Though Esther Singer Kreitman's hasidic parents refused to provide her with the formal education she so desperately desired, she nevertheless learned to read in several languages and began to write. But as the only female writer in the most famous family in Yiddish literature, Esther Singer Kreitman's literary achievements-with their autobiographical depictions of painful girlhood-have been overshadowed by the celebrated works of her brothers Israel Joshua Singer and Isaac Bashevis Singer.

Institution: Faith Jones