Petty Business (Judaic Traditions in Literature, Music, and Art)

As they do every year, Yosef Zinman, a well-to-do Tel Aviv grocer, and his beloved wife Zippi plan a vacation during the holiday of Sukkot to Seefeld in the mountainous Tirols region of Austria. This year, Zippi decides to invite her sister, who has fallen on hard times with a failing perfumery business. Soon, more and more relatives join in on the trip, and the expenses quickly begin to add up. To gather all the funds needed, the family goes into the business of inexpensive clothing and fashion shows for workers’ unions. The summer promises handsome revenues, but as the Zinman family nears their goal, they become increasingly vexed by their competing interests. A tragic-comic novel in its essence, Petty Business chronicles a year in one family's life, set against the backdrop of Tel Aviv’s rapidly changing global economy in the early 1990s. Pinkus’s biting critique of Tel Aviv’s provincial character and its residents’ shtetl mentality is delivered with a perfect combination of wit, humor, and tender pathos.

Literature & Fiction

Pinkus, Yirmi

Humor & Satire

Syracuse University Press

Winner of The Israel Institute's Literary Prize As they do every year, Yosef Zinman, a well-to-do Tel Aviv grocer, and his beloved wife Zippi plan a vacation during the holiday of Sukkot to Seefeld in the mountainous Tirols region of Austria. This year, Zippi decides to invite her sister, who has fallen on hard times with a failing perfumery business. Soon, more and more relatives join in on the trip, and the expenses quickly begin to add up. To gather all the funds needed, the family goes into the business of inexpensive clothing and fashion shows for workers’ unions. The summerpromises handsome revenues, but as the Zinman family nears their goal, they become increasingly vexed by their competing interests.A tragic-comic novel in its essence, Petty Business chronicles a year in one family's life, set against the backdrop of Tel Aviv’s rapidly changing global economy in the early 1990s. Pinkus’s biting critique of Tel Aviv’s provincial character and its residents’ shtetl mentality is delivered with a perfect combination of wit, humor, and tender pathos.

Based on Lea Goldberg’s classic rhyming stories, this book introduces this charming character and his absurdist adventures to a new generation of young readers and their parents. When Mr. Fibber accidently drops his coin in a jar of juice, he magically shrinks so he can dive down and retrieve it. On a walk one day, he stumbles upon a giant dog with a smokestack on its back, towing a train behind it ― and hitches a ride. And just to make sure it stays sunny and warm during his vacation, he catches the sun in a net and packs it in his suitcase! These playful adventures, designed for children three and up, are illustrated in a bouncy colored pencil style and just bursting with imagination, will enchant young readers. Full-color illustrations throughout.

Mr. Fibber

Children's Books

Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths

Fantagraphics Books

Bez'eir Anpin

Am Oved Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pinkus, Yirmi. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Pinkus, Yirmi