BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:90@jewishlifect.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211212T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211212T113000 DTSTAMP:20211208T171023Z URL:https://jewishlifect.org/events/coalition-speaker-series-martin-puchne r-why-words-matter-the-story-of-rotwelsch-and-one-familys-secret-history/ SUMMARY:COALITION SPEAKER SERIES: Martin Puchner – "Why Words Matter: The Story of Rotwelsch and One Family’s Secret History" DESCRIPTION:Join Professor Puchner for a discussion of his family memoir wh ich probes the meaning of language and family\, inheritance and debt\, and the power of words to destroy and rebuild community. Centuries ago in mid dle Europe\, a coded language appeared\, scrawled in graffiti. A blend of Yiddish\, Hebrew\, and many European languages\, it facilitated survival f or people in flight—whether escaping persecution or just down on their l uck. The Nazis tried to erase it. \;\n\nDuring his childhood in German y\,  \;Martin Puchner learned about this secret language which is call ed Rotwelsch. Now a Harvard University Professor of Comparative Literature \, Puchner’s later research into Rotwelsch’s history revealed a surpri se in his own history: his grandfather’s connection to the Nazis. \; \n\nProfessor Puchner\, the Byron and Anita Wien Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University\, is a prize-winning author\, educator\, public speaker and institution builder in the arts and humanit ies. His writings range from philosophy and theatre to world literature an d have been translated into many languages. He has brought four thousand y ears of literature to audiences across the globe – from the Arctic Circl e to Brazil and from the Middle East to China. His latest book\, The \ ;Language of Thieves\, interweaves family memoir with a reflection on Rotw elsch\, the underground language of Central Europe\, which he learned from his father and uncle. He is a member of the European Academy and has rece ived numerous awards\, including a Guggenheim Fellowship\, a Cullman Fello wship\, the Berlin Prize\, and the Massachusetts Book Award. \;\n\nPro fessor Puchner's just-recently released book is described below.\n\nWith g ratitude to our generous Coalition sponsors.\n\n\n\n\n\n \;\n\n\n\n\n\ n\n \;\n\n\n\n\n\nTracking an underground language and the outcasts wh o depended on it for their survival becomes "a deeply personal project\, o ne that probes the meaning of language and family\, inheritance and debt" (Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim\, \;New York Times Book Review).\n\nCentu ries ago in middle Europe\, a coded language appeared\, scrawled in graffi ti and spoken only by people who were "wiz" (in the know). This hybrid lan guage\, dubbed Rotwelsch\, facilitated survival for people in flight―whe ther escaping persecution or just down on their luck. It was a language of the road associated with vagabonds\, travelers\, Jews\, and thieves that blended words from Yiddish\, Hebrew\, German\, Romani\, Czech\, and other European languages and was rich in expressions for police\, jail\, or expe riencing trouble\, such as "being in a pickle." This renegade language uns ettled those in power\, who responded by trying to stamp it out\, none mor e vehemently than the Nazis.\n\nAs a boy\, Martin Puchner learned this sec ret language from his father and uncle. Only as an adult did he discover\, through a poisonous 1930s tract on Jewish names buried in the archives of Harvard’s Widener Library\, that his own grandfather had been a committ ed Nazi who despised this "language of thieves." Interweaving family memoi r with an adventurous foray into the mysteries of language\, Puchner craft s an entirely original narrative. In a language born of migration and surv ival\, he discovers a witty and resourceful spirit of tolerance that remai ns essential in our volatile present.\n\n28 illustrations\n \;\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n[gravityform id="3" title="true" description="true"] END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20211107T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR