Description: Challenging the notion that Jewish mysticism ceased to exist in the Hassidic enclaves of early nineteenth century Europe, Hamutal Bar-Yosef delves into the mystical elements of twentieth-century Israeli literature. Exploring themes such as unity, death, and sex, Bar-Yosef traces the influence and the trends towards secular mysticism found in Russian, Yiddish, and early Hebrew writers, and examines the impact of Zionism in creating a modern, living mystical literature.
Review Quotes: "Research in the field of literature and culture has yet to address, in any meaningful way, the question of the place of mysticism within Hebrew literature, a topic deserving of study. There have been some local, exploratory forays into the question of the mystical nature of various experiences described and designed as such in the works of specific writers. But so far, there has been no comprehensive study done that paints an entire picture of the mood, the kind of mystical experiences and given the new avenues of research introduced to us by Bar-Yosef, the contemporary and current garb worn by these mystical experiences - not limited to what is termed "the religious experience," but rather reaching new spheres of experience, such as the collective, the erotic, and new places where the designation of a mystical experience as such is itself one of the most salient characteristics of mysticism in contemporary Hebrew literature." --Zvi Mark, Bar Ilan University