In this Book
- Exile from Exile: Israeli Writers from Iraq
- Book
- 1996
- Published by: State University of New York Press
- Series: SUNY series in Israeli Studies
summary
The standard histories of Israeli literature limit the canon, virtually ignoring those who came to Israel from Jewish communities in the Middle East. By focusing on the work of Iraqi-born authors, this book offers a fundamental rethinking of the canon and of Israeli literary history. The story of these writers challenges common conceptions of exile and Zionist redemption. At the heart of this book lies the paradox that the dream of ingathering the exiles has made exiles of the ingathered. Upon arriving in Israel, these writers had to decide whether to continue writing in their native language, Arabic, or begin in a new language, Hebrew. The author reveals how Israeli works written in Arabic depict different memories of Iraq from those written in Hebrew. In addition, her analysis of the early novels of Hebrew writers set against the experience of “transit camps” (ma’abarot) argues for a re-evaluation of the significance of this neglected literary subgenre.
Table of Contents
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- Title Page, Copyright, Dedication
- pp. iii-v
- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-xi
- Part One: THE LITERATURE OF EXILE AND IRAQI JEWISH WRITING
- 2. The Jewish Community in Iraq
- pp. 15-27
- Part Two: NARRATIVE WRITINGS OF THE IRAQI JEWS IN ISRAEL
- 4. The Choice of Language
- pp. 43-66
- 8. Conclusion
- pp. 151-156
- Bibliography
- pp. 191-205
- Index [Includes Back Cover]
- pp. 207-212
Additional Information
ISBN
9780791496428
MARC Record
OCLC
42854722
Pages
212
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No