The Jewish Writer (Hardcover)

~ Jill Krementz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jill Krementz has made a career of photographing writers. The Jewish Writer features her portraits of 78 "people of the book," among them Saul Bellow, Hannah Arendt, Maurice Sendak, and David Mamet. Some of these portraits are contemplative; others are joyous. What distinguishes them is Krementz's ability to capture the essence of a moment that is at once exquisite and mundane, be it playwright Wendy Wasserstein rolling up her sleeves at her computer or an elfin Stanley Kunitz half-hiding in the blooms of his Provincetown garden. A mischievous Bruce Jay Friedman dashes around Southampton in a spiffy convertible; a bearded, bandana'd, and bespectacled Allen Ginsberg appears at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. (Though some of these photographs date from the early '70s, most are much more recent.) Each portrait is accompanied by a description of the author's life and work, and the relationship of each to Judaism, or, more accurately, Jewishness. The Jewish Writer is a spirited testament to the enormous and diverse contributions Jewish writers have made to our literary landscape. --Jane Steinberg

Product Description

Known for the intimacy, whimsy, and magic of her portraits, photojournalist Jill Krementz presents an inquiry into the soul of the Jewish writer.

Jewish writing has played an indispensable role in the witnessing, chronicling, and shaping of this century. For the past four decades, Jill Krementz has amassed a peerless photographic archive of literary figures who, in the telling of their own stories, have helped chart the history of their times. This vibrant new collection includes such venerable Jewish voices as Isaac Bashevis Singer, Herman Wouk, and Hannah Arendt; important contemporaries such as David Mamet and Cynthia Ozick; and exciting new writers such as Allegra Goodman, Aryeh Lev Stollman, and Tony Kushner, who are only just beginning to tell their tales. In the style of her much beloved book, The Writer's Desk, each portrait is accompanied by insightful text, forming a vivid, immediate fusion of word and image.

The interaction of these generations of writers has produced a fascinating spectrum. In her unique volume, Jill Krementz assembles these images, each the luminous piece of a mosaic, to form the composite portrait of the Jewish writer today.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 150 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co; 1st edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805060375
• ISBN-13: 978-0805060379
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #313,908 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure!, September 27, 1998

By	Jean Brown (Falls of Rough, KY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Once more Jill Krementz does not disappoint! Like her book THE WRITERS DESK, THE JEWISH WRITER is a wonderful collection of Krementz's mesmerizing photographs each a story unto itself. A volume to return to again and again to delight in the images of E.L. Doctrow, Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg, Grace Paley, et al! A treasure trove for lovers of literature ...a wonderful reference in addition to a visual delight! If you are like me and passionate about books and reading this is a must-have addition to your library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gift to the reader, October 30, 2004

By	Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

I do not know the answer to the question of whether knowing the way a writer looks helps us better read or understand their work. I do know these photographs of American - Jewish writers including Singer, Bellow, Wouk, and many others are a gift to their readers. We all have curiosity about those who write the books we love to read, and these very clear insightful photographs ( with accompanying text which says something about the writer's life and relation to Jewishness) provide real pleasure .

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humanity, not on parade, August 14, 2000

By	Interplanetary Funksmanship "Swift lippin', e... (Vanilla Suburbs, USA) - See all my reviews

Krementz beautifully captures the spirit of all her subjects. My faves, Ricky Jay and David Mamet. These portraits are wonderful in that they are not "studio," but the writers in their own element. Natural light is preferred to flash, and one gets a good sense of the variants of Jewishness inherent in the writers. Also importantly, Krementz does not include or exclude based on politics: Liberals and conservatives alike are in this book. Refreshing, in this PC age.