Digitizing History: Palestine Broadcasting Service, 1936-1948

BOOKS AND BOOK REVIEWS

Each of the three language departments, English, Hebrew and Arabic, presented their respective audiences with book review programs.

ENGLISH

portrait of Rae Cornes, presenter of Listener's Bookshelf portrait of Heather Teague, presenter of Listener's Bookshelf portrait of Margaret Greig, presenter of Listener's Bookshelf portrait of Ralph Windham, presenter of Listener's Bookshelf portrait of Stephen Sherman, presenter of Listener's Bookshelf
Rae Cornes Heather Teague Margaret Greig Ralph Windham Stephen Sherman

Listeners' Bookshelf, ("Liyad Madaph Hasepharim") a monthly review of books was one of the first of PBS's broadcasts in English on that genre. The first broadcast, November 1, 1938, was presented by Rae Cornes. There were other presenters for this program. Sometimes working in tandem other times as individuals: Ralph Windham, lawyer/judge by profession; Margaret Greig; Stephen Sherman.

"Not satisfied with furnishing listeners with comprehensive and most excellent political surveys in both English and Hebrew, the PBS has scheduled for the coming week a "Literary Bookshelf" to appease those appetites among listeners who are more literary than political-minded. On Tuesday evening [November 1, 1938] at 9:30 pm Rae Cornes, the young and talented wife of the Acting Public Information Officer, will review certain of the books of the month."
Source: Notes and Comments, Jerusalem Radio, Volume 1, No. 5, October 28, 1938, page 4.

Schedules of the early programs of the Listeners' Bookshelf: (listed below)

9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Tuesday, November 1, 1938: Presented by Ray Cornes
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, December 9, 1938, presented by Rae Cornes and Ralph Windham
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Wednesday, December 28, 1938, presented by Rae Cornes and Ralph Windham
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Wednesday, January 4, 1939, presented by Rae Cornes
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Thursday, February 16, 1939, presented by Rae Cornes and Ralph Windham
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Thursday, March 13, 1939, presented by Rae Cornes and Ralph Windham
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Thursday, March 27, 1939, presented by Rae Cornes
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Thursday, April 20, 1939, a book review presented by Margaret Greig and Ralph Windham
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Tuesday, May 23, 1939, presented by Heather Teague
9:30 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Wednesday, June 28, 1939, presented by Heather Teague and Stephan Sherman
9:15 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Thursday, August 3, 1939, presented by Heather Teague
9:00 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Wednesday, September 13, 1939
9:00 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Monday, October 9, 1939, presented by Heather Teague
9:00 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Tuesday, October 31, 1939, presented by Heather Teague
9:00 pm: Listeners' Bookshelf, Thursday, January 4 , 1940, presented by Heather Teague

HEBREW

There was also a Hebrew weekly book review series called "Sepher Hashavuah" (Book of the Week) that began in November 1945.

ARABIC

An Arab Book review series "Your Arabic Bookshelf" was broadcast from 1940s.

While there is no evidence that the PBS paid for translations, a quick glance of some of the books being translated into Hebrew in the 1940s time will show that these books could easily form a core collection of any British Council library or American Consulate library at that time. This could be another opening for a conversation between British officials and local leaders. Not much response if you begin a conversation about a book the contact has never heard of, nor cares about, yet the book is part of British or American culture.
Here is short list of authors that also appeared one way or other in book reviews in Hagalgal magazine, and or in radio broadcasts:
Jonathan Swift (Anglo-Irish Satirist)
Mark Twain (American)
Oscar Wilde (British)
William Sorayan (American)
William Shakespeare (British)
John Galsworthy
Dorothy Parker (American)
George Orwell (British)
J.B. Priestley (British playwright)
Robert Greenwood (British)
John Strachey (British)
John Steinbeck (American)
Talbot Baine Reed (British)
W. Somerset Maugham (British)
Saki (H.H. Munro)(British)
John Habberton (American)
H. G. Wells (British)
George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright)
Mahatma Gandhi (Indian)
Penguin Books (British soft cover book publisher)

Hagalgal V2 N13P19, Gullivers Travels
Gulliver's Travels

While there is no known direct link to any particular book translation program, a look at what British and American books were being published and what movies were being screened at the time is quite revealing. Just taking one publisher Am-Oved under editorialship of Berl Katznelson at the time, there is some interesting works that were translated in Hebrew. Katznelson was impressed with the writings of British writers such as J. B. Priestley's Daylight on Saturday; Robert Greenwood's, Mr. Bunting; the writings of John Strachey; and Talbot Baines Reed's The Willoughby Captains; and American writer John Steinbeck's The Moon is Down ; among others, all translated into Hebrew and reviewed in one or another of PBS's publications. The Moon is Down was also made into war movie that was doing the rounds in cinemas at that time.
In the case of Talbot Reed's book, Am Oved actually mistakenly named the author in the book itself as "R. Talbot", when in fact Talbot was the author's first name . The mistake was carried over to the school booklet "Hasket V'Haskel" ("Listen and Learn") where the book was reviewed as being suitable for high school students.

Further reading

Book of the Week: Click Here