com/item-vr-1950-yiddish-illus-warsaw-polish-book-fables-krylov_270600432311_US.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><strong>VR 1950 YIDDISH Illus WARSAW Polish BOOK Fables KRYLOV</strong></a></td>
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<td width="60" align="right"><img src="http://michaelwex.com/images/0-bin.gif" alt="" /></td>
<td width="100" align="right">US $75.00</td>
<td width="80" align="right">2h 2m </td>
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</table>
<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" style="background-color:#eaeaea">
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<p><a href="http://michaelwex.com/2010/07/moishe-kapoyr/">Moishe Kapoyr</a> is a post from: <a href="http://michaelwex.com">Michael Wex.com</a></p>
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<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/YdgESCf6SYZN9-pI-1lLYfuZ_nQ/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/YdgESCf6SYZN9-pI-1lLYfuZ_nQ/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>0Marillahttp://michaelwex.com<![CDATA[Frumkiss Family Business tour dates announced]]>http://michaelwex.com/?p=17662010-07-18T18:37:14Z2010-07-19T09:00:37ZFrumkiss Family Business tour dates announced is a post from: Michael Wex.com
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Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]><p><a href="http://michaelwex.com/books/the-frumkiss-family-business/"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1767" title="the-frumkiss-family-business-cover" src="http://michaelwex.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/the-frumkiss-family-business-cover.jpg" alt="" width="357" height="357" /></a><strong>Wex's new novel <a href="http://michaelwex.com/books/the-frumkiss-family-business/"><em>The Frumkiss Family Business</em></a> comes out on August 24th - just over a month away!</strong></p>
<p>We have now finalized the tour dates for the Autumn on the <a href="http://michaelwex.com/events/">Events page</a> - Wex is particularly thrilled to be invited to the International Festival of Authors this year. </p>
<p>You will notice that all of Michael's appearances are confined to Canada since <a href="http://michaelwex.com/books/the-frumkiss-family-business/"><em>Frumkiss</em></a> is being published by Knopf in Canada first. We are hoping that the novel will get picked up by a US publisher soon. However it is available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307397769?ie=UTF8&tag=michaelwex-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307397769">Amazon.com</a> and if you can't get to any of the Canadian gigs Wex has lined up perhaps you can come and visit him in New York at Christmas when we will both be teaching at Klezkamp - again, details are on the <a href="http://michaelwex.com/events/">Events page</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://michaelwex.com/2010/07/frumkiss-family-business-tour-dates-announced/">Frumkiss Family Business tour dates announced</a> is a post from: <a href="http://michaelwex.com">Michael Wex.com</a></p>
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<li><a href='http://michaelwex.com/2009/08/new-events-lined-up-for-the-autumn/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: New events lined up for the Autumn'>New events lined up for the Autumn</a> <small>We've just added the Autumn dates for Wex's book tour...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://michaelwex.com/2009/09/new-toronto-book-tour-date-added/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: New Toronto book tour date added!'>New Toronto book tour date added!</a> <small>Wex will be appearing at the new McNally Robinson store...</small></li>
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Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]><p><img src="http://michaelwex.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jewish-wedding1.jpg" alt="" title="jewish wedding" width="250" height="261" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1103" />A little more on weddings.</p>
<p>If someone complains about <i>tantsn af tsvey khasenes (mit eyn por fis)</i>, “dancing at two weddings (with one pair of legs),” they’re saying that they can’t do two things or be in two places at once. You can talk about <i>tantsn af fremde khasenes</i>, “dancing at other people’s weddings.” This has less to do with party-crashing than with devoting yourself to someone who isn’t really anything to you, while ignoring your own nearest and dearest: “<i>Af fremde khasenes tantst er</i>, but to take his own boy to the father-son banquet, for this he has no time.”<span id="more-1101"></span></p>
<p>We’ve seen that making a <i>khasene</i>, a wedding, can also mean to destroy or ruin something and that the person who <i>makht khasene</i> a person or thing can be said to make it <i>kale</i>, a word that means “ruined” and looks exactly like the word that means “bride.” Worse, the plural of the <i>kale</i> that means “bride”–– <i>kales</i>––sounds the same as the feminine plural of <i>kal</i>, defined by Alexander Harkavy as a “loose fellow.” His female counterpart is a <i>kale</i>. Hence the slightly off-color saying, <i>ale meydlekh zenen kales</i>, which should mean that every girl is a potential bride, but is really saying that they’re all “light-minded females of questionable moral worth.” I once ran across an all-girl klezmer band called <i>Di Kales</i> who thought they were “The Brides¸” but were hip enough to be happy that their younger Yiddish-speaking fans were flocking to see “The Scatterbrained Tarts.”</p>
<p><a href="http://michaelwex.com/2010/07/more-wedding-idioms-in-yiddish/">More wedding idioms in Yiddish</a> is a post from: <a href="http://michaelwex.com">Michael Wex.com</a></p>
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