"Nearly 90 years after its original publication, this ahead-of-its-time novel by one of the best-known Yiddish writers of his era proves powerfully relevant in its first English translation." —
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Only in the hands of a master stylist such as David Bergelson could such descriptions not only work but seem utterly right. Even the most brilliant stylists, though, are at the mercy of their translators. Happily, Harriet Murav and Sasha Senderovich’s new translation, the first to appear in any language—delivers a miraculous taste of the original Yiddish in English. Though perfectly timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, its themes of mercy, judgment, and revolution are entirely appropriate for a secular kheshbn hanefesh (accounting of the soul). Twenty-five pages of illuminating notes on the literary and historical context of the novel will also make you feel a lot smarter—never a bad thing." —Tablet
"A must-read for anyone interested in the Russian Revolution, Jewish life under Bolshevism, and the early 20th century in Europe." —Book Riot
"Set in a town by the Polish-Ukrainian border, Judgment renders that border constantly felt but never seen; when a character approaches the border, she disappears from the view of the narrator... [there is also] the significance of Bergelson’s having written this novel of the Revolution at a remove, from Berlin: as J. Roland Matory notes, 'The Diaspora invents the homeland.' Perhaps similarly, writing at a distance from a European center allowed Bergelson to imagine revolution at the periphery." —Anna Elena Torres, The University of Chicago