"[A] profound, subtle, and deeply moving book."—Boston Globe
"Roskies's work, densely argued, richly allusive, exemplary in its far-ranging scholarship, is itself a deeply felt response to the Holocaust and its memories; an affirmation of continuities as well as violent endings."—Times Literary Supplement
"Eloquent and moving . . . Against the Apocalypse documents a virtually unknown chapter in the history of the refusal of Jews throughout the ages to surrender."—New York Times Book Review
Description
Against the Apocalypse explores how Jewish communities have historically responded to catastrophe, particularly through literature, memory, and cultural traditions. The book examines the resilience and creativity of Jewish writers and thinkers in the face of destruction, from ancient times to the Holocaust. Roskies delves into themes of mourning, survival, and the refusal to surrender, offering a scholarly yet deeply moving analysis of Jewish responses to historical trauma.
About the Author
David G. Roskies is the Sol and Evelyn Henkind Chair in Yiddish Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Against the Apocalypse is the winner of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award of Phi Beta Kappa.
6 x 9, 388 pages, 22 black and white illustrations
December 1999