Kim Chernin
Encyclopedia
Kim Chernin is an American fiction and nonfiction writer, feminist, poet, and memoir
ist. She has published fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
, New York. Her parents, Rose Chernin and Paul Kusnitz, were Russian-born Jewish immigrants who were Marxist
and Communist Party
organizers for much of their lives. Chernin's childhood was influenced by the death of her older sister, Nina, to Hodgkin's lymphoma
.
Shortly after Nina's death, the Chernin family relocated to Los Angeles to be near relatives. Her mother resumed full-time work as a party organizer and in 1951 made national headline news when she was arrested for "advocating the overthrow of the government." She was later called before the House Un-American Activities Committee
for her work as a party organizer. The U.S. government tried unsuccessfully to denaturalize her and deprive her of citizenship for such activities.
Kim Chernin was also active in the Party
, organizing in the Labor Youth League
and, upon graduation from high school, traveling to Moscow for the Seventh World Festival of Youth and Students
. In her memoir, In My Mother's House, Chernin writes:
Chernin moved to Berkeley
to attend the University of California, Berkeley
and married David Netboy at the age of 18. In 1963, her only child, Larissa, was born while she was studying at Trinity College, Dublin
. She divorced seven years later, subsequently also marrying and divorcing Robert Cantor, before settling into a long-term relationship with her current partner Renate Stendhal
, with whom she co-wrote Sex and Other Sacred Games and Cecilia Bartoli: The Passion of Song. She currently lives in Point Reyes
, California
, where she writes and works as a psychotherapist. She is a guest instructor at the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute. She has been featured on radio, including National Public Radio.
Chernin has written a trilogy of books about women and eating disorder
s, Obsession: Reflections on the Tyranny of Slenderness, The Hungry Self: Women, Eating and Identity, and Reinventing Eve: Modern Woman in Search of Herself.
In The Flame Bearers, which was a 1987 New York Times Notable Book, Chernin challenges women's exclusion from traditional Judaism
. Chernin creates the Flame Bearers, a sect of women who are Jewish, yet not traditional observers; when these women read the Holy Book, they reconstruct Old Testament stories to reassert the days before women were excluded from Orthodoxy.
In My Mother's House describes the mother-to-daughter bonding between generations of Chernin women, effected through Rose's telling of tales and through daughter Kim's ability to set them down. Of In My Mother's House, Chernin says: "Writing that book I was . . . preoccupied with the struggle to be different from my mother."
Cecilia Bartoli: The Passion of Song is a biography of Cecilia Bartoli
, the opera
singer and recitalist, written with Renate Stendhal.
Chernin's work has frequently been praised by renowned feminist writer Alice Walker
. Her papers were acquired by the Schlesinger Library
of Harvard University
in 2003.
Her latest book, Everywhere a Guest, Nowhere at Home: A New Vision of Israel
and Palestine
, was released on September 1, 2009.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
ist. She has published fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
Biography
Kim Chernin was born on May 7, 1940, in the BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York. Her parents, Rose Chernin and Paul Kusnitz, were Russian-born Jewish immigrants who were Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
organizers for much of their lives. Chernin's childhood was influenced by the death of her older sister, Nina, to Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes...
.
Shortly after Nina's death, the Chernin family relocated to Los Angeles to be near relatives. Her mother resumed full-time work as a party organizer and in 1951 made national headline news when she was arrested for "advocating the overthrow of the government." She was later called before the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
for her work as a party organizer. The U.S. government tried unsuccessfully to denaturalize her and deprive her of citizenship for such activities.
Kim Chernin was also active in the Party
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
, organizing in the Labor Youth League
Young Communist League, USA
The Young Communist League USA is the fraternal youth organization of the Communist Party USA. Although the name of the group has changed a number of times over the years, it dates its lineage back to 1920, shortly after the establishment of the first communist parties in America.-Early years:The...
and, upon graduation from high school, traveling to Moscow for the Seventh World Festival of Youth and Students
World Festival of Youth and Students
The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event, organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth , a left-wing youth organization, jointly with the International Union of Students since 1947....
. In her memoir, In My Mother's House, Chernin writes:
Chernin moved to Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
to attend the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and married David Netboy at the age of 18. In 1963, her only child, Larissa, was born while she was studying at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. She divorced seven years later, subsequently also marrying and divorcing Robert Cantor, before settling into a long-term relationship with her current partner Renate Stendhal
Renate Stendhal
Renate Stendhal is a Lambda Literary Award-winning writer, counselor and writing coach. Born in Germany, she spent half of her adult life in Paris and the other half in California where she works in private practice.- Biography :During her school years in Berlin and Hamburg, Renate Stendhal...
, with whom she co-wrote Sex and Other Sacred Games and Cecilia Bartoli: The Passion of Song. She currently lives in Point Reyes
Point Reyes
Point Reyes is a prominent cape on the Pacific coast of northern California. It is located in Marin County approximately WNW of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where she writes and works as a psychotherapist. She is a guest instructor at the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute. She has been featured on radio, including National Public Radio.
Writing
Kim Chernin's work spans a number of different genres: memoir, fiction, poetry, psychological study, and a study of women's search for self.Chernin has written a trilogy of books about women and eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s, Obsession: Reflections on the Tyranny of Slenderness, The Hungry Self: Women, Eating and Identity, and Reinventing Eve: Modern Woman in Search of Herself.
In The Flame Bearers, which was a 1987 New York Times Notable Book, Chernin challenges women's exclusion from traditional Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. Chernin creates the Flame Bearers, a sect of women who are Jewish, yet not traditional observers; when these women read the Holy Book, they reconstruct Old Testament stories to reassert the days before women were excluded from Orthodoxy.
In My Mother's House describes the mother-to-daughter bonding between generations of Chernin women, effected through Rose's telling of tales and through daughter Kim's ability to set them down. Of In My Mother's House, Chernin says: "Writing that book I was . . . preoccupied with the struggle to be different from my mother."
Cecilia Bartoli: The Passion of Song is a biography of Cecilia Bartoli
Cecilia Bartoli
Cecilia Bartoli is an Italian coloratura mezzo-soprano opera singer and recitalist. She is best-known for her interpretation of the music of Mozart and Rossini, as well as for her performances of lesser-known Baroque and classical music...
, the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer and recitalist, written with Renate Stendhal.
Chernin's work has frequently been praised by renowned feminist writer Alice Walker
Alice Walker
Alice Malsenior Walker is an American author, poet, and activist. She has written both fiction and essays about race and gender...
. Her papers were acquired by the Schlesinger Library
Schlesinger Library
The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America is a research library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. According to Nancy F...
of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 2003.
Her latest book, Everywhere a Guest, Nowhere at Home: A New Vision of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, was released on September 1, 2009.
Non-fiction
- The Obsession: Reflections on the Tyranny of Slenderness: Harper & Row (1981); ISBN 0060925051
- The Hungry Self: Women, Eating and Identity: Times Books (1985); ISBN 0060925043
- Reinventing Eve: Modern Woman in Search of Herself: Times Books (1987); ISBN 0060925035
- The Woman Who Gave Birth to Her Mother: Viking (1998); ISBN 0140284664
- Seven Pillars of Jewish Denial: Shekinah, Wagner, and the Politics of the Small: North Atlantic Books (March 2, 2004); ISBN 1556434863
- Everywhere a Guest, Nowhere at Home: A New Vision of Israel and Palestine: North Atlantic Books (September 1, 2009); ISBN 1556438206
Fiction
- The Flame Bearers: A Novel: Random House (1986); ISBN 0060971134
- Sex and Other Sacred Games: Crown (July 1, 1989); ISBN 081291676X (with Renate Stendhal)
- The Girl Who Went and Saw and Came Back: Edgework Books; (February 2002); ISBN 1931223009
Memoirs
- In My Mother's House: Ticknor & Fields (1983); ISBN 193156132X
- Crossing the Border: An Erotic Autobiography: The Women's Press Ltd (October 13, 1994); ISBN 0704344149
- A Different Kind of Listening: My Psychoanalysis and Its Shadow: Perennial (January 1996); ISBN 0060926899
- In My Father's Garden: A Daughter's Search for a Spiritual Life: Algonquin Books (January 7, 1996); ISBN 1565121007
- My Life as a Boy: A Woman's Story: Algonquin Books (January 5, 1997); ISBN 1565121635
Biography
- Cecilia Bartoli: The Passion of Song: Trafalgar Square Publishing; (November 1999); ISBN 0704346230 (with Renate Stendhal)