I’m teaching Isaac Bashevis’s story, “The Little Shoemakers” in my literature class today. In preparation, I came across this interview from the Paris Review.
It is true that I believe in miracles, or, rather, grace from heaven. But I believe in miracles in every area of life except writing. Experience has shown me that there are no miracles in writing. The only thing that produces good writing is hard work. It’s impossible to write a good story by carrying a rabbit’s foot in your pocket.
Nora Bonner 
I will be discussing and teaching his short story “Miracles,” tomorrow, following our Shabbat morning services. I believe this story points to the eternity of the Jewish People. We will never, can never, die. I am no religious fanatic– despite being both a rabbi (non-Orthodox) and an English college professor. Singer has strongly influenced my own writing, and I believe his work will endure forever. He has recreated a vanished world, which all Jews of European extraction must understand in order to survive. As for those who say, “He’s too much with the sex and the demons,” I answer, “Were it not for sex, you would not be here.” And demons represent either the misunderstood forces of nature and destiny, or the passions dwelling within every human being who chooses to interact with other human beings.