THE DAY I GOT LOST BY ISAAC B. SINGER

AUTHOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Isaac Bashevis Singer

Author(1904–1991)

Nobel Prize–winning novelist and short-story writer Isaac Bashevis Singer penned the novel The Family Moskat and the short story "Gimpel The Fool."

Isaac Singer was born on July 14, 1904, in Radzymin, Poland. In 1950, he published his first major novel, The Family Moskat. Afterward, he wrote a string of acclaimed short stories, including "Gimpel The Fool." In the 1960s, he wrote the "The Spinoza of Market Street." In 1978, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He continued writing until shortly before his death, on July 24, 1991, in Surfside, Florida.

Born to a family of religious Jews in Radzymin, Poland, on July 14, 1904, Isaac Bashevis Singer was raised in an overcrowded, poor Jewish quarter of Warsaw. Singer's father was a Hasidic rabbi, while his mother came from a long line of Mitnagdic rabbis. His older brother, Israel Joshua (also known as I.J.), grew up to become a novelist, and his sister, Esther Kreitman, also became a known writer.

As a youngster, Singer was a voracious reader. Benedict de Spinoza, Nikolai Gogol and Fyodor Dostoyevsky all ranked among his earliest influences.

Despite his success in journalism, Singer's passion for literature would not be suppressed. Soon, he started writing short stories on the side. In 1925, he debuted as a fiction writer with the short story "In Old Age." In 1935, Singer's first novel, Satan in Goray, was published.

1950 marked the publication of his first major work, a novel about a family of Jews living in the ghettos of pre–World War II Poland, entitled The Family Moskat. Following its publication, Singer wrote a string of acclaimed short stories. Among them was one of his best-known works, "Gimpel The Fool."

During the 1960s, Singer's work continued to touch on questions of morality. One of his most recognized works from the time was Enemies: A Love Story, about the emotional struggle of a Holocaust survivor. His other important novels during that era included The Manor, The Estateand his memoir, In My Father's Court. His beloved story "The Spinoza of Market Street" also stemmed from this period.

By then a major writer known worldwide, Singer turned toward more contemporary topics in the 1970s. In addition to writing memoirs and his first children's books, he produced the novels The Penitent and Shosha. In 1978, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.In the 1980s, Singer published The King of the Fields and Scum. He continued writing until he suffered a series of strokes, dying on July 24, 1991, in Surfside, Florida.

REFERENCE:

https://www.biography.com/people/isaac-bashevis-singer-9484987

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In all his work Singer explores the traditions of Jewish life, past and present, expressing his fascination with the history of his people: "I was born with the feeling that I am part of an unlikely adventure, something that couldn't have happened, but happened all the same." 

EXPECTATIONS OR PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE TEXT

I think the story 'The Day I got Lost' is about a person who is traveling to a unknown place for him/her. So she/he does not know nothing about that place. The person really needs to find the right way to go to his/her destination, but the person does not know how to get there.

Finally, the person is lost. He/she is so frustated and does not find the right way. I think this day was so important for this person, because he/she remembers that situation very well. I guess that is why this person called the story 'The Day I got Lost'. But this are just my expectatives about the story. So let's read the story and find out if I am right...

Connection between literary work and historical backgroud

People everywhere rush through their daily routines, racing from home to school or work, back home, and out again.  This story shows us this enviroment, because Professor Shlemiel did this daily routine. That is why Singer wrote this kind of story because in his time we could see all these situations.

LITERARY MOVEMENT

Isaac Barshevis Singer belongs to Avant-garde literary movement.

The historical avant-garde movements also contributed to the development of experimental literature in the early and middle 20th century. 

COUNTRY:  Poland

GENRE: Narrative, expository writing, non-fiction.

Where my predictions correct?

Well these were my predictions before reading the story 'The Day I got Lost': 

I thought a person traveled to a unknown place and that person got lost in that place. In the real story an old man got lost but the difference is that this person do knows that place. That person was so forgetful. So this person forgot his own adress. 

Another difference is this: I thought the person lost, could not get the correct way, but in the real story the person finds his adress and could get home, the end was happy, but I thought the end would be unhappy. So this was a big surprise!

REFERENCES

 www.phschool.com
https://books.google.com.gt/booksid=v55bAgAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&hl=es&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f