The Burnt Book (Paperback)

~ Marc-Alain Ouaknin (Author), Llewellyn Brown (Translator) "The event of Revelation is the gift of the Torah: Matane Torah..." (more)
Key Phrases: burnt book, gezerah shavah, des intellectuels juifs, Rav Huna, Rav Judah, Rabbi Akiva (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the French edition: "Marc-Alain Ouaknin's book is a veritable gift for the heart and mind! . . . [It] contains a radical criticism of the `masters' who `[think] they control their language and the language of others.'
(Robert Maggiori Liberation )

The gifts Ouaknin offers are many. His use of Kabbalistic thought simultaneously offers profound insight into the nature of the book and illuminates the concepts used.... He offers multiple, useful paths forward in the study of the book, narrative, reading practices, community formation, religious thought, and the Talmud itself. -- Review

The gifts Ouaknin offers are many. His use of Kabbalistic thought simultaneously offers profound insight into the nature of the book and illuminates the concepts used.... He offers multiple, useful paths forward in the study of the book, narrative, reading practices, community formation, religious thought, and the Talmud itself.
(Journal of Communication )

This remarkable book ... is rich in suggestive ideas, including the proposal that thought has its highest ethical function when it refuses wisdom in favor of 'asking a question that it cannot answer.'
(Peter C. Brown Canadian Philosophical Reviews )

Review

By drawing not only on Derrida, but also on Blanchot, Jabès, Neher, and Levinas, Marc-Alain Ouaknin has broadened the concepts and themes for viewing the relation of literary theory with Jewish thought. Moreover, his readings of Talmudic texts are rich and exciting, going beyond much of the best work in this field.
(Robert Gibbs, Princeton University )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (May 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691059209
• ISBN-13: 978-0691059204
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,224,274 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and rich explanation of the Talmud., January 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Burnt Book (Hardcover)

Ouaknin masterfully explains most of the basics. I recommend this book to everyone who wishes to grasp the genius of 2500 years of Rabbinic discussions. The author helps the reader, at every level, to navigate the Yam (Sea) of Talmud without being totaly overwhelmed. Difficult reading, requires some background, but a pleasure to study.