J'Accuse

Name: J'Accuse
Brand: Unknown
SKU: 9780811215398
Price: 28.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Aharon Shabtai

Summary

In J'Accuse, Aharon Shabtai delivers a powerful poetic indictment of the Israeli government and society during the tumultuous years of the second intifada (1996-2002). Drawing inspiration from Emile Zola's famous open letter, the collection confronts themes of violence, moral decay, and governmental complicity. Through vivid imagery—such as snipers shooting children and ammunition "distributed like bars of chocolate"—Shabtai bears witness to the brutal realities of curfews, riots, and bombings, while steadfastly holding onto his faith in an ethical Hebrew culture. His poems serve both as protest and warning, reflecting a deep moral conviction amid the chaos.
Read More

Format: Paperback / softback

$28⁹⁹

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

J'Accuse

$28⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This collection is suited for readers interested in political poetry, Middle Eastern history, and ethically engaged literary works. It will appeal to those seeking a lyrical yet direct examination of conflict and morality within Israeli society.

Explosive poems by an Israeli accusing his country of crimes against humanity.

Description

Playing on Zola's famous letter denouncing the anti-Semitism of the French government throughout the Dreyfus affair, Aharon Shabtai's title, J'Accuse, can be taken literally: it charges his government and his people with crimes against the humanity of their neighbours.

Here we find snipers shooting children, spin-masters trying to whitewash blood baths, ammunition "distributed like bars of chocolate," and "technicians of slaughter" for whom morality is merely "a pain in the ass."

With a splendid lyrical physicality that accentuates Shabtai's terse immediacy and matter-of-fact scorn, the poems cover a period of six years—from the 1996 election of Netanyahu as prime minister through the curfews, lynchings, riots, sieges, and bombings of the second intifada.

But at the heart of J'Accuse is the fate of the ethical Hebrew culture in which the poet was raised: Shabtai refuses to abandon his belief in the moral underpinnings of Israeli society or to be silent before the barbaric and brutal. He witnesses, he protests, he warns. Above all, he holds up a mirror to his nation.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Peter Cole's translations are praised for capturing the stark rhythms and cadences of Shabtai's original poetry, bringing to life the work of a profoundly talented and high-charged poet. The translation is noted for its accuracy and emotional impact, making the urgent themes resonate with readers.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780811215398

Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 April 2003

Country: United States

Imprint: New Directions Publishing Corporation

Contributors:

Translated by Peter Cole
Translated by Peter Cole
Translated by Peter Cole

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 8.0mm

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 111g

Pages: 80

Collections

Aharon Shabtai Arts & Culture Non-Fiction Poetry

About the Author

Born in 1939 and educated on a kibbutz, and at the Hebrew University, the Sorbonne, and Cambridge, Aharon Shabtai is the author of sixteen books of poetry and the greatest contemporary translator into Hebrew of Greek drama. Peter Cole's previous books of poems include Things on Which I've Stumbled (New Directions). Among his volumes of translation are The Poetry of Kabbalah: Mystical Verse from the Jewish Tradition and The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew Poetry from Muslim and Christian Spain, 950-1492. Cole, who divides his time between Jerusalem and New Haven, was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2007.