Isaac Bashevis Singer ( November 21 , 1902 â `` July 24 , 1991 ) was a leading author in the Yiddish literature . Isaac Bashevis Singer ( ; November 21 , 1902 ( see notes below ) â `` July 24 , 1991 ) was a Jewish American author noted for his short stories . He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement , and received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1978 .