The Lady of Hebrew and Her Lovers of Zion

by Hillel Halkin

Overview

A number of major Hebrew authors, writing in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, had a huge impact on the evolution of the modern Hebrew language and on the emergence of Zionism as a his­toric force in Jewish life. Yet Hebrew novelists, essayists, and poets like Joseph Perl, Peretz Smolenskin, Ahad Ha’am, Micha Yosef Berdichevsky, Chaim Nachman Bialik, Rahel, Yosef Chaim Brenner, and S. Y. Agnon are far from being of only historical significance. All were highly accomplished writers who owe their place in the pantheon of modern Hebrew literature to the skill, depth, and power of their work. In The Lady of Hebrew and Her Lovers of Zion, acclaimed Jewish writer and master translator Hillel Halkin offers a glimpse of these authors and their writing in a captivating work of literary criticism, intellectual history, virtuoso translation, and personal reflection all in one.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613291863
Publisher:	The Toby Press, LLC
Publication date:	04/15/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Hillel Halkin is an American-born Israeli translator, biographer, literary critic, and novelist, who has lived in Israel since 1970. Halkin writes frequently on Israel and Jewish culture and politics. His articles have been published in Commentary, The New Republic, The Jerusalem Post and other publications. Under the pseudonym "Philologos," he writes a bi-weekly column on Jewish languagesin Mosaic Magazine. He is a member of the editorial board of the Jewish Review of Books.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Chapter 1 Josef Perl and His Merrie Hasidim 1

Chapter 2 Avraham Mapu and the Lady of Hebrew 27

Chapter 3 Smolenskin's Stagecoach 55

Chapter 4 The Poet's Toil of Yehuda Leib Gordon 87

Chapter 5 Ahad Ha'am Writes a Book Review 125

Chapter 6 Micha Yosef Berdichevsky, the Last Jew 159

Chapter 7 The One and Several Mendeles 199

Chapter 8 He Who Could Have Set the World on Fire: Chaim Nachman Bialik 231

Chapter 9 Oved Etsot Meets Aryeh Lapidot: Yosef Chaim Brenner and A. D. Gordon 289

Chapter 10 Rahel at the Well 333

Chapter 11 Agnon's Tale of Two Cities 365

Chapter 12 Closing Thoughts 409

About the Author 427