ANZIA YEZIERSKA
Anzia Yezierska was born in a Polish province of Russia in the year 1886, and migrated, when nine years old, to New York City, where she was sent to work in an East Side sweatshop at a dollar and a half a week. Her life in America has been a heroic struggle for self-expression both in a literary and spiritual sense.
Since upon every hand one hears the cry that more should be required of the immigrants in the way of preparation for citizenship, in loyalty and in service, it is very fitting that this book of selections should close with that touching passage of her story, “How I Found America,” which sets forth the immigrants’ yearning for fellowship with native Americans and their passionate desire to serve. Will not here be found the two master keys—fellowship and service—to the successful accomplishment of the work of Americanization; in fact, without which all attempts at Americanization will prove futile?
The writings of the immigrants have hitherto been largely historical and sociological in character. Miss Yezierska’s work suggests the unlimited artistic possibilities of the newer elements in our national life,—gifts on which we should not lay violent hands, but which we should carefully conserve as a part of the heritage of America to the future. It is interesting to note that one of her stories was selected by Edward J. O’Brien as the best piece of imaginative writing in short form produced during the year 1919.
That part of the story that follows is taken from the issue of The Century for November, 1920. The same story in longer and somewhat different form is found in a volume of her collected writings recently published by Houghton Mifflin under the title, “Hungry Hearts.”