Traces of a Jewish Artist: The Lost Life and Work of Rahel Szalit

Wallach (Passing Illusions), an associate professor of German studies at Gettysburg College, resurrects in this poignant biography the life of Jewish expressionist Rahel Szalit (1888–1942), whose evocative illustrations enlivened Yiddish literature and the works of Charles Dickens and Leo Tolstoy. Born Rahel Marcus in what is now Lithuania, Szalit moved to Munich, Germany, in her early 20s, began working as an illustrator, and entered into a brief marriage with actor Julius Szalit, who committed suicide in 1919. Just as her career took off, the rise of the Nazi party forced her to flee to Paris, where she remained until being deported to Auschwitz and killed in 1942. While the established facts of Szalit’s existence are relatively paltry, Wallach—who spent 15 years scouring “everywhere imaginable for sources that could help reconstruct [Szalit’s] life,” including 35 archives in seven countries—has gained enough insight into her subject to weave a coherent, lively narrative. At the start of each chapter, invented scenes “fill in the gaps where insufficient evidence survives,” and the artist’s own wide-ranging illustrations are utilized to bring her further to life, whether it’s through a haunting self-portrait or an expressionistic depiction of a student’s first Talmud exam. Wallach’s careful perusal of the extant sources also places Szalit’s work in the context of her complex personal life, enabling her to be celebrated “as a bisexual and queer artist.” This masterful historical reconstruction gives welcome due to a forgotten talent. Photos. (Mar.)