Qesher Book Club: "The Sweet Fragrance of Life & Other Horror Stories"

Renowned  Jewish vocalist and writer Elizabeth Schwartz's first book of fiction,  "The Sweet Fragrance of Life & Other Stories" is a meditation on  historic European Jewish Culture seen through the lens of a woman's  point of view. She will read excerpts from her stories and talk about  the religious, cultural and historic factors that shaped them and her  approach to traditional Jewish art.

The author weaves in rich historical particulars, from the political  climate of decades past to an account of a real-life incident that  inspired one of the tales herein. Smooth, descriptive prose makes these short stories  fly by. This exceptional collection's brevity is sure  to leave readers wanting more.

Read about the book on "Kirkus Reviews" here.

You can read more and order the book here: https://www.elizabeth-schwartz.com/books

Elizabeth  Schwartz has been called "The Edith Piaf of Yiddish" and "a revelation"  with a superb mastery of klezmer ornamentations. As the vocalist for  Yale Strom & Hot Pstromi and as a soloist, she has performed at  festivals, synagogues and concert halls on every continent except  Antarctica (she's working on that).

As  a writer, Schwartz co-created the award-winning audio dramas The  Witches of Lublin and Debs in Canton for Suemedia Productions. She  contributed a chapter on klezmer vocal technique to Shpil: The Art of  Playing Klezmer (Scarecrow Press). Her recipes of Jewish food can be  found in A Wandering Feast: A Journey Through the Jewish Culture of  Eastern Europe (Jossey-Bass), Zydzi Od Kuchni (Austeria) and It's Always  About the Food (Harper Collins). Her first book of fiction (in  English... and Yiddish), The Sweet Fragrance of Life & Other Horror  Stories, was published by Olniansky Tekst in 2023. The illustrated  audiobook, with narration in English and Yiddish and music by Yale  Strom, will be released by SueMedia Productions in October of 2024.