Howard Schwartz (writer and editor)

Infobox Writer


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name = Howard Schwartz
caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1945|4|21
birthplace = St. Louis, Missouri
nationality = United States
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = author, professor,editor
genre = myth, poetry, fiction
influences = Franz Kafka, Jorge Luis Borges
influenced =
website = http://www.howardschwartz.com

Howard Schwartz (born April 4, 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a widely regarded folklorist, author, poet, and editor of dozens of books. He has won the international Koret Jewish Book Award,cite web |url=http://www.jflmedia.com/templates/about.php?title=text/abt_t_news.txt&content=text/abt_news_jbawinnerspress.txt |title=Koret Book Award Press Release|accessdate=2008-07-26 ] for the book "Before You Were Born", and won the 2005 National Jewish Book Award for "Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism" [http://www.hebrewcollege.edu/html/library/National_Jewish_Book_Awards_2005.pdf] . He has been featured in the Jewish Childrens' Book Project [http://www.sippurim.org/book.php?itemnum=53] , local media in his hometown of Saint Louis [ [http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/book/story/6F912A9AFBBBC51986256F3C006F8626?OpenDocument&Headline=UMSL+professor+compiles+book+on+Jewish+mythology&highlight=2%2Choward%2Cschwartz STLtoday - Tree of Souls by Howard Schwartz ] ] , The Jerusalem Post [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/853519531.html?dids=853519531:853519531&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+3%2C+2005&author=ERIN+LEIB&pub=Jerusalem+Post&edition=&startpage=21&desc=More+than+myth More than myth ] ] , and The Canadian Jewish News [ [http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8516&Itemid=86 The Canadian Jewish News - Jews do have mythology ] ] , as well as in many other publications.

Parents and early life

Schwartz was born April 4, 1945 to Nathan and Bluma (Rubin) Schwartz. His father was a watchmaker, antique dealer, and jeweler. Schwartz was the eldest of three children and attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He began writing poetry at the age of 20. He was awarded first place honors by the Academy of American Poets in 1969 [ [http://www.umsl.edu/~schwartzh/Howard%20Schwartz%20Gale%20Bio.htm Gale Literary Databases - Document ] ] and his first book of poetry, "Vessels", was hailed by poets such as Yehuda Amichai and James Wright [ [http://www.umsl.edu/~schwartzh/contempoet1.html Contemporary Jewish-American Dramatists and Poets ] ] .

Publications and awards

Schwartz's later work in Jewish folklore, fiction, poetry, and children's literature has been recognized by more than forty organizations and literary bodies. He won the Aesop Prize from the American Folklore Society, the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation, and the Sydney Taylor Book Award, among others.

More recently, the author was awarded the 2005 National Jewish Book Award for his reference book "Tree of Souls", an extremely comprehensive guide to Jewish midrash, stories expanding upon or explaining Biblical texts. His children's story "Before You Were Born" was named one of the top ten children's books of 2005 [ [http://www.forward.com/articles/the-best-children%E2%80%99s-books-of-the-year/ "The East Village Mamele - The Best Children’s Books of the Year - Forward.com" ] ] and was given the Koret International Jewish Book Award from the Koret Foundation [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koret_Jewish_Book_Award] in 2006. "Before You Were Born" describes the angel Lailah, who shares all the secrets of life with children while they are still inside the womb [ [http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781596430280&z=y#REV Before You Were Born, Howard Schwartz, Book - Barnes & Noble ] ] .

Schwartz has been nominated for the National Jewish Book Award six times and has won the award three times. [ [http://www.umsl.edu/~mfa/faculty/schwartz.html Howard Schwartz ] ]

*"Diamond Tree: Jewish Tales from Around the World" Nominee in category Children's Literature. 1992.
*"Next Year in Jerusalem: 3000 Years of Jewish Stories" Winner in category Children's Literature. 1996.
*"Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis" Finalist in category Jewish Thought. 1999.
*"The Day the Rabbi Disappeared: Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic" Winner in category Children's Literature. 2000.
*"Invisible Kingdoms: Jewish Tales of Angels, Spirits and Demons" Sole finalist in category Children's Literature. 2002-2003.
*"Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism" Winner in category Reference. 2005.

Schwartz works with oral and written histories as a collector and re-teller of Jewish stories and midrash. In this capacity, he has collected more than a thousand unique tales from around the world in several major print collections.

*"Elijah’s Violin and Other Jewish Fairy Tales" (1983) ISBN 0195092007
*"Miriam’s Tambourine: Jewish Folktales from around the World" (1986) ISBN 0192821369
*"Lilith’s Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural" (1987) ISBN 0195067266
*"Gabriel’s Palace: Jewish Mystical Tales" (1993) ISBN 0195093887
*"Leaves from the Garden of Eden" (2008) ISBN 0195335651

References