Description
Book SynopsisRabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) is widely considered to be one of the foremost visionary storytellers of the Hasidic movement. Howard Schwartz has compiled the most extensive collection of Nachman's stories in English yet. In addition to his famous Thirteen Tales, Schwartz includes here many stories, parables, dreams, and folktales.
Trade ReviewRecommended. * CHOICE *
Howard Schwartz's dedicated retelling of the tales of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, the visionary Hasidic storyteller, renders Nachman's allegoric wisdom and luminous insight in a clear, plain, transparent yet profoundly discerning voice. Through a remarkable fusion of intuition and scholarship, of love and learning, Schwartz recreates the genius of this metaphysical master for the contemporary reader. * Cynthia Ozick, author of Heir to the Glimmering World and The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories *
With A Palace of Pearls, Howard Schwartz has made a major contribution to the studies of Jewish cultural history and international folklore. This is the most complete and authentic collection of Rabbi Nachman's stories, going far beyond the famous thirteen fairy tales for which he is best known. Recalling the Kabballah and the secular tales of E. T. A. Hoffmann and Franz Kafka, Schwartz's splendid retellings are more relevant than ever in a world that appears to have lost its soul. * Jack Zipes, editor of The Sorcerer's Apprentice: An Anthology of Magical Tales *
The tales, parables, and dreams of Rabbi Nachman have inspired generations of readers and seekers. Now Howard Schwartz has fashioned the most complete collection imaginable, making these profound narrative teachings accessible to much wider circles. His skillful, sensitive retellings and his erudite, insightful commentary are precious contributions to the treasury of spiritual wisdom. * Daniel Matt, author of The Essential Kabbalah, God and the Big Bang, and The Zohar: Pritzker Edition *
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav is widely considered to be the greatest Jewish storyteller of all time. In this magnificent and comprehensive collection, Howard Schwartz has gathered Reb Nachman s tales, both known and unknown, told orally in Yiddish, and retold them as polished tales. Although the stories can be read as fairy tales or folktales, Schwartz s commentaries reveal the extensive kabbalistic foundation the stories are built on. The result is a book of stories that is fascinating and profound. * Peninnah Schram, author of Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another and Tales of Elijah the Prophet *
These stories put Nachman chronologically at the front of the line of great Jewish storytellers such as Sholem Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer... Lovers of good tales well told will find plenty of gems here. * Library Journal *
