Sholom Aleichem is a
Yiddish writer; he is to
humoristic turn-of-the-century
Russian Yiddish
literature what
Douglas Adams is to humoristic
science fiction.
Sholom Aleichem is a pseudonym meaning Peace be unto you!, the standard Jewish greeting. He was actually born Solomon Rabinowitz in Russia, in 1859, and proceeded to write quite a few novels. He is mostly known for humourous portrayal of Russian Jewish life, and his work includes five novels, many plays, and some 300 short stories.
His most famous works are:
It's all very funny stuff, in a mostly bittersweet and warm-hearted way, though he does manage to get some satire in there.
Sholom Aleichem came to New York at the end of his years, where he died in 1916.