2: Illustration, Marc Chagall, 1917, and illustration, Uri Shulevitz, 1973.

2: Illustration, Marc Chagall, 1917, and illustration, Uri Shulevitz, 1973.

Illustrations have accompanied Peretz’s story, “The Magician,” since its initial publication in Yiddish in 1917. These illustrations reflect not only the content of the story but also the artistic style of the time in which they were drawn.

Suggested Activity: Before sharing these illustrations with students, have them create their own illustrations of the Magician based on Peretz’s description in the text. Students should be sure to include specific details from the text in their illustrations (e.g., turkeys, top hat.) Then, show students the two illustrations of the magician, one from Marc Chagall and one from Uri Shulevitz. Ask students: What part of the story do these images come from? Do these images of the magician look like the illustrations the students have created? Why or why not? Which of these images do they think is older? What qualities of the magician do they think each illustrator wanted to highlight? Which image do they think best illustrates the story? 

Sources: Marc Chagall, Untitled, 1917, in I. L. Peretz, Der kuntsenmakher (Vilnius: B. A. Kletskin Press, 1917).

Uri Shulevitz, Untitled, 1973, in Uri Shulevitz, The Magician (New York: Macmillan, 1973), 8.