Gershon Shaked z”l

I don’t mean to start the post-holiday period with death notices, but the great Israeli literary critic Gershon Shaked died last week.

Shaked was the cartographer of Hebrew literature: He examined the changes that Hebrew literature underwent over the past century from historical, social and cultural perspectives. He mapped local writings, defined generations of Israeli authors, shaped the literary canon and taught and influenced authors and literary critics. For years, Shaked has been considered the leading international authority on Israeli literature. He published more than 20 books and hundreds of articles.  (MORE)

For an introduction to his work, you can read this MJL article about the Israeli “New Wave.”

Discover More

European Jewish Literature

The writings of Ashkenazic Jewry spans several languages and centuries.

Tillie Olsen z”l

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted an event at the 92nd Street Y with the writer Alice Mattison. When ...

Yiddish, Ladino & Other European Literature

Because many Jewish writers wrote in German, Russian, French, and other European languages, what we call "European Jewish literature" overlaps with European literature as a whole.