Death of a Holy Land: Reflections in Contemporary Israeli Fiction, by Rose Levinson, uses the work of four contemporary Israeli authors as a lens into present-day Israel. Discussing the novels of Orly Castel-Bloom, Michal Govrin, Zeruya Shalev, and Yoram Kaniuk, the book argues for a new understanding of today's Israel. Crucial to renewed awareness is a view of the country that jettisons the notion of Israel as an exceptional, sacred state immune from 21st century discontents. Attention is focused on ways in which many of Israel's most pressing problems are linked to long-standing issues of Jewish identity. Continual reference to the novels gives weight and substance to Death of a Holy Land's underlying insistence on the need for a critical view of Israel as a country deeply ill-at-ease with itself.

Auteur
Rose Levinson, Ph.D. teaches courses relevant to Jewish identity at the University of San Francisco where she is Adjunct Professor. Active in contributing to dialogue around cultural shifts, she co-wrote A Place inthe Tent: Intermarriage and Conservative Judaism which argues for inclusion of intermarried families in Jewish communal life.

Contenu

Acknowledgments Introduction: Loosening the Ties that Bind Chapter 1: In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Yoram Kaniuk The Mask of Madness (Adam Resurrected) The Triumph of Death (His Daughter) Chapter 2: Chaos and Jerusalem's Discontents: Orly Castel-Bloom Laughter Amidst the Ruins (Dolly City) No Place to Go (Human Parts) Chapter 3: God, Text, and the Holy Land: Michal Govrin And God Destroyed Woman (The Name) God the Father, Father the God (Snapshots) Chapter 4: The Demise of the New Jew: Zeruya Shalev Love in a Time of Woe (Love Life) Things Fall Apart (Husband and Wife) Conclusion: Towards New Narratives Afterword References Index About the Author