''The Salvation of Yasch Siemens'' is the first novel by the Canadian author Armin Wiebe. The book tells the story of Yasch and his love interest Oata set in the fictional

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radi ...

community of Gutenthal. The book, published by

Turnstone Press Turnstone Press is a Canadian literary publisher founded in 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the oldest in Manitoba and among the most respected independent publishers in Canada. Turnstone was founded in 1976 by academics David Arnason, John Beaver, D ...

, was shortlisted for the

Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, published or self ...

and was an important milestone in

Mennonite literature Mennonite literature emerged in the mid-to-late 20th century as both a literary movement and a distinct genre. Mennonite literature refers to literary works created by or about Mennonites. Definition Mennonite literature, in the modern sense, usua ...

, being one of the first Mennonite novels in English to incorporate humour. The book is also known for its Plautdietschisms. 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.

References

1984 Canadian novels Novels set in Manitoba {{Canada-novel-stub