At the end of my last post, I mentioned a new book for which we attended an informal symposium. Since I've spent my time here preparing a new course, I have obviously compiled a reading list for my future students, as well as a collection of journal articles, book chapters, and on-line resources for their use in the class. But there's plenty to read outside of class, so to speak. I've used the opportunity of our stay in Israel to collect some books that are not easily available in the US, not least due to the difficulty in acquiring non-religious, Hebrew-language books outside of Israel.
So here's what's new on my shelf, with some excerpts of the blurbs that their publishers have given to describe them:
In the geopolitical context of the Holy Land, the combination of historical events, myths, and traditions has created an extraordinary concentration of holy places. Because of their supreme religious importance, many of these places have become arenas of bitter struggle between competing groups of religions and communities. The Israeli Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale focuses on this complex, fragile system of coexistence between rivals that has been established in the 19th Century: the Status Quo. The comprehensive publication opens a contemporary discussion of the topic, focusing on five major holy sites that encapsulate the spatio-political phenomenon of the Status Quo.
(Exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum)
The architecture of the Museum's buildings throughout the years, from Dizengoff's House on Rothschild Boulevard to the Herta and Paul Amir Building, is the focus of this experiential exhibition. Five key moments in the Museum's history are presented through five architectural prisms, providing two different and complementary viewpoints that turn these moments into a complete cultural continuum.
(Description of the exhibition in ArtDaily)
The catalog, edited by curator Sofia Dekel and beautifully designed by Chava Mordohovich, establishes Reznik's niche in the history of Israeli architecture and accentuates his standing as one of the most important architects in the country... It also provides an excellent opportunity to study how ideas widespread in the international arena took root in the unique socio-cultural reality of Israel. (Excerpt from haAretz)
Aphoria: Architecture of Independence
אפוריה: ארכיטקטורה של עצמאות
“Aphoria” – a combination of the words “gray” and “euphoria” in Hebrew – is a study Hoffman and Nevo-Goldberst conducted on Brutalist architecture in Tel Aviv, in a bid to raise awareness of its architectural values and the local context that generated it. The book, which also looks to preserve the period’s heritage, is a continuation of previous discussions of the international architectural style – Bauhaus – in Tel Aviv, which has become an acceptable value, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a lever for raising local real estate prices.
In 1954, Shimon Povzner left his position in the architects' office of Arieh Sharon and Benjamin Idelson, on his way to an extensive career that will last for more than four decades. In this formative period of building the institutions of the new state, Povzner... participated in the planning of the National Library in Givat Ram and in the planning of the Knesset building in Jerusalem.
[The show] explores avant-garde trends in Russian art during the 20th century, focusing on the emergence of the art movements that accompanied the historical and political upheavals in the country. Beginning with Kazimir Malevich’s radical revolution in art prior to the year 1920, the exhibition emphasizes his Suprematist period and its significant influence on generations of prominent artists up to the present day.
Tel Aviv Noir exposes through short fiction the seamier sides of the Israeli city known as “the Bubble.” ... Tel Aviv Noir exposes through short fiction the seamier sides of the Israeli city known as “the Bubble.” Akashic has previously published “Noir” volumes focused on some 70 other cities, including more obvious candidates like Las Vegas, Miami, and Manila. The 14 stories in Tel Aviv Noir, all original and commissioned for this volume, are divided into three categories: Encounter, Estrangements and Corpses. Keret and Gavron agreed that a major goal of the anthology was to bring a younger generation of writers to English-speaking audiences.
(Article in Berkshire Jewish Voice)
Graphic memoir by French-Jewish and Russian-Jewish duo depicts State Visionary Herzl in his later years, but also during his rough and tumble days as a Viennese student; novel juxtaposes Herzl's story with that of a young Russian boy escaping pogroms in 1882 Russia.
...
The creators of the graphic novel, a Russian and a French Jew, combined the story of Ilia Brodsky, a boy who together with his sister escaped the pogroms of 1882 Russia, with the story of Herzl and recreated both the iconic image of the visionary standing in the balcony of a Basel hotel, but also scenes from the Austrian's raucous student life in Vienna.
Yes, It Was Splendidly Bad
These are the memoirs of Israeli-Yugoslavian journalist Raul Teitelbaum, father to Anat Teitelbaum and father-in-law to my former boss Daniel Assayag, who gave me the copy. The story of his time before, during, and after World War II should be fascinating, and I will look forward to learning something about life in the Yugoslavian state, cobbled together in the aftermath of the Great War...
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