How a Samovar Helped Me Theorize Latin American Jewish Writing

Abstract

Samovars can be used for brewing more than tea. My essay proposes a theory of Latin American Jewish literature through part serious, part playful commentary on Eduardo Stilman's story, "El samovar de plata" (The Silver Samovar). I suggest that Latin American Jewish Studies forge stronger links with Jewish and Holocaust studies, focus on broad cultural fields, and become multigenerational and multilingual. I call for a pluralization of our discipline to achieve a kaleidosopic diversity within an enveloping oneness.