Pathways: A Life's Journey

By Herbert Kaufman

Pathways depicts the author's life, with the inclusion of photographs and original prose pieces inspired by his experiences, including his escape from the Holocaust and Nazi Germany at age 7 with his parents and sister; assimilation into America's midwest in the 1940s; violin studies and postwar experiences in New York City and the Air Force; careers in New York and Europe as a college professor and violinist; and survival of a stroke. Interjected between narrative accounts of the author's existence are imaginative and strange tales illustrating his vision.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1411614836
• ISBN13: 9781411614833
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Lulu Press
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Europe to America & Back: The Journey of a Modern Goethe

One of the most striking features of Pathways, the recent autobiography by Herbert L. Kaufman, is the tremendous literary breadth and prowess demonstrated by its author. Equally at home with a myriad number of writing styles, Mr. Kaufman manages to weave together a masterpiece, deftly combining his personal life story together with many of his works of fiction. These short works often provide a vivid context for the reader in which to place Mr. Kaufman's autobiographical details. "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it." - Winston Churchill. In the 1930's Churchill was written off as a relic of the past. Not only did Churchill defy the predictions of his contemporaries, but he went on to lead England in heroic defiance of Hitler. Similarly, Mr. Kaufman, himself a refugee from Nazi Germany, surmounted many obstacles and rose from personal and professional setbacks to tremendous achievement. (Unlike Churchill, however, Professor Kaufman does not attempt to whitewash the past.) The winner of numerous awards, including the prestigious BBC Best Play from Europe Award in 1995, one might be tempted to describe Mr. Kaufman as a modern day Goethe. His accomplishments in the Humanities stretch from positions as a professor of German language and literature at Queens College, professor of American Studies at Kiel University in Germany, professor of music history at Antwerp University, to violinist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the Flemish Opera in Antwerp. And of course there is his writing! Even so, Mr. Kaufman does not attempt to paint a picture of himself as "the great artist." The human side is clearly evident and Pathways makes no attempt, as many other autobiographies do, to create a past for the honor of the author. An excellently edited work, Pathways' beautifully rendered stories almost instantly transport the reader into the atmosphere of the subject at hand. This is virtually a hallmark of the author's creativity. Consider the following passage from the short story "The Contract": "Herr Direktor Edersheim has risen from behind his massive Biedermeier desk. The wintry streets have darkened further. Sarah and Gustav have been standing a long time, the mother slightly behind, solicitous. A modest cough is sufficient to indicate her presence, the slightest tug on her son's arm to signify approval, for she dare not interrupt the puissant Herr Edersheim. His second ranking in the firm of Aschkenasy & Edersheim is irrelevant, for he will decide the future of her fourteen-year-old son this very hour. "Gustav shifts his weight to his left leg, keeping his upper torso respectful, but perspiration has broken out on his forehead. The wool sock under his right foot has creased uncomfortably . . . But nothing escapes the junior partner's eye. The casual swing of his heavy gold watch fob has a hypnotic effect on the widow and son. Though he should be conscious of the inefficiency of his interview procedure, he