Synopses & Reviews
Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880and#150;1940) was a man of huge paradoxes and contradictions and has been the most misunderstood of all Zionist politicians--a first-rate novelist, a celebrated Russian journalist, and the founder of the branch of Zionism now headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. This biography, the first in English in nearly two decades, undertakes to answer central questions about Jabotinsky as a writer, a political thinker, and a leader. Hillel Halkin sets aside the stereotypes to which Jabotinsky has been reduced by his would-be followers and detractors alike.
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Halkin explains the importance of Odessa, Jabotinskyand#8217;s native city, in molding his character and outlook; discusses his novels and short stories, showing the sometimes hidden connections between them and Jabotinskyand#8217;s political thought, and studies a political career that ended in tragic failure. Halkin also addresses Jabotinskyand#8217;s position, unique among the great figures of Zionist history, as both a territorial maximalist and a principled believer in democracy. The author inquires why Jabotinsky was often accused of fascist tendencies though he abhorred authoritarian and totalitarian politics, and investigates the many opposed aspects of his personality and conduct while asking whether or not they had an ultimate coherence. Few figures in twentieth-century Jewish life were quite so admired and loathed, and Halkinand#8217;s splendid, subtle book explores him with empathy and lucidity.
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Review
andquot;For many, [this book] will open up a man and his ideas whose influence is still felt today and who had an important role in the ideological struggles that shaped the Zionist movement and the modern Jewish state.andquot;andmdash;Chicago Jewish Star
Review
"Hillel Halkin has done the impossible: He has gracefully condensed the story of this complex tragic figure into a page-turner that is at once concise and a rattling good read."and#8212;FrontPage Magazine
Review
"Mr. Halkin's book paints a rich portrait . . . Showing Jabotinsky as a farsighted and profound moral thinker, Mr. Halkin places him at the intersection of philosophy and practical political action."—Douglas J. Feith, Wall Street Journal Douglas J. Feith
Review
"In his engaging and intelligent biography, Hillel Halkin, himself a brilliant Zionist man of letters—translator, novelist and essayist—illuminates Jabotinsky's multifaceted nature as a littérateur and polemicist, political thinker and activist, family man and frustrated politician."—Douglas J. Feith, Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal
Review
"Mr. Halkin's book presents [Jabotinsky] in all his hardheaded but humane complexity."and#8212;Douglas J. Feith, Wall Street Journal
Review
andquot;Given the war, or rather, wars, roiling the Middle East, this is a particularly good time to rethink the legacy of Zionist leader Vladmir Jabotinsky, as Hillel Halkin invites readers to do in his compact and evocative new biography.andquot;andmdash;Harvey Blume, Arts Fuse
Review
andquot;[An] excellent biography . . . Halkin, an award-winning writer, critic, and translator, sets Jabotinsky, who was born in 1880, in the context of his time.andquot;andmdash;Jacob Heilbrunn, Washington Monthly
Review
andquot;A beautifully written short biography of an exceedingly interesting man: a novelist, translator, poet, playwright, journalist, polemicist, and probably the most remarkable public speaker in modern Jewish life. Halkinandrsquo;s account of him is credible and vivid.andquot;andmdash;Avishai Margalit, New York Review of Books
Review
andquot;Concise and highly readable.andquot;andmdash;Jerusalem Post
Review
andquot;An intellectually deep book which is insightful and historic andndash; and worthwhile reading for anyone interested in Zionist history and the life of a great Jewish hero. Every Jewish library needs a copy of Jabotinsky: A Life By Hillel Halkin.andquot;andmdash;San Diego Jewish World
Review
andquot;A revelatory exploration of Vladimir Jabotinsky.andquot;andmdash;Jewish Chronicle
Review
andquot;Halkinandrsquo;s exquisite translation strikingly reveals the personal side of a man so often vilified in the press for his uncompromising political stands. In a similar way, Halkinandrsquo;s literary criticism offers unparalleled insights into little known aspects of Jabotinskyandrsquo;s career, and his discussion of the Jabotinskyandrsquo;s novel, The Five . . . is probably the best analysis of the novel to date.andquot;andmdash;Times of Israel
Review
andquot;Remarkable . . . Deftly traces and provides new insight into Jabotinskyand#39;s journey from Odessa childhood to Italian University dandy to renowned journalist to Zionist icon. Reading Halkinand#39;s book confirms Jabotinskyandrsquo;s place as the 20th centuryandrsquo;s most prescient Jewish political thinker.andquot;andmdash;Jewish Week Well-Versed Blog
Review
andquot;The author uses Jabotinskyandrsquo;s literary works to analyze his character. At the outset, Halkin describes for the reader the problems of Eastern European Jewry, while creating a link to Jabotinsky and events that influenced and shaped his views. In so doing, he creates a broad perspective on Jabotinskyandrsquo;s character and the events in his life. The book is unique in that Halkin enables readers to understand the link betweenandnbsp;Jabotinskyandrsquo;s literary writings, his political ideas, and his lifestyle.andquot;andmdash;Israel Journal of Foreign Affairsandnbsp;
Synopsis
An insightful new biography of the most controversial and perhaps most fervent of all Zionist political figures
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Synopsis
An insightful new biography of the most controversial and perhaps most fervent of all Zionist political figures
Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880-1940) was a man of huge paradoxes and contradictions and has been the most misunderstood of all Zionist politicians--a first-rate novelist, a celebrated Russian journalist, and the founder of the branch of Zionism now headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. This biography, the first in English in nearly two decades, undertakes to answer central questions about Jabotinsky as a writer, a political thinker, and a leader. Hillel Halkin sets aside the stereotypes to which Jabotinsky has been reduced by his would-be followers and detractors alike.
Halkin explains the importance of Odessa, Jabotinsky's native city, in molding his character and outlook; discusses his novels and short stories, showing the sometimes hidden connections between them and Jabotinsky's political thought, and studies a political career that ended in tragic failure. Halkin also addresses Jabotinsky's position, unique among the great figures of Zionist history, as both a territorial maximalist and a principled believer in democracy. The author inquires why Jabotinsky was often accused of fascist tendencies though he abhorred authoritarian and totalitarian politics, and investigates the many opposed aspects of his personality and conduct while asking whether or not they had an ultimate coherence. Few figures in twentieth-century Jewish life were quite so admired and loathed, and Halkin's splendid, subtle book explores him with empathy and lucidity.
Synopsis
From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an insightful new biography of Vladimir Jabotinsky, the most controversial and perhaps most fervent of all Zionist political figures "A well-written, passionate survey of Jabotinsky's life and contributions to political Zionism."--Jeffrey Veidlinger, Marginalia Blog, Los Angeles Review of Books "For many, this book] will open up a man and his ideas whose influence is still felt today and who had an important role in the ideological struggles that shaped the Zionist movement and the modern Jewish state."--Chicago Jewish Star
Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880-1940) was a man of huge paradoxes and contradictions and has been the most misunderstood of all Zionist politicians--a first-rate novelist, a celebrated Russian journalist, and the founder of the branch of Zionism now headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. This biography, the first in English in nearly two decades, undertakes to answer central questions about Jabotinsky as a writer, a political thinker, and a leader. Hillel Halkin sets aside the stereotypes to which Jabotinsky has been reduced by his would-be followers and detractors alike.
Halkin explains the importance of Odessa, Jabotinsky's native city, in molding his character and outlook; discusses his novels and short stories, showing the sometimes hidden connections between them and Jabotinsky's political thought, and studies a political career that ended in tragic failure. Halkin also addresses Jabotinsky's position, unique among the great figures of Zionist history, as both a territorial maximalist and a principled believer in democracy. The author inquires why Jabotinsky was often accused of fascist tendencies though he abhorred authoritarian and totalitarian politics, and investigates the many opposed aspects of his personality and conduct while asking whether or not they had an ultimate coherence. Few figures in twentieth-century Jewish life were quite so admired and loathed, and Halkin's splendid, subtle book explores him with empathy and lucidity.About Jewish Lives:
Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.
In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.
More praise for Jewish Lives:
"Excellent" -New York Times
"Exemplary" -Wall Street Journal
"Distinguished" -New Yorker
"Superb" -The Guardian
Synopsis
An insightful biography of Vladimir Jabotinsky, the most controversial and perhaps most fervent of all Zionist political figures "A well-written, passionate survey of Jabotinsky's life and contributions to political Zionism."--Jeffrey Veidlinger, Marginalia Blog, Los Angeles Review of Books
"For many, this book] will open up a man and his ideas whose influence is still felt today and who had an important role in the ideological struggles that shaped the Zionist movement and the modern Jewish state."--Chicago Jewish Star
Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880-1940) was a man of huge paradoxes and contradictions and has been the most misunderstood of all Zionist politicians--a first-rate novelist, a celebrated Russian journalist, and the founder of the branch of Zionism now headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. This biography, the first in English in nearly two decades, undertakes to answer central questions about Jabotinsky as a writer, a political thinker, and a leader. Hillel Halkin sets aside the stereotypes to which Jabotinsky has been reduced by his would-be followers and detractors alike.
Halkin explains the importance of Odessa, Jabotinsky's native city, in molding his character and outlook; discusses his novels and short stories, showing the sometimes hidden connections between them and Jabotinsky's political thought, and studies a political career that ended in tragic failure. Halkin also addresses Jabotinsky's position, unique among the great figures of Zionist history, as both a territorial maximalist and a principled believer in democracy. The author inquires why Jabotinsky was often accused of fascist tendencies though he abhorred authoritarian and totalitarian politics, and investigates the many opposed aspects of his personality and conduct while asking whether or not they had an ultimate coherence. Few figures in twentieth-century Jewish life were quite so admired and loathed, and Halkin's splendid, subtle book explores him with empathy and lucidity.
About the Author
Hillel Halkin is a writer, critic, and translator. He is the author of Across the Sabbath River and Yehuda Halevi, both of which won the National Jewish Book Award. His most recent book is Melisande! What Are Dreams? He lives in Israel.