Spanglish is a creative way also of saying, 'I am an American, and I have my own style, my own taste, my own tongue.' Ilan Stavans americancreativespanglish Change image and share on social
My hope is that 'The New World Haggadah' will open a new world for readers who will see our heritage through a multilingual prism. I wanted to feature medieval and renaissance authors, resistance in World War II, crypto-Jews and activists during the Dirty War in Latin America, songs of protest, and songs of hope. Ilan Stavans activistamericaauthor share on social
American Jews are no longer a homogenous minority; we come in all colors and from all corners of the world. Ilan Stavans americancolorcorner Change image and share on social
In 2009, I edited, under the aegis of the Library of America, an anthology called 'Becoming Americans: Immigrants Tell Their Stories from Jamestown to Today.' It featured immigrants from different backgrounds, from black slaves like Phillis Wheatley to Yiddish-language speakers like Henry Roth. Ilan Stavans aegisamericaamerican share on social
Disinterring famous people has become a kind of sport in the Hispanic world. Before Cervantes, it happened to Evita, Che Guevara, Federico Garcia Lorca, and Pablo Neruda. Ilan Stavans cervantechedisinter Change image and share on social
Yiddish, originally, in Eastern Europe was considered the language of children, of the illiterate, of women. And 500 years later, by the 19th century, by the 18th century, writers realized that, in order to communicate with the masses, they could no longer write in Hebrew. They needed to write in Yiddish, the language of the population. Ilan Stavans 18th19thcentury share on social
The running joke about the Premio Cervantes, the most coveted literary prize in the Spanish-speaking world, which was established by Spain's Ministry of Culture in 1976, is that Cervantes himself wouldn't have received it. This is because he was, in his heart, the most anti-Spanish of Spanish writers. Ilan Stavans anticervantecovet share on social
Cervantes married in 1584, when he was thirty-seven and Catalina was nineteen. The marriage lasted thirty years, but Cervantes may have spent only about half of them with his wife. Ilan Stavans catalinacervantehalf Change image and share on social
Two prominent terms, 'Latino' and 'Hispanic,' refer to people living in the United States who have roots in Latin America, Spain, Mexico, South America, or Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries. Ilan Stavans americacaribbeancountry Change image and share on social
'The New World Haggadah' is meant for American Jews in the 21st century. Ilan Stavans 21stamericancentury Change image and share on social