tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2023956444265128672.post8913937014966102657..comments2024-03-29T04:12:48.987+08:00Comments on The Reading Life: “The Ghetto Dog” - A Short Story Set in The Lodz Ghetto by Isaiah Spiegel - 1945- translated from Yiddish by Bernard GurneyMel uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08714473754458914681noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2023956444265128672.post-70596856204047325802017-12-14T10:05:36.461+08:002017-12-14T10:05:36.461+08:00Many thanks, Mel and Buried in Print. I shared thi...Many thanks, Mel and Buried in Print. I shared this story with a couple of my friends and they were all speechless. Some great stories stay with us that way, don't they? They settle in some tight corner, taking our words and giving warmth and pain in return. This story is precious. <br /><br />Like both of you, I am curious about the dog's nightlife. I wonder if Nicki is going back to the house to soak in the memories. Or if he is simply going around the streets because the woman's grief is too much to bear. I particularly loved Mel's questions on the prostitute's life. What a terrific story!<br /><br />Mel, I am taking some time to read the stories which are posted in 'Rereading Lives' because they are beautiful and thought-provoking, and I want to read them when I am in the right frame of mind. Also, I want to leave thoughtful commentaries. I have bookmarked the posts. I will get to them in a day or two. Thank you for introducing me to new authors and new works. I am grateful to you!Deepika Rameshhttps://newfracturedlight.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2023956444265128672.post-13155294107059686502017-12-14T03:46:37.802+08:002017-12-14T03:46:37.802+08:00What a beautiful story. Thank you for recommending...What a beautiful story. Thank you for recommending it. And thanks, too, to Deepika, for her tender response to the work. I am overwhelmed by the story just now - and you're quite right that Lauren Bacall's reading brought another layer of power to it - but I will let it settle and try to listen again. The questions you've asked will be in my mind. I was, in particular, curious about the dog's explorations or wanderings, his journey or his restlessness, and touched by his faithful return. Buried In Printhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00808249065026802365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2023956444265128672.post-66507577601268937042017-12-01T21:50:23.042+08:002017-12-01T21:50:23.042+08:00Deepika, thanks for your comment, it gratified me...Deepika, thanks for your comment, it gratified me<br /><br />I was thinking more on The story, not only does Bertha come to Love The Dog Nicki, and The widow, but The widow loves her, a woman totally remote from her experiences. They form a almost mother daughter bond with Bertha protesting as she can The widow in her darkest hour. As to Bertha, we Know Nothing of her history, was she a prostitute before The Germans came or did she lose her husband and have no other way to live. There are a lot of deep open questions here. Also why does The Dog Go out at night, outside The Ghetto? That has meaning. We wonder How Bertha Will be alone, maybe, we just do not know, if The Dog and The widow were The only real Family she ever had. Her walking to turn The Dog in took real courage. Also we see The widow, who had lost her sense of being Jewish, returning to this.<br /><br />I Will listen again. This is The kind of story that can Help define a person’s Reading experiences as you know you have encountered The sublime.<br /><br />I a.m in a way sorry you cried but it gives me great respect for you.<br /><br /><br />Mel uhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714473754458914681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2023956444265128672.post-66851526769846612772017-12-01T16:30:45.335+08:002017-12-01T16:30:45.335+08:00Hi Mel,
Thank you for sharing the link and this p...Hi Mel,<br /><br />Thank you for sharing the link and this post. After you posted a comment on my blog yesterday, I listened to the short story twice. Once last night and once a while ago. As I type this, my vision is blurred. Tears. I can't stop crying. I have read a few books on holocaust. As we know, most of the books's focus had been on humans. Despite being an ardent animal-lover, it never occurred to me to learn about what happened to the Jews's animals. Your post and the audio have opened an avenue for me -- I must try to read about how animals were treated during the wars. <br /><br />'A Ghetto Dog' was painfully poetic. I loved how the widow and Nicki bonded over grief, and how the dog continued to remind her of her husband through his glassy eyes. They both were old and lonely, together in their senility and loneliness. Of course, Bertha had to fall in love with Nicki. Who can't love the dog! As you mentioned in the post, the climax was surreal. I could see all the snow and its blinding brightness. Oh, Mel! I want to say more but I am overwhelmed. I am going to listen to it more and I want to write about it sometime. I am grateful to you for sharing it with me. I am so moved. Thank you!Deepika Rameshhttps://newfracturedlight.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com