Hebrew Melodies

“A witty American retelling, in word and in image, of Heinrich Heine’s inside-out, topsy-turvy satiric art.”

—Cynthia Ozick

“The wonderful translations by Stephen Mitchell and Jack Prelutsky embody Heine’s genius in a contemporary idiom, which happily coexists, in this edition, in parallel columns with the original German text. Poem and translation are supplemented by Mark Podwal’s witty, colorful paintings, which illustrate Heine’s extravagant whimsy in surprising ways. The book is a treasure.”

—Neil Arditi Jewish Review of Books

“The artwork is the greatest triumph of the book. Podwal offers his familiar style here—representational imagery with soft lines, vivid, contrasting color, and fanciful settings that reflect his creative interpretation. He indulges his imagination with non-standard colors, animation of objects such as yads, letters, and musical instruments, and mixing figures from different times and places in one painting, all to great effect.”

—Beth Dwoskin Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews

“A lovely, lucid translation by masters Mitchell and Prelutsky, not only of the sense but of the spirit of these beloved and beautiful poems. And an equally delightful feast for the eyes: Mark Podwal’s profound, wry, evocative drawings imbue Heine’s verse with fresh, new life.”

—Marc Michael Epstein, author of Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink: Jewish Illuminated Manuscripts

Stephen Mitchell is a scholar and award-winning translator of such works as the Tao Te Ching, the Iliad, the Bhagavad Gita, and Gilgamesh.

Jack Prelutsky was named the first U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate in 2006.

Mark Podwal has illustrated numerous books in collaboration with such luminaries as Elie Wiesel and Harold Bloom. His art is represented in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among many other venues. You can view his work at markpodwal.com.