Watch this video of Hillel Halkin discussing his new book, Yehuda Halevi on sale Feburary 16, 2010.
An acclaimed writer and translator, Halkin intersperses his account of Halevi’s life and tragic death with excerpts from his poems and a magnificent analysis of them. He also places Halevi’s philosophic writings within the larger context of Jewish thought, analyzes his rediscovery by Heinrich Heine and other members of the nineteenth-century German-Jewish intelligentsia, and provides a comprehensive overview of the ongoing debate over Halevi’s legacy as a Zionist visionary.
Brilliant, engaging. Although I have studied Halevi’s Kuzari in detail for years, it is Halkin’s biography that biography that brings “Yehuda” to life.
The small book format is perfect for the subject: easily hand held and readily rested open paged upon the chest while absorbing the beautifully translated poetry. Although fluent in Hebrew, Halkin’s felicitous English translation provides me with a much more accessible dimension to the prosody. Somewhat like good French translations of Shakespeare can be better understood than the original masterful English. An index of the poems and their Hebrew sources (first word, Davidson number, Brody page, etc.) is a desiderata. I plan on obtaining more copies as gifts to good friends. This book is really a hit!