New Edition of a True Masterpiece -- Masterpieces of Hebrew Literature

Selections from 2000 Years of Jewish Creativity

Edited and with introductions by Curt Leviant

ISBN: 978-0-8276-0880-1 (cloth)

ISBN: 978-0-8276-0881-8 (paper)

New from JPS: A True Masterpiece

Praise for Masterpieces of Hebrew Literature: Selections from 2000 Years of Jewish Creativity:

“Leviant’s wide erudition and impeccable taste combine to make this anthology an invaluable introduction to the wealth of post-Biblical Hebrew literature… Each excerpt is preceded by clear, concise commentary which serves to explain as well as to introduce the selection. Recommended for all public and university libraries.”

- The Library Journal

“The first anthology in English to attempt an in-depth presentation of Hebrew literature in English translation. …This volume comes especially recommended.”

- The Nation

Masterpieces of Hebrew Literature, edited with introductions by Curt Leviant, is a classic anthology of major works from the Apocrypha to the 18th century. Originally published by Ktav, this anthology – enhanced with the addition of new text – spans many genres, from fiction and poetry to legal, ethical, and midrashic works; from responsa and Biblical commentary to histories and letters and travelogues.

Masterpieces of Hebrew Literature is one of the few collections in which readers can find important works of Jewish tradition and culture by such authors as Rashi, Maimonides, Judah Halevi, and Joseph Caro, all in one place. Leviant’s brief introductions place the works and their authors in historical perspective.

Curt Leviant has taught Hebraic Studies at Rutgers University and is a prolific author and translator of Sholom Aleichem, Chaim Grade, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. He has edited and translated Yudl Rosenberg’s 1909 Hebrew classic, The Golem and the Wondrous Deeds of the Maharal of Prague. Among Curt Leviant’s seven award-wining novels are The Yemenite Girl; The Man Who Thought He Was Messiah; the international best-seller, Diary of an Adulterous Woman; the two-novella collection, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Original Music of the Hebrew Alphabet and Weekend in Mustara; and most recently, A Novel of Klass.

October 2008

Simultaneous paper and cloth release

$22 Paper $35 Cloth, 600 pages; 6”x9”

ISBN: 978-0-8276-0880-1 (cloth)

ISBN: 978-0-8276-0881-8 (paper)

For more information contact Anita Bihovsky (800)-234-3151 ext. 50601 or email: abihovsky@jewishpub.org