Myticism in 20th Century Hebrew Literature

Challenging the notion that Jewish mysticism ceased to exist in the Hassidic enclaves of early nineteenth century Europe, Hamutal Bar-Yosef delves into the mystical elements of twentieth-century Israeli literature. Exploring themes such as unity, death, and sex, Bar-Yosef traces the influence and the trends towards secular mysticism found in Russian, Yiddish, and early Hebrew writers, and examines the impact of Zionism in creating a modern, living mystical literature.

Hamutal Bar-Yosef (PhD Hebrew University) is Professor of Hebrew literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Bar-Yosef has published nine collections of poetry as well as six academic books and many articles on Hebrew literature in its European context. She translates poetry from English, French and Russian. Bar-Yosef has received the ACUM Prize (1987), the President's Prize (2002), the Brenner Prize (2005), and other awards for her poetry.

Her publications include Trends of Decadence in Modern Hebrew Literature (Jerusalem 1997) and Symbolism in Modern Poetry (2000). She has also edited an anthology of Hebrew literature in Russian translations (RSUH, 2000).