[The] work of Chaim Grade, by its vision and scope, establishes him … as one of the great—if not the greatest—of living Yiddish novelists. Surely he is the most authentic.

If we take as premise that for the contemporary Jewish writer to write means to testify, then we may affirm that Chaim Grade fulfills his mission with much talent and devotion. His … poetry and prose depict a world that is no more. (p. 5)

Every literary creation aims to correct injustice. In this case to remind the killer of his crimes, to affect the memory of the onlooker, to rebuild communities murdered and burned to ashes. What other writers have done for Warsaw or Sighet, Grade does for the town of his childhood: Vilna. His tales, his obsessions, his experiences always lead back to it—for that is where his roots are. Vilna, this fabulous and dazzling city...