An Immigrant’s Life, Told Graphically

Image by LIANA FINCK

By Liana Finck March 5, 2012

In 1906, Nasye Frug wrote to the Forverts about her life as a new wife and recent immigrant. Even before receiving unhelpful wedding gifts, she had realized that the Goldene Medina of the New World was not turning out to be quite the life she had imagined.

Writing about her childhood in the Old Country and her experiences on the Lower East Side, she reached out to the Bintel Brief for some help in reevaluating her options, expectations and dreams.

Liana Finck reimagines this story in graphic form, drawing on different genres to represent, in a few short pages, Frug’s impoverished reality, mundane troubles and dream interludes.

Below is the introduction to the story and the two remaining sections will be published in coming days.

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