The Salvation of Yasch Siemens explained

The Salvation of Yasch Siemens is the first novel by the Canadian author Armin Wiebe.^[1] The book tells the story of Yasch and his love interest Oata set in the fictional Mennonite community of Gutenthal. The book, published by Turnstone Press, was shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour and was an important milestone in Mennonite literature, being one of the first Mennonite novels in English to incorporate humour.^[2] The book is also known for its Plautdietschisms.^[3] Wiebe followed up the book with five more novels set in Gutenthal. A thirty-fifth anniversary edition of The Salvation of Yasch Siemens was published by Turnstone in 2019 with an afterword by Nathan Dueck.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Reviewing Journal of Canadian Materials for Young People. The Salvation of Yasch Siemens. Patrick Dunn. 1985.
   - Journal of Mennonite Studies. The Salvation of Yasch Siemens, A Second Reading. Frank Michael Strauss. 2009.
2. Encyclopedia: Humor. The Mennonite Encyclopedia. 1990. Katie Funk Wiebe.
3. Encyclopedia: Dialect Literature and Speech, Low German. The Mennonite Encyclopedia. 1990. Al Reimer.
4. Web site: Salvation of Yasch Siemens. Turnstone Press. February 28, 2020.