Children of the Ghetto

Children of the Ghetto by Israel Zangwill was published in 1892. It documents the lives of immigrant Jews who lived and worked in the Yiddish-speaking streets and densely packed alleys emptying into London's Petticoat Lane, the East End bazaar that was both marketplace and communal watering hole. Zangwill's portrayal of the uncertain situation of 'his people,' which all too often had been painted in dreadfully sombre tones by earnest social reformers and drum-beating evangelists, is insightfully told with affectionate honesty and wryness of humour. Introduction by social historian and Victorian Series editor, Bob Biderman.

ISRAEL ZANGWILL (1864-1926), born in London to Jewish Eastern European immigrants, became widely known as a journalist, dramatist, and activist and is recognized for coining the term "melting pot" after the production of his play, The Melting Pot (1908). His first novel The Children of the Ghetto (1892) earned him the title of the "Dickens of the Ghetto" and launched his literary career.