Anzia Yezierska
Anzia Yezierska
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Anzia Yezierska was born on February 13, 1880, in Poland as Anna Yezierska. She later adopted the name Anzia Yezierska, which became her pen name.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born: February 13, 1880
Died: December 28, 1975
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Yezierska was an American writer of Polish descent. She is best known for her novels and short stories that explored the lives of immigrant women in America.
Early Life and Background
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Anzia Yezierska was born into a Jewish family in Poland. Her father, Abraham Yezierski, was a Talmudic scholar who instilled in his daughter a love of learning. However, when Anzia's mother died, her father remarried a woman from a poorer family, which caused tension within the household. The struggles that Anzia faced in her early life would later influence her writing.
In 1896, at the age of 16, Yezierska immigrated to the United States with her brother. She settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where she struggled to make a living as a seamstress and eventually turned to writing as a means of self-expression.
Major Accomplishments
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Yezierska's novel Bread Givers (1925) is considered one of her most notable works. The book tells the story of Sara Smolinsky, a young Jewish woman struggling to balance her family obligations with her desire for independence and education. Yezierska drew heavily from her own experiences in writing this novel.
Another significant work by Yezierska is Hungry Hearts (1920). This collection of short stories explores the lives of immigrant women on the Lower East Side, tackling themes such as poverty, domestic violence, and cultural identity.
Notable Works or Actions
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Some of Anzia Yezierska's notable works include:
Bread Givers (1925) - a novel about a young Jewish woman struggling to balance family obligations with her desire for independence and education.
Hungry Hearts (1920) - a collection of short stories that explore the lives of immigrant women on the Lower East Side.
Impact and Legacy
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Anzia Yezierska's writing has had a lasting impact on American literature. Her novels and short stories provide a unique perspective on the experiences of immigrant women in the early 20th century, shedding light on themes such as poverty, domestic violence, and cultural identity.
Yezierska's legacy extends beyond her written works. She paved the way for future generations of female writers from diverse backgrounds, inspiring them to share their stories with the world.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Anzia Yezierska is widely quoted and remembered for her insightful portrayals of immigrant life in America. Her writing offers a unique perspective on the experiences of women from diverse cultural backgrounds, making her an important figure in American literary history.
Quotes by Anzia Yezierska

The stars in their infinite peace seemed to pour their healing light into me. I thought of captives in prison, the sick and the suffering from the beginning of time who had looked to these stars for strength. What was my little sorrow to the centuries of pain which those stars had watched? So near they seemed, so compassionate. My bitter hurt seemed to grow small and drop away. If I must go on alone, I should still have silence and the high stars to walk with me.

I was so obsessed and consumed with my grievances that I could not get away from myself and think things out in the light. I was in the grip of that blinding, destructive, terrible thing – righteous indignation.

I want knowledge. How, like a starved thing in the dark, I’m driven to reach for it.

A man is free to go up as high as he can reach up to; but I, with all my style and pep, can’t get a man my equal because a girl is always judged by her mother.

Woe is me! Bitter is me! For what is my life? Why didn’t the ship go under and drown me before I came to America?

This fire in me, it’s not just the hunger of a woman for a man – it’s the hunger of all my people back of me, from all ages, for light, for the life higher!

When I only begin to read, I forget I’m on this world. It lifts me on wings with high thoughts.

Give a beggar a dime and he’ll bless you. Give him a dollar and he’ll curse you for withholding the rest of your fortune. Poverty is a bag with a hole at the bottom.

