Elie Wiesel
Jewish, Literary, and Moral Perspectives
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Publisher Description
“Illuminating . . . 24 academic essays covering Wiesel’s interpretations of the Bible, retellings of Talmudic stories . . . his post-Holocaust theology, and more.” —Publishers Weekly
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel, best known for his writings on the Holocaust, is also the accomplished author of novels, essays, tales, and plays as well as portraits of seminal figures in Jewish life and experience. In this volume, leading scholars in the fields of Biblical, Rabbinic, Hasidic, Holocaust, and literary studies offer fascinating and innovative analyses of Wiesel’s texts as well as enlightening commentaries on his considerable influence as a teacher and as a moral voice for human rights. By exploring the varied aspects of Wiesel’s multifaceted career—his texts on the Bible, the Talmud, and Hasidism as well as his literary works, his teaching, and his testimony—this thought-provoking volume adds depth to our understanding of the impact of this important man of letters and towering international figure.
“This book reveals Elie Wiesel’s towering intellectual capacity, his deeply held spiritual belief system, and the depth of his emotional makeup.” —New York Journal of Books
“Close, scholarly readings of a master storyteller’s fiction, memoirs and essays suggest his uncommon breadth and depth . . . Criticism that enhances the appreciation of readers well-versed in the author’s work.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Navigating deftly among Wiesel’s varied scholarly and literary works, the authors view his writings from religious, social, political, and literary perspectives in highly accessible prose that will well serve a broad and diverse readership.” —S. Lillian Kremer author of Women’s Holocaust Writing: Memory and Imagination
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Elie Wiesel is best known for his humanitarian efforts and his memoirs detailing his experience as a Jew during the Holocaust especially in the Night Trilogy, comprising Night, Dawn, and Day. However, the Nobel laureate's oeuvre is far richer than that, as evidenced by this illuminating collection of 24 academic essays covering Wiesel's interpretations of the Bible, retellings of Talmudic stories, his role in Neo-Hasidism, his post-Holocaust theology, and more. Lay readers put off by academese (e.g., "Rabbinic interpretation... is not simply the free exercise of imagination but always in itself a kind of physiognomy of the biblical text") need not apply, though dedicated scholars will relish the thoughtful exegesis from experts such as Everett Fox, Arthur Green, and Irving Greenberg. Nancy Harrowitz, a professor at Boston University, weighs in with perhaps the most intriguing offering; in "Lot's Wife and A Plea for the Dead': Commemoration, Memory, and Shame," she examines Wiesel's idea that the familiar Biblical figure's choice to look back and engage with the past was a heroic one, and not an act of mindless disregard for the consequences. Indeed, this is a valuable look back on Wiesel's heroic authorial career.
