Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis [Paperback]

Howard Schwartz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1998

Reimagining the Bible collects a dozen essays by Howard Schwartz. Together the essays present a coherent theory of the way in which each successive phase of Jewish literature has drawn upon and reimagined the previous ones. The book is organized into four sections: The Ancient Models; The Folk Tradition; Mythic Echoes; and Modern Jewish Literature and the Ancient Models. Within these divisions, each of the essays focuses on a specific genre, ranging from Torah and Aggadah to Kabbalah, fairy tales, and the modern Yiddish stories of S.Y. Agnon and Isaac Bashevis Singer.

Arguing the important thesis that there is a continuity in Jewish literature which extends from the Biblical era to our own times--a period of over 3,000 years--this collection also serves as a guide to the history of that literature, and to the genres it comprises.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Howard Schwartz is at University of Missouri, St. Louis.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195115112
• ISBN-13: 978-0195115116
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,080,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Howard Schwartz is Professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has published three books of poetry, and several books of fiction, including The Captive Soul of the Messiah and Adam's Soul. He has also edited a four-volume set of Jewish folktales, which includes Elijah's Violin & Other Jewish Fairy Tales, Miriam's Tambourine: Jewish Folktales from Around the World, Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural and, most recently, Gabriel's Palace: Jewish Mystical Tales. He has also edited three major anthologies: Imperial Messages: One Hundred Modern Parables, Voices Within the Ark: The Modern Jewish Poets (with Anthony Rudolf), and Gates to the New City: A Treasury of Modern Jewish Tales. His recent book, Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for 1999. In addition, Schwartz has also published ten children's books, including The Diamond Tree (with Barbara Rush, which won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in 1992), Next Year in Jerusalem: 3000 Years of Jewish Tales (which won the National Jewish Book Award and the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society, both in 1996), A Coat for the Moon (with Barbara Rush, which won Anne Izard Storyeller's Choice Award for 1998 and the 1999 Honor Title of the Storytelling World Awards, and The Day the Rabbi Disappeared: Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic (which won the National Jewish Book Award and The Aesop Prize of the American Folklore Society for 2000). His major book, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, won the National Jewish Book Award for 2005 in the category of Reference. Schwartz lives in St. Louis with his wife Tsila, a calligrapher, and his three children, Shira, Nathan and Miriam.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luminous, December 5, 2001

By 

Antonia (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis (Paperback)

I read this book in one sitting, snowed in at the Boston Greyhound station. It's a tribute to Schwartz's clean writing and thorough knowledge of Jewish folklore that I remember that night as one of my best. Schwartz traces how Biblical imagery and themes have been expressed through Jewish folklore, religious writings, and literature, and leaves the reader with an appreciation for the spiritual content of children's stories. As a folklore enthusiast, I've also found that this book has provided a better context for understanding the wonderful stories collected in Schwartz's many other collections of stories.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luminous, December 5, 2001

By 

Antonia (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis (Paperback)

I read this book in one sitting, snowed in at the Boston Greyhound station. It's a tribute to Schwartz's clean writing and thorough knowledge of Jewish folklore that I remember that night as one of my best. Schwartz traces how Biblical imagery and themes have been expressed through Jewish folklore, religious writings, and literature, and leaves the reader with an appreciation for the spiritual content of children's stories. As a folklore enthusiast, I've also found that this book has provided a better context for understanding the wonderful stories collected in Schwartz's many other collections of stories.

4.0 out of 5 stars President Simonsta, February 4, 2012

By 

SimonPaff - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis (Paperback)

Valueable for study of judaism. Author loses faith by the lies of Rabbis and seeks reconcilation by exposeing truths.Worth the buy.