Nitzan Lebovic claims that political melancholy is the defining trait of a generation of Israelis born between the 1960s and 1990s. This cohort came of age during wars, occupation and intifada, cultural conflict, and the failure of the Oslo Accords. The atmosphere of militarism and conservative state politics left little room for democratic opposition or dissent. Lebovic and others depict the failure to respond not only as a result of institutional pressure but as the effect of a long-lasting "left-wing melancholy." In order to understand its grip on Israeli society, Lebovic turns to the novels and short stories of Israel Zarchi. For him, Zarchi aptly describes the gap between the utopian hope present in Zionism since its early days and the melancholic reality of the present. Through personal engagement with Zarchi, Lebovic develops a philosophy of melancholy and shows how it pervades Israeli society.

About the Author

Nitzan Lebovic is Associate Professor of History and Apter Chair of Holocaust Studies and Ethical Values at Lehigh University. He is author of The Philosophy of Life and Death: Ludwig Klages and the Rise of a Nazi Biopolitics, the editor (with Roy Ben-Shai) of The Politics of Nihilism: From the Nineteenth Century to Contemporary Israel, and editor (with Andreas Killen) of Catastrophes: A History of an Operative Concept.

Reviews

Lebovic reveals a great deal about the work of Zarchi and the melancholic mindset of an entire generation of contemporary Israelis. . . . Highly recommended.

* Choice *

Lebovic's main line of argumentation in the book is original and interesting. The monograph is a compelling contribution to the literary history of Hebrew prose. . . . The monograph . . . subtly unearths a voice in Hebrew literature that resonates with Israeli left-winged politics while differing from its major standpoints.

* Political Theology *

It is the unique nature of Zarchi's melancholy that Lebovic aims to explore and explicate. This literary and, for Lebovic, political topic here receives scholarly attention for the first time.

-- Orit Rozin, Tel Aviv University * Hebrew Studies *

While Zarchi's sizable oeuvre garnered critical attention, no systematic study of his life and work exists. Nitzan Lebovic's Zionism and Melancholy: The Short Life of Israel Zarchi helps fill this gap, and through an exploration of Zarchi's archive and interviews with family members, it presents previously unknown information about Zarchi's life and work. Lebovic's book is noteworthy for this reason alone.

* Reading Religion *

Lebovic's book reflects (not without irony) his own attempt to restore Zarchi's work and offers a new reading of his oeuvre. The result is a splendid essay, learned and diligent.

* Psychoanalysis and History *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253041814
Author Nitzan Lebovic
Format Hardback
Page Count 186
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press