Series: Jewish Lives

An insightful new biography of the central figure in the Dreyfus Affair, focused on the man himself and based on newly accessible documents. On January 5, 1895, Captain Alfred Dreyfus’s cries of innocence were drowned out by a mob shouting “Death to Judas!” In Alfred Dreyfus, Maurice Samuels provides readers with an entirely new insight into Dreyfus himself—from the point...

A revealing biography of Anne Frank, exploring both her life and the impact of her extraordinary diary "Trenchant. . . . An essential look at the diarist's legacy."—Publishers Weekly In this innovative biography, Ruth Franklin explores the transformation of Anne Frank (1929–1945) from ordinary teenager to icon, shedding new light on the young woman whose diary of her years in...

A vivid account of the political triumphs and domestic tragedies of the Jewish king Herod the Great during the turmoil of the Roman revolution Herod the Great (73–4 BCE) was a phenomenally energetic ruler who took advantage of the chaos of the Roman revolution to establish himself as a major figure in a changing Roman world and transform the landscape...

The story of Abraham, the first Jew, portrayed as two lives lived by one person, paralleling the contradictions in Judaism throughout its history. In this new biography of Abraham, Judaism's foundational figure, Anthony Julius offers an account of the origins of a fundamental struggle within Judaism between scepticism and faith, critique and affirmation, thinking for oneself and thinking under the...

A biography of the rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who became a symbol of the marriage between religion and social justice “When I marched in Selma, I felt my legs were praying.” So said Polish-born American rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972) of his involvement in the 1965 Selma civil rights march alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. Heschel, who spoke with a...

A riveting exploration of the brilliant, combative, and controversial “Father of the Nuclear Navy” “A superb and even-handed treatment of a complex, brilliant, and driven admiral who inspired both awe and loathing across the Navy he fundamentally reshaped.”—Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Commander, NATO, and author of 2034 Known as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy,” Admiral Hyman George Rickover...

An insightful new biography of the central figure in the Dreyfus Affair, focused on the man himself and based on newly accessible documents. "An admirable introduction not only to its nominal subject but to ... great historical events."—Geoffrey Wheatcroft, New York Review of Books On January 5, 1895, Captain Alfred Dreyfus's cries of innocence were drowned out by a mob...

An intimate portrait illuminating the life and work of Amos Oz, the award-winning Israeli writer and activist Amos Oz (1939–2018) was one of Israel’s most prolific and prominent writers, as well as a regular contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was the author of dozens of novels, essay collections, and novellas written between 1965 and shortly before his...

A great theatre critic brings twentieth-century playwright Arthur Miller's dramatic story to life with bold and revealing new insights. "Lahr's cogent analyses are revelatory... He does not reduce the work to the life, but shows how it explains the life from which it emerges."—Willard Spiegelman, Wall Street Journal New Yorker critic Lahr shines in this searching account of the life...

A deeply researched biography of the prominent and divisive writer Ayn Rand, whose pro-capitalist novels and nonfiction have influenced three generations of Americans. "Excellent and succinct."—Jim Kelly, Air Mail. Biographer Alexandra Popoff traces the life and creative achievement of Ayn Rand (1905–1982), one of America's most provocative writers, whose best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged have enjoyed impressive longevity....

The story of the prophet Elijah’s transformation from fierce zealot to compassionate hero and cherished figure in Jewish folklore “In a series on Jewish Lives, this volume is about the Jewish life—the one that goes on forever. Becoming Elijah blends meticulous scholarship with bold literary and poetic imagination. Don’t miss it!”—Arthur Green, author of Judaism for the World "The author’s...

From one of the world’s foremost authorities on Sigmund Freud comes a strikingly original biography of the father of psychoanalysis. Becoming Freud is the story of the young Freud—Freud up until the age of fifty—that incorporates all of Freud’s many misgivings about the art of biography. Freud invented a psychological treatment that involved the telling and revising of life stories,...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an insightful study of the inner life of David Ben-Gurion, the Zionist leader responsible for the creation of the state of Israel "The most intimate yet unflinching portrait to date... Shapira may be the last truly qualified person to unpack some of the mysteries of Israel’s George Washington."—Ilene Prusher, New York Times Book Review...

A vibrant portrait of one of the most accomplished and prolific American screenwriters, by an award-winning biographer and essayist He was, according to Pauline Kael, "the greatest American screenwriter." Jean-Luc Godard called him "a genius" who "invented 80 percent of what is used in Hollywood movies today." Besides tossing off dozens of now-classic scripts—including Scarface, Twentieth Century, and Notorious—Ben Hecht...

A new portrait of Betty Friedan, the author and activist acclaimed as the mother of second-wave feminism The feminist writer and activist Betty Friedan (1921–2006), pathbreaking author of The Feminine Mystique, was powerful and polarising. In this biography, the first in more than twenty years, Rachel Shteir draws on Friedan’s papers and on interviews with family, colleagues, and friends to...

In a brief life that led to a violent end, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (1906–1947) rose from desperate poverty to ill-gotten riches, from an early-twentieth-century family of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants on the Lower East Side to a kingdom of his own making in Las Vegas. In this captivating portrait, author Michael Shnayerson sets out not to absolve Bugsy Siegel but rather...

An intimate look at Elie Wiesel, author of the seminal Holocaust memoir Night and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, Biography category. "An indispensable touchstone."—Julia M. Klein, Forward As an orphaned survivor and witness to the horrors of Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) compelled the world to confront the Holocaust with his searing memoir...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a reexamination of the biblical David, legendary warrior, poet, and king, by one of America’s most respected rabbis. "An excellent study of the most fascinating character in the Old Testament."—Wall Street Journal "A portrait of David that is vibrant and nuanced, full of the complications that marked his life."—Jewish Week Of all the figures...

An intimate look at Elie Wiesel, author of the seminal Holocaust memoir Night and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize As an orphaned survivor and witness to Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) became a torchbearer for victims and survivors of the Holocaust at a time when the world preferred to forget. How did this frail, soft-spoken man from a small village...

A highly original and engaging appraisal of Kafka’s life, work, legacy, and thought Franz Kafka was the poet of his own disorder. Throughout his life, he struggled with a pervasive sense of shame and guilt that left traces in his daily existence—in his many letters, in his extensive diaries, and especially in his fiction. This stimulating book investigates some of...

A balanced biography of Golda Meir, who was both adored and abhorred, from award-winning author Deborah E. Lipstadt Golda Meir (1898–1978) was the first and only woman to serve as prime minister of Israel. She was born in Kiev into a childhood of poverty, hunger, and antisemitism. When she was five, her father left to find work in America, and...

A lively and engaging biography of the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States, a man fiercely committed to protecting all minorities. Harvey Milk—eloquent, charismatic, and a smart-aleck—was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, but he had not even served a full year in office when he was shot by a...

Heinrich Heine by George Prochnik is a rich, provocative, and lyrical study of one of Germany’s most important, world-famous, and imaginative writers. "A concise, fast-paced biography of the German poet, critic, and essayist. . . . A discerning portrait of the writer and his times." –Kirkus Reviews "Prochnik provides a jaunty narrative of Heine’s schooldays in Bonn and Göttingen, journalistic...

Henrietta Szold by Francine Klagsbrun is a comprehensive exploration of the life and work of Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah and a pivotal figure in Zionism. Henrietta Szold (1860–1945) is celebrated as the founder of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which rapidly became one of the most successful Zionist groups. In her work with Hadassah, Szold employed...

A fresh appreciation of the great musical figure that gives him his due as composer as well as conductor Leonard Bernstein stood at the epicentre of twentieth-century American musical life. His creative gifts knew no boundaries as he moved easily from the podium, to the piano, to television with his nationally celebrated Young People’s Concerts, which introduced an entire generation...

Kenneth Turan brings to life the extraordinary partnership of Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg and their role in creating the film industry as we know it. "Sharply observant."—Farran Smith Nehme, Wall Street Journal One was a tough junkman's son, the other a cosseted mama's boy, but they dreamed the same mighty dream: that the right movies could make a...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a new exploration of Karl Marx's life through his intellectual contributions to modern thought "A perceptive and fair-minded corrective to superficial treatments of the man." —Jonathan Rose, Wall Street Journal Karl Marx (1818–1883)—philosopher, historian, sociologist, economist, current affairs journalist, and editor—was one of the most influential and revolutionary thinkers of modern history, but he...

An exploration of Maimonides, the medieval philosopher, physician, and religious thinker, author of The Guide of the Perplexed, from one of the world’s foremost bibliophiles. Moses ben Maimon, or Maimonides (1138–1204), was born in Córdoba, Spain. The gifted son of a judge and mathematician, Maimonides fled Córdoba with his family at the age of thirteen due to Almohad persecution of...

A clear-eyed exploration of the career of Leon Trotsky, the tragic hero who “dreamed of justice and then wreaked havoc,” by a leading expert on human rights and the former Soviet Union Born Lev Davidovich Bronstein in southern Ukraine, Trotsky was both a world-class intellectual and a man capable of the most narrow-minded ideological dogmatism. He was an effective military...

A spirited dive into the life and career of a performer, writer, and director who dominated twentieth-century American comedy Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn in 1926, is one of the great comic voices of the twentieth century. Having won almost every entertainment award there is, Brooks has straddled the line between outsider and insider, obedient and rebellious, throughout...

The life and thought of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, one of the most influential—and controversial—rabbis in modern Judaism Accessible, informed, and balanced. . . . The author manages to tread on fragile ground with aplomb. . . . An exceptional tool for understanding. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The Chabad-Lubavitch movement, one of the world's best-known Hasidic groups, is driven by the...

A spirited portrait of the colourful, irrepressible, and iconoclastic American collector who fearlessly advanced the cause of modern art. One of twentieth-century America’s most influential patrons of the arts, Peggy Guggenheim (1898–1979) brought to wide public attention the work of such modern masters as Jackson Pollock and Man Ray. In her time, there was no stronger advocate for the groundbreaking...

An unprecedented portrait of Moses's inner world and perplexing character, by a distinguished biblical scholar No figure looms larger in Jewish culture than Moses, and few have stories more enigmatic. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, acclaimed for her many books on Jewish thought, turns her attention to Moses in this remarkably rich, evocative book. Drawing on a broad range of sources—literary as...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, the first intellectual biography of Primo Levi to describe the intersection of his roles as both chemist and writer. In 1943, twenty-four-year-old Primo Levi had just begun a career in chemistry when, after joining a partisan group, he was captured by the Italian Fascist Militia and deported to Auschwitz. Of the 650 Italian Jews...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an arresting new study of the life, times, and achievement of one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century “Taylor’s endeavour is not to explain the life by the novel or the novel by the life but to show how different events, different emotional upheavals, fired Proust’s imagination and, albeit sometimes completely...

Ruth is a wide-ranging exploration of the story of Ruth, a foreigner who became the founding mother of the Davidic dynasty. The biblical Ruth has inspired numerous readers from diverse cultural backgrounds across many centuries. In this insightful volume, Ilana Pardes invites us to marvel at the ever-changing perspectives on Ruth’s foreignness. She explores the rabbis’ lauding of Ruth as...

A riveting portrait of the great Sarah Bernhardt from acclaimed writer Robert Gottlieb Everything about Sarah Bernhardt is fascinating, from her obscure birth to her glorious career—redefining the very nature of her art—to her amazing (and highly public) romantic life to her indomitable spirit. Well into her seventies, after the amputation of her leg, she was performing under bombardment for...

A revealing biography of Sidney Reilly, the early twentieth-century virtuoso of espionage Sidney Reilly (c. 1873–1925) is one of the most colourful and best-known spies of the twentieth century. Emerging from humble beginnings in southern Russia, Reilly was an inventive multilingual businessman and conman who enjoyed espionage as a sideline. By the early twentieth century, he was working as an...

Ian Buruma explores the life and death of Baruch Spinoza, the Enlightenment thinker whose belief in freedom of thought and speech resonates in our own time. A New Yorker "Best Book of 2024" Selection "An elegant, relevant biography of a vital thinker." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza (1632–1677) was a radical free thinker who led a life...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a meditation on the deeply Jewish and surprisingly spiritual roots of Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. Few artists have had as much of an impact on American popular culture as Stan Lee. The characters he created—Spider-Man and Iron Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four—occupy Hollywood’s imagination and production schedules, generate billions at the...

An engrossing biography of one of the most influential filmmakers in cinematic history "A cool, cerebral book about a cool, cerebral talent... A brisk study of [Kubrick's] films, with enough of the life tucked in to add context as well as brightness and bite.”—Dwight Garner, New York Times "An engaging and well-researched primer to the work of a cinematic legend."—Library...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a film-centric portrait of Steven Spielberg, the extraordinarily gifted movie director whose decades-long influence on American popular culture is unprecedented. “A swift and elegant introduction to Spielberg’s life and work.”—David Denby, New Yorker “Everything about me is in my films,” Steven Spielberg has said. Taking this as a key to understanding the hugely successful...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a masterful new biography of Theodor Herzl by an eminent historian of Zionism "An excellent, concise biography of Theodor Herzl, architect of modern Zionism... An exceptionally good, highly readable volume." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "An engrossing account of a leader who, by converting despair into strength, gave an exiled people both political purpose and...

An insider’s perspective on the life and influence of Israel’s first native-born prime minister, his bold peace initiatives, and his tragic assassination More than two decades have passed since prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination in 1995, yet he remains an unusually intriguing and admired modern leader. A native-born Israeli, Rabin became an inextricable part of his nation’s pre-state history and...

A thought-provoking account of the life and work of Franz Boas and his influential role in shaping modern anthropology Franz Boas (1858–1942) is widely acknowledged for his pioneering work in the field of cultural anthropology. His rigorous studies of variations across societies aimed to demonstrate that cultures and peoples were not shaped by biological predispositions. This book traces Boas’s life...

A revealing biography of Anne Frank, exploring both her life and the impact of her extraordinary diary "With sensitivity and assiduous research, [Franklin] constructs a vivid cultural history that advocates for a reevaluation of Frank."—New Yorker "Trenchant. . . . An essential look at the diarist's legacy."—Publishers Weekly In this innovative biography, Ruth Franklin explores the transformation of Anne Frank...

Jane Eisner traces the professional accomplishments and personal challenges of pop icon Carole King, exploring her unique contribution to American music. Carole King's extraordinary career has defined American popular music for more than half a century. Born in New York City in 1942, she shaped the soundtrack of 1960s teen culture with such songs as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow,"...

A landmark biography of one of our most prominent chroniclers of American life In this groundbreaking literary biography, Steven J. Zipperstein captures the complex life and astonishing work of Philip Roth (1933–2018), one of America's most celebrated writers. Born in Newark, New Jersey—where his short stories and books were often set—Roth wrote with ambition and awareness of what was required...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an intriguing and unconventional biography about one of the Bible's most elusive figures Tradition has it that King Solomon knew everything there was to know—the mysteries of nature, of love, of God himself—but what do we know of him? Esteemed biblical scholar Steven Weitzman reintroduces readers to Solomon's story and its surprising influence in...

A fascinating exploration of the life and work of one of America’s most famous and enigmatic postwar visual artists Mark Rothko, one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century, was born in the Jewish Pale of Settlement in 1903. He immigrated to the United States at age ten, taking with him his Talmudic education and his memories of pogroms...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an insightful new biography of Vladimir Jabotinsky, the most controversial and perhaps most fervent of all Zionist political figures “A well-written, passionate survey of Jabotinsky’s life and contributions to political Zionism.”—Jeffrey Veidlinger, Marginalia Blog, Los Angeles Review of Books “For many, Jabotinsky will open up a man and his ideas whose influence is still...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a vivid portrait of one of the most powerful leaders in Israel’s first decades of statehood Instantly recognisable with his iconic eye patch, Moshe Dayan (1915–1981) was one of Israel's most charismatic—and controversial—personalities. As a youth, he earned the reputation of a fearless warrior, and in later years as a leading military tactician, admired...

An engaging biography that goes behind the myths to reveal the complex life of a transformative figure in modern American Judaism Rabbi, writer, teacher, and thinker, Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881–1983) was one of the leading Jewish personalities of twentieth-century America. Founder of the Reconstructionist movement, he was a maverick who reshaped religious faith and practice, generating controversy at every turn....

The first biography in more than three decades of the Austrian-born thinker Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century According to the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951), philosophy is a "battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language." This audacious idea changed the way many of its practitioners saw their subject. In the...

An accessible and authoritative biography of Walter Benjamin that guides the reader through the complexity of his intellectual legacy and the turbulence of his time. Walter Benjamin (1892–1940) is widely considered one of the most creative cultural critics of the twentieth century. Esteemed for his literary acumen and capacious imagination, he developed a unique style of criticism—his friend Hannah Arendt...

Man Ray by Arthur Lubow is a biography of the elusive but celebrated Dada and Surrealist artist and photographer, connecting his Jewish background to his life and art. Man Ray (1890–1976), a founding father of Dada and a key player in French Surrealism, is one of the central artists of the twentieth century. He is also one of the most...

Ian Buruma explores the life and death of Baruch Spinoza, the Enlightenment thinker whose belief in freedom of thought and speech resonates in our own time. Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza (1632–1677) was a radical free thinker who led a life guided by strong moral principles despite his disbelief in an all-seeing God. Seen by many—Christians as well as Jews—as Satan’s disciple...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a new biography of the seminal twentieth-century historian and thinker who pioneered the study of Jewish mysticism and profoundly influenced the Zionist movement. Biale . . . not only captures Scholem’s scholarship, but also his personal involvement in the major issues, conflicts, tragedies, and triumphs of Jewish life during the last century. . ....

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series: a fast‑moving, musically astute portrait of Irving Berlin, arguably the greatest composer of American popular music. "An extensively researched, entertaining, and nuanced account that contextualizes Berlin’s story and achievements within the scope of Jewish immigrant New York and modern American popular culture."—Library Journal Irving Berlin (1888–1989) has been called—by George Gershwin, among others—the greatest...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, the first major biography in English in over thirty years of the seminal modern Jewish thinker Martin Buber "A scrupulously researched, perceptive biography."—Robert Alter, New York Times Book Review An authority on the twentieth‑century philosopher Martin Buber (1878–1965), Paul Mendes-Flohr offers the first major biography in English in thirty years of this seminal modern...

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an illuminating biography of the great Amsterdam rabbi and celebrated populariser of Judaism in the seventeenth century. Menasseh ben Israel (1604–1657) was among the most accomplished and cosmopolitan rabbis of his time, and a pivotal intellectual figure in early modern Jewish history. He was one of the three rabbis of the “Portuguese Nation” in...