"I don't want a niche – I want an empire!" – Michael Wex, Globe and Mail
So where does the word zhlob come from?
What is the translation of the Yiddish word "Zlob" . When my father used it on me I understood it to mean something like slob. However the accompanying intonation and facial expression made it seem worse than simply a slob. Are there regional variations in meaning?
While similarity in sound has led to "zhlob" being used as a version of the English "slob" (as you... Read more here
Random House, as part of their marketing for The Frumkiss Family Business, asked Wex twenty questions. These are the results.
1. How would you summarize your book in one sentence?
A comic look at what it means to be a Jew--or anything else--today.
2. How long did it take you to write this book?
Slightly over a year.
3. Where is your favorite place to write?
At the kitchen table.
4. How... Read more here
Every wondered where the express Moishe Kapoyr comes from? You're not alone.
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.
Kapoyr means upside-down. The original Moyshe Kapoyr was a character created... Read more here
Wex's new novel The Frumkiss Family Business comes out on August 24th - just over a month away!
We have now finalized the tour dates for the Autumn on the Events page - Wex is particularly thrilled to be invited to the International Festival of Authors this year.
You will notice that all of Michael's appearances are confined to Canada since Frumkiss is being published by Knopf in Canada first. We are... Read more here
Here's an interesting query about Jewish surnames:
I'm interested in the origin of European Jewish surnames, such as "Bloom" meaning flower, and Shecter which I learned from your book is shechet. Is Kaufman a buyer, or merchant? Zukeo is sugar I guess. Then Sugarman was a purveyor of sugar?
You're definitely on the right track. One thing to watch out for, though: people would change surnames at the... Read more here
