(FT) 8vo. Xv, 234 pages. In Hebrew. Complete in two volumes. First edition. SUBJECT(S) : Legends, Jewish. SERIES: Kol kitve Mikhah Yosef Berditsevski ; ; kerekh 1-2. Berdichevsky (1865-1921) , also know as Ben-Gorion, was born in Podalia, to a long line of rabbis. In his teens, he read the Haskalah writers, and this conflict between modernism and tradition informed his entire literary career. It also caused deep disagreements with teachers and family members. He began to be published in 1888, writing both fiction and non-fiction. In 1890, he moved to Russia, and was acquainted with David Frischmann, and in 1892 he moved to Germany. In Berlin, he solidified a philosophy of personal and intellectual freedom in the face of stultifying tradition. His writing attacked any already-established position, including the Haskalah and Zionism, and demanded an expansion of the Jewish literary canon. Though a later trip back to Russia, and witnessing the realities of Jewish life there, slightly moderated his polemics, Berdichevsky wrote much of the same, though he also branched out to collections of legends and Jewish history. It is of no surprise that his readers were divided along generational lines; the younger readers flocked to his work, while older critics rejected his ideas. (Almagor, EJ) Gilt titles. Inch-long section of backstrip missing at bottom on vol 2, corners worn, spines faded, tear along spine on vol 1, good condition. (GER-27-26)
