A Light for Others and Other Jewish Tales from Galicia By Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Translated by Michael T. O'Pecko

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895), whose name has been immortalized in the term masochism, is known today predominantly for his novel Venus in Furs and for his tales of dominant women and suffering men. In his own lifetime, however, he was also famous as the author of vibrant tales from Galicia, the exotic eastern edge of the Austrian empire, where he championed the cause of the region's most oppressed minorities, the Ruthenians and the Jews. This collection features some of his best-known Jewish tales which display the author's warm sense of humanity as well as his considerable sense of humor. Sacher-Masoch's unusual ability to capture the essence of a person or place with a telling detail brings the vanished world of Galician Jewry back to life in all its splendor and squalor, mixing the grays, browns, and blacks of European Realism with the bright, sparkling colors of legend, myth, fairy tale, and tradition. Sacher-Masoch's work is currently enjoying a revival among scholars and general readers alike.