• Fifteen years later

In August 1995, the very first issue of this magazine was published: The People of the Book in the World of Books. To commemorate this anniversary, the editorial board has asked the magazine’s regular contributors to review the past fifteen years of Jewish cultural development within their specific spheres of interest. The first responses were published in the previous issue of the magazine. Three new responses conclude the series here.

The magazine’s editor-in-chief Alexander Frenkel reflects on the responses he has received over these 15 years from authors and publishers of books that were criticized in the pages of The People of the Book in the World of Books. Many responses were angry or offensive; some publishers tried to counter the criticism in a recognizably Soviet bureaucratic style. The bitingly critical materials published in this magazine were not able to change the generally low quality of Jewish publishing in Russia and other post-Soviet countries. However, the editor-in-chief reaffirms the magazine’s major mission—to be an unprejudiced observer and a stern judge of Russian-language books on Jewish matters. Next, historian Evgeny Moroz considers his numerous contributions in this magazine. He sees his experience as a reviewer as “illuminating,” because “it creates an integral picture of how the historical destiny of the Jewish people is reflected in the works of contemporary Russian historians.” Poet and literary critic Igor Bulatovsky dedicates his philosophical essay to the phenomenon of world music and uses the albums by Cracow klezmer trio Kroke as a case study.

Together, the articles in this and the preceding issue of The People of the Book in the World of Books present a compelling and controversial picture of modern Jewish culture in Russia and beyond, its accomplishments and challenges.

• Looking Through Russian Literary Magazines: Novels and Articles of Jewish Interest

• Jewish Calendar of Significant Dates: November–December 2010

• Bibliography: 55 New Books