The Golem Redux—From Prague to Post-Holocaust Fiction

Examining the golem (an inanimate mudfigure imbued with life through mystical means whose purpose is to protect and to avenge) as a construct from early Jewish folktale to modern fiction, Baer (English and genocide, Gustavus Adolphus College) interprets the myth and its meaning in the context of post-Holocaust works of fiction. Organized chronologically and by work, the text traces the story and its rich symbolism from origins in folktale through appearances in both literature and popular culture. Includes critical intertextual analysis of the golem and its manifestations in particular works from television, comics, and literature and a variety of illustrations and cartoons. Annotation Ac2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Elizabeth R. Baer is professor of English and genocide studies at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. She is co-editor with Hester Baer of The Blessed Abyss: Inmate #6582 in Ravensbruck Concentration Camp for Women (Wayne State University Press, 2000) and co-editor with Myrna Goldenberg of Experience and Expression: Women, the Nazis, and the Holocaust (Wayne State University Press, 2003). She is also editor of Shadows on My Heart: The Civil War Diary of Lucy Buck of Virginia, a finalist for the Lincoln Prize in 1997.