Author Jeremy Dauber: “Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew”

Mel Brooks is one of the great comic voices of the 20th century. Author Jeremy Dauber’s new book explores Brooks’ distinct and rebellious slant on Jewish identity and humor in a historical context.

The question that American Jews have so often asked about entertainers — “Are they Jewish?” — was never needed when Mel Brooks became famous. From his Oscar-winning short THE CRITIC (1963) and the various versions of his Grammy-winning 2,000-YEAR-OLD MAN (1950s and thereafter), through his portrayal of a Yiddish-speaking Native American in BLAZING SADDLES (1974), down to his own recent autobiography, “All About Me!” (2021), the multi-talented Brooks (formerly Melvin Kaminsky) has milked his ethnicity for well over six decades. He has never seemed to tire of letting it bubble to the surface.

In “Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew,” Columbia University’s Jeremy Dauber, a Yiddishist himself, places Brooks in the historical context of the Diaspora, exploring how a marginalized identity can, through a distinctive and illuminating slant, enter into the mainstream. With this work, Dauber demonstrates a prodigious command of both popular culture and the literature it has inspired. It is a spirited dive into the life and career of a performer, writer, and director who has dominated twentieth-century American comedy.

Tickets

Book bundle: $26 (includes book + event ticket)
Talk only: $15/$12 seniors + students
Additional book copies: $26 + tax

Processing fees apply at checkout. Optional $5 book shipment add-on.
Book sales + signing after the event.

Part of the Chew on This Speaker Series. In partnership with Jewish Book Council.

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Jeremy Dauber is a professor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University. His books include “Jewish Comedy” and “The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem,” which were both finalists for the National Jewish Book Award, and, most recently, “American Comics: A History.” His research interests include Yiddish and Jewish literature, Yiddish theater, and American Jewish literature and popular culture. He lives in New York City.