To the Readers of Literarishe monatsshriften

This essay was originally published in the first issue of the Vilna journal Literarishe monatsshriften (Literary Monthly Writings). Though short-lived, the journal proved influential both as a beacon of more experimental forms of literary writing in Yiddish (which some critics denounced as Decadence) and as the first periodical devoted exclusively to the mission of cultivating an independent and self-sufficient modern, secular, and national Yiddish culture. The journal eschewed party affiliation, rejected the subordination of Yiddish literature to any particular political movement or party, and broke with the still-dominant idea that Yiddish literature was just a temporary expedient to “enlighten” the uneducated “masses” and should limit its content and sophistication accordingly.