Description
Book SynopsisA microhistory of the Zionist utopian project, its broader theoretical debates, and its struggles through the idea of melancholy for democratic opposition or dissent.
Trade ReviewLebovic reveals a great deal about the work of Zarchi and the melancholic mindset of an entire generation of contemporary Israelis. . . . Highly recommended.
* Choice *
Lebovic's main line of argumentation in the book is original and interesting. The monograph is a compelling contribution to the literary history of Hebrew prose. . . . The monograph . . . subtly unearths a voice in Hebrew literature that resonates with Israeli left-winged politics while differing from its major standpoints.
* Political Theology *
It is the unique nature of Zarchi's melancholy that Lebovic aims to explore and explicate. This literary and, for Lebovic, political topic here receives scholarly attention for the first time.
-- Orit Rozin, Tel Aviv University * Hebrew Studies *
While Zarchi's sizable oeuvre garnered critical attention, no systematic study of his life and work exists. Nitzan Lebovic's Zionism and Melancholy: The Short Life of Israel Zarchi helps fill this gap, and through an exploration of Zarchi's archive and interviews with family members, it presents previously unknown information about Zarchi's life and work. Lebovic's book is noteworthy for this reason alone.
* Reading Religion *
Lebovic's book reflects (not without irony) his own attempt to restore Zarchi's work and offers a new reading of his oeuvre. The result is a splendid essay, learned and diligent.
* Psychoanalysis and History *
Table of ContentsList of Israel Zarchi's Works under Discussion
Preface
Introduction
1. The History of a Failure
2. The Early Novels
3. Jerusalem, Messianism, Emptiness
4. Political Theology and Left-Wing Melancholy
5. In an Unsown Land
6. The History and Theory of the Melancholic Discourse
7. The Revival of Hebrew: Utopia, Indistinction, Recurrence
Afterword
Selected Bibliography
Index
