In the face of death, we can find comfort and security in knowing that the Jewish tradition offers a set of mourning rituals to help us through our grief. This guide blends consolation with information. What happens at the funeral service? What is Kaddish? How is shiva observed? What is yahrzeit? Discover the meaning and compassion of the Jewish way of mourning, and begin to heal.
The twelfth-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes is a major figure in European literature. His courtly romances fathered the Arthurian tradition and influenced countless other poets in England as well as on the continent. Yet because of the difficulty of capturing his swift-moving style in translation, English-speaking audiences are largely unfamiliar with the pleasures of reading his poems. Now, for the first time, an experienced translator of medieval verse who is himself a poet provides a translation of Chrétien’s major poem, Yvain, in verse that fully and satisfyingly captures the movement, the sense, and the spirit of the Old French original. Yvain is a courtly romance with a moral tenor; it is ironic and sometimes bawdy; the poetry is crisp and vivid. In addition, the psychological and the socio-historical perceptions of the poem are of profound literary and historical importance, for it evokes the emotions and the values of a flourishing, vibrant medieval past.
In the middle of the First World War, the British War Cabinet approved and issued a statement in the form of a letter that encouraged the settlement of the Jewish people in Palestine. Signed by the Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, the Balfour Declaration remains one of the most important documents of the last hundred years. Jonathan Schneer explores the story behind the declaration and its unforeseen consequences that have shaped the modern world, placing it in context paying attention to the fascinating characters who conceived, opposed and plotted around it - among them Lloyd George, Lord Rothschild, T.E. Lawrence, Prince Faisal and Aubrey Herbert (the man who was 'Greenmantle'). The Balfour Declaration brings vividly to life the origins of one of the world's longest lasting and most damaging conflicts.
Drawing on private materials and extensive interviews, historian Lawrence J. Friedman illuminates the relationship between Erik Erikson's personal life and his notion of the life cycle and the identity crisis. --From publisher's description.
A unique analysis of the conflicting views toward Judaism reflected in the work of German philosophers Hegel and Nietzsche. Through his masterly analysis of the writings of both men, Yirmiyahu Yovel shows that anti-Jewish prejudice can exist alongside a philosophy of reason, while a philosophy of power must not necessarily be anti-Semitic.
In ‘Perilous Play’ we are thrust amongst a group of wealthy Southern Belles and boys on a particularly boring day, until a young doctor among them produces treats infused with cannabis. Taking them eagerly, the group soon finds themselves falling through a raucous, cannabis fuelled thrill ride with some almost fatal consequences. In many ways it is the 19th century equivalent of ‘Pineapple Express’ but with frocks and no Seth Rogen. Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an author, abolitionist and proud feminist. Her family suffered financially while she was growing up and so she was forced to take on multiple jobs in her youth to help provide for her family. Her writing became her outlet, forming her ideas and beliefs in the empowerment of women and people into literature that reverberates to this day. Her most notable works include "Little Women", which is now a movie starring Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet, its sequel ‘Little Men’ and ‘An Old Fashioned Girl’.
Chronicles the life of American ballet choreographer Jerome Robbins, discussing his career and private life, his Russian Jewish heritage, and his impact on dance and theater.
