Benjamin Disraeli (Jewish Encounters) (Hardcover)

by Adam Kirsch (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Schocken; 1 edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080524249X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805242492
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,063 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #2 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > British > Disraeli, Benjamin
  #11 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > U.K. Prime Ministers
  #24 in	Books > History > Europe > England > 19th Century

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Biography of a very complex man, September 8, 2008

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

In 1852 Benjamin Disraeli, Chancellor of the Exchequer, posed for a portrait created by Sir Francis Grant. The portrait depicts Disraeli as a young man with full, sensual lips, intelligent black eyes, and thick, dark hair. A detail from the portrait, which illustrates the cover of the new biography, Benjamin Disraeli, by Adam Kirsch, contrasts sharply with a photograph of Disraeli that is also included in the book.

That photograph represents the elder statesman in 1875, a portly gentleman with a receding hairline, his eyes tired yet wise; the corners of his mouth turned slightly upward in a weary smile. The contrasts suggested by these images deftly convey the themes of Kirsch's biography.

Kirsch reveals the complex, contradictory nature of a man born a Jew and raised in the Christian faith, a man who celebrated his Jewish heritage yet refused to join a campaign in 1840 to save Jews in Damascus from government sponsored torture. Liberal in his political outlook, Disraeli was both distrusted and resented by the conservatives in the House of Commons, but indispensable to their cause.

More than fifty biographies have been written about Benjamin Disraeli. Unlike his predecessors, Kirsch focuses his attention, not so much on Disraeli's political career, but on the psychological effects of his Jewish heritage. Kirsch examines how Disraeli and his contemporaries depicted Jews and Judaism in literature, and considers how such representations influenced social behavior and thought during the time of Disraeli's rise to power. Throughout the book, Kirsch provides fascinating details from Jewish history.

Benjamin Disraeli is the tenth book in the Schocken Books/Nextbook "Jewish Encounters" series. An exceptional portrait of an intriguing figure, this book will particularly appeal to those readers interested in studying the history of Jewish thought.

Armchair Interviews says: Most interesting biography.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jewish Chritian, April 22, 2009

By	Joseph Rackman (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've always wondered how this Christian Prime Minister (for though he was born Jewish, his father had him baptized at age age 12) is viewd by so many as Jewish. This books answers that question convincingly, for Disraeli never tried to pass; he was proud, even almost scornful of those not priveledged to be an Israelite. Never was an Anglican in church more proud to be an Jew. That last sentence is odd, but after reading this smooth, elegant and concise story, you will understand.

2.0 out of 5 stars Disraeli yes, biography no!, March 10, 2009

By	Koz (PA) - See all my reviews

Disraeli by Kirsch is not a biography. It is a judeo-centric analysis of his political life.Every action is explained as a result of his Jewishness. It is a well-written dissertation, not an enlightening biography. Although it is short it is incredibly repetitive. There is no discussion of his life in the context of the history of the time. This should be your 4th or 5th book on Disraeli not your first. This is the third book I've read in the Jewish Encounters series (Maimonides by Nuland and Wicked Son by Mamet are the others). No more. They have all been lousy.