The promised land autobiography by antin britannica. Jul 14, 2011 mary antin, the author of the promised land, was born to a jewish family in polotsk, russia, in 1881. Antin begins the novel with her upbringing in polotzk, the jews are subject to persecution in russia which is far worse than anything that. She is best known for her 1912 autobiography the promised land, an account of her. The promised land by mary antin was written before the author had reached her thirtieth birthday. Her book, the promised land, is still read today as an expression of the quintessential 19 th century eastern european immigrant experience with universal appeal to all immigrants. In this novel the author talks about the main differences that she saw when she emigrated from russia to the united states. In 1911 the dillingham commission issued a report to congress that argued that immigrants entering the country from southern and eastern europe were not as racially or culturally desirable as. The books overall theme is of the opportunities that the united states has to offer to new immigrants. Promised land by mary antin, free pdf, ebook global grey. The notion of identity in mary antins the promised land christiane abspacher term paper advanced seminar american studies literature publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay. She is best known for her 1912 autobiography the promised land, an account of her emigration and subsequent americanization.
Land, l she relates that for the first thirteen years of her life from 1881 to 1894 she was forced to live in the. Mary antin articulated in her writing and speeches the experience of being an immigrant. Mary antin was considered a child prodigy and published her first articles at the age of eighteen. The promised land has been added to your cart add to cart. The promised land, first published in 1912, brings to life the transformation of an eastern european jewish immigrant into an american citizen.
The promised land by mary antin free ebook project gutenberg. A very personal and very interesting look into the life of a young child moving away from her. Mary was a writer and had her fist poem published at fifteen. Students are often unfamiliar with the time period treated in the promised land, especially so with aspects of the great migration and of immigrant settlement in america in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Mary antins 18811949 autobiography, the promised land 1912, was published as american fears concerning masses of immigrants entering the country were reaching a climax. Mary antin 18811949 was born in a small russian town an most autobiographies are written at the end of the writers life.
The promised land is mary antin s mature autobiography. A dozen years after from plotzk to boston appeared, the immigration experience became the subject of antins most widely read book, the promised land 1912. So the jews found comfort in their ancient traditions. Feb 03, 2016 this feature is not available right now.
Then there came a time when i knew that polotzk and vitebsk and vilna and some other places were grouped together as the pale of settlement, and within this area the czar commanded me to stay, with my father and mother and friends, and all other people. It tells the story of her early life in what is now belarus and her immigration to the united states in 1894. The main themes of the story are the immigration and also the process that the immigrant take to become citizens of a different country. It being a period of pogroms, antins family decided to emigrate to the united states, when she was thirteen years old, and they settled in boston. When mary antins father decided that keeping to his traditions did not suit him anymore, he found no place in russia.
Russia was the place where ones father went on business. Mary antin was born maryashe antin in the town of polotzk in the pale of settlement, the only area of russia where jews were. Only 30 years old when she published her autobiography, the promised land, mary antin captured the dreams and experiences of turnofthecent. On this day in 1912, over 1,000 people gathered at the waldorf astoria hotel in new york to hear boston writer mary antin.
While antin writes this in 1912 long before the retrospective reader knows of the holocaust, i cannot help feeling that in 1912 jews had been through worse things than an exodus to the promised land. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Antin publshed short stories essays, and her books the promised land 1912 and they who knock at our gates 1914, which together sold more than one hundred thousand copies. A salesman for a natural gas company experiences lifechanging events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources. Inthe promised land, mary antin tells of moving from polotzk, russia, to boston, massachusetts, when she was around thirteen years old. Heath anthology of american literaturemary antin author page. An extraordinary popular success when it was first published in 1912, the promised land is a classic account of the jewish american immigrant experience. Lindsay kleiman although mary antin wrote the promised land in 1912 with the ostensible intention of shedding light on the jewishamerican immigrant experience for a nonjewish audience, one can see through close readings that this autobiography was also written to serve a secondary purpose. Mary antin, american author remembered for her autobiographical work the promised land and other books on immigrant life in the united states. The book focuses on her attempts to assimilate into the culture of the united states. Only 30 years old when she published her autobiography, the promised land, mary antin captured the dreams and experiences of turnof the century russian jewish immigrants.
I was born, i have lived, and i have been made over a very touching and beautiful written autobiography which reads like a novel. Author mary antin arrived in the united states from russia in the 1890s at the age of 12. In 1911 the dillingham commission issued a report to congress that argued that immigrants entering the country from. Review of mary antins the promised land appears in the new. The promised land autobiography by mary antin the book, the promised land, is an autobiography written by mary antin which describes her gettingusedto the american culture. A smart and dignified girl, mary takes the good things. Being a jew in russia at the end of the 19th century was not easy at all. Antin immigrated to the united states with her mother, sisters, and brother in 1894, joining her father, who had preceded them in 1891, in massachusetts. The promised land is the autobiography of mary antin. The promised land by mary antin read by bridget gaige part.
The promised land is the 1912 autobiography of mary antin. The promised land by mary antin was published 1912, and it narrates the story of a jewish family immigrating from russia to the united states in fact it is the autobiography of antin, she put it in this way. I was born, i have lived, and i have been made over. Life was not easy, though as a child, mary describes life in boston as almost perfect. It was the first lesson a little girl in polotzk had to learn. Mary antin emigrated with her family from the eastern european town of polotzk to. The promised land mary antin audiobook and ebook all. The promised land by mary antin was published 1912, and it narrates the story of a jewish family immigrating from russia to the united states in fact it is the.
The notion of identity in mary antins the promised land. As a child, she lived in the russian pale, the part of russia. Other articles where the promised land is discussed. Page 223 and whereas formerly my selfconsciousness had bordered on conceit, and i thought myself an uncommon person, parading my schoolbooks through the streets, and swelling with pride when a teacher detained me in conversation, now i grew humble all at once, seeing how insignificant i was beside the great. This article reads mary antins the promised land in relation to sentimentalism and realism, arguing that the author interweaves conventions of earlier fictional genres in her autobiography so as to express her american identity. Only 30 years old when she published her autobiography, the promised land, mary antin captured the dreams and experiences of turnofthecentury russian jewish immigrants. Antin, mary, 18811949, jews united states, jews soviet union, united states emigration and immigration biography. Antin was fifteen years old when she had her first poem published inthe boston herald. Mar 23, 2007 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. In mary antin remembered for her autobiographical work the promised land and other books on immigrant life in the united states. If one has had the opportunity to read antins book the promised landa national best seller in 1912 that was considered to be the most popular immigrant. The promised land by mary antin read by bridget gaige part 1. June, 1881 may 15, 1949 was an american author and immigration rights activist. Nov 29, 2011 the promised land autobiography by mary antin the book, the promised land, is an autobiography written by mary antin which describes her gettingusedto the american culture.
It tells the story of her early life in what is now belarus and her immigration to the united states in. Having made such good time across the ocean, i ought to be able to proceed no less rapidly on terra firma, where, after all, i am more at home. Apr 08, 2018 when mary antin s father decided that keeping to his traditions did not suit him anymore, he found no place in russia. Publication date c1912 topics antin, mary, 18811949, jews united states, jews soviet union, united states emigration and immigration biography publisher boston. With matt damon, frances mcdormand, john krasinski, hal holbrook. Her book, the promised land, is still read today as an expression of the quintessential 19th century eastern european immigrant experience with universal appeal. Mary antin 1881 1949 being a jew in russia at the end of the 19th century was not easy at all. The first session will feature a discussion of the promised land by mary antin, a celebrated 1912 memoir by a russianjewish immigrant to boston, followed by a show and tell from the mary antin papers as well as other archival materials related to the immigrant jewish experience held by the american jewish historical society. When i was a little girl, the world was divided into two parts. The promised landmary antins 18811949 autobiography, the promised land 1912, was published as american fears concerning masses of immigrants entering the country were reaching a climax. In mary antin remembered for her autobiographical work the promised land and other books on immigrant life in. Mary antin 18811949 was born in a small russian town and her earliest memories were of harassment and persecution of jews. I thought it a miracle, exclaimed mary antin in her bestselling autobiography, the promised land, written when she was just thirty years old, that i, mashke, the granddaughter of raphael the russian, born to a humble destiny, should be at home in an american metropolis, be free to fashion my own life, and should dream my dreams in english phrases. The promised land is mary antins mature autobiography.
Crowd gathers to hear writer mary antin mass moments. The gentile attitudes and consequent discrimination of the jews paled only slightly by those inflicted fifty years later. She had come to make a plea for more aid to support jewish immigrant girls arriving alone in the united states. All the little girls i knew lived in polotzk, with their fathers and mothers and friends. As i read about the noble boy who would not tell a lie to save himself from.
Antins first book told the story of her own immigration experience, and it brought her name to the attention of the reading public. Antin, a russian jewish immigrant, draws on familiar depictions of the sentimental heroine and new woman to characterize herself. Antin had recently published the promised land, a memoir of her emigration from. She wrote about her early experiences in her book, promised land, that was published in 1912. After some successful years as a writer and progressive lecturer, antin suffered a nervous breakdown, and. The first meal was an object lesson of much variety. After some successful years as a writer and progressive lecturer, antin suffered a nervous breakdown, and she and grabau separated. The promised land by mary antin free at loyal books. Mary antin emigrated with her family from the eastern european town of polotzk to boston in 1894, when she was twelve years old. In it, she tells the story of what she considers her escape from bondage in eastern europe and her finding of freedom in america. The promised land is an autobiography by author and activist mary antin. In it, she speaks of the story of what she believes is her escape from bondage in eastern europe and her finding of freedom in america.
Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. For several more years, she published articles and short stories in magazines and did. Mary antin was an american author and immigration rights activist. Especially important is conveying to them the kinds of conditions the newly. After the promised land, antin wrote one more book, they who knock at the gates, in which she argues in favor of immigration for all but criminals and declares that the best people of europe crowd the steerage compartments of ships steaming toward america. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The antin family, like most newly arrived immigrants. Mary antin 18811949 was born in polotsk, russia to a jewish family and emigrated to the united states settling in boston when she was only thirteen. Review of mary antins the promised land appears in the. Her memoir vividly recaptures scenes from both old and new world cultures, chronicling the poverty and oppression of czarist russia as well as the excitement and challenges of her assimilation into american life at the turn of the twentieth century.
My father produced several kinds of food, ready to eat, without any cooking, from little tin cans that had printing all over them. Leaving home for the promised land, 1894, eyewitness to history. Free shipping get free shipping free 58 day shipping within the u. That is, antin also wrote this novel for the jewish reader as a means of critiquing the religious. Librivox recording of the promised land by mary antin. Mary antin 18811949, immigration rights activist, came to the united states during the third great wave of immigration 18811920, when more than 23 million immigrants came to america. In her autobiography the promised land, mary antin speaks of the hopes, hardships, and dreams shared by many immigrants in the late 1800s.