Regelson, Abraham. “Manual Labor.” Trans. Yeshua G. B. Tolle. Exchanges: Journal of Literary Translation (Spring 2023)
My translation of Hebrew writer Abraham Regelson's story "Manual Labor" appears in the Spring 2023 issue of Exchanges: Journal of Literary Translation.
I decided to translate Regelson's story because I love his dense, richly complex prose. "Manual Labor," which tells the story of a teenager looking for and finding work in interwar-era New York City, has never been translated before. Like many American Hebrew writers (though he eventually moved to Israel), Regelson is a neglected figure in comparison to his achievement. My translator's note discusses some of the pressures on American Hebrew writing and Regelson's response to them in his writing.
Thanks to the editors at Exchanges for publishing my translation and for edits that improved the translation's flow. You can read the translation and my translator's note here. Check out the gorgeous original art by Brian Palmieri that accompanies the piece!
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