The Muses of Bashevis Singer

Celebrated Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991) might not have been very handsome—words like “elfin” and “gnome-like” are used here—but this documentary from filmmakers Shaul Betser and Asaf Galay ably demonstrates that he was still quite a ladies' man (and, some would argue, a cad). Singer was married in Warsaw, but abandoned his wife (and their young son) when he left for the United States in 1935. He then remarried in 1940 in New York without bothering to get a divorce. But the “muses” in the title actually refers to the group of female translators that Singer recruited after growing concerned that the male translators he originally worked with—no less than Saul Bellow among them—would get too much of the credit that he was anxious to keep for himself. Betser and Galay have tracked down nine women (who Singer referred to as a harem) for interviews, all of whom testify to Singer's propensity to make sexual overtures, although only a few admit to responding positively to his invitations. The filmmakers have accumulated a wealth of archival material—including footage of Singer's public presentations and TV appearances—as well as observations by biographer Florence Noiville and recollections by Leah Napolin, who adapted his Yentl for the stage (which later became a hit Barbra Streisand film), for this portrait of the author as a lothario. It's no wonder that when asked by Dick Cavett about his private life, Singer admitted to having trouble obeying the seventh commandment. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)