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The co-op bookstore for avid readers
A Palace of Pearls: The Stories of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) is widely considered to be one of the foremost visionary storytellers of the Hasidic movement. The great-grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of the movement, Rabbi Nachman came to be regarded as a great figure and leader in his own right, guiding his followers on a spiritual path inspired by Kabbalah. In the last four years of his life he turned to storytelling, crafting highly imaginative, allegorical tales for his Hasidim. Three-time National Jewish Book Award winner Howard Schwartz has masterfully compiled the most extensive collection of Nachman's stories available in English. In addition to the well-known Thirteen Tales, including "The Lost Princess" and "The Seven Beggars," Schwartz has included over one hundred narratives in the various genres of fairy tales, fables, parables, dreams, and folktales, many of them previously unknown or believed lost. One such story is the carefully guarded "Tale of the Bread," which was never intended to be written down and was only to be shared with those Bratslavers who could be trusted not to reveal it. Eventually recorded by Rabbi Nachman's scribe, the tale has maintained its mythical status as a "hidden story."
With utmost reverence and unfettered delight, Schwartz has carefully curated A Palace of Pearls alongside masterful commentary that guides the reader through the Rabbi's spiritual mysticism and uniquely Kabbalistic approach, ultimately revealing Rabbi Nachman to be a literary heavyweight in the vein of Gogol and Kafka. Vibrant, wise, and provocative, this book is a must-read for any lover of fairy tales and fables.
Book Details
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publish Date: Aug 7th, 2018
- Pages: 456
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 9.30in - 6.50in - 1.40in - 1.60lb
- EAN: 9780190243562
- Categories: • Judaism - History• Judaism - Sacred Writings• Judaism - Kabbalah & Mysticism
About the Author
Howard Schwartz is a prolific author of fiction, poetry and children's literature, as well as an editor of fourteen volumes of Jewish parables and tales. He is a three-time National Jewish Book Award winner for Next Year in Jerusalem, The Day the Rabbi Disappeared, and Tree of Souls.
Praise for this book
"Recommended." -- CHOICE"Howard Schwartz's dedicated retelling of the tales of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, the visionary Hasidic storyteller, renders Nachman's allegoric wisdom and luminous insight in a clear, plain, transparent yet profoundly discerning voice. Through a remarkable fusion of intuition and scholarship, of love and learning, Schwartz recreates the genius of this metaphysical master for the contemporary reader." --Cynthia Ozick, author of Heir to the Glimmering World and The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories"With A Palace of Pearls, Howard Schwartz has made a major contribution to the studies of Jewish cultural history and international folklore. This is the most complete and authentic collection of Rabbi Nachman's stories, going far beyond the famous thirteen fairy tales for which he is best known. Recalling the Kabballah and the secular tales of E. T. A. Hoffmann and Franz Kafka, Schwartz's splendid retellings are more relevant than ever in a world that appears to have lost its soul." --Jack Zipes, editor of The Sorcerer's Apprentice: An Anthology of Magical Tales"The tales, parables, and dreams of Rabbi Nachman have inspired generations of readers and seekers. Now Howard Schwartz has fashioned the most complete collection imaginable, making these profound narrative teachings accessible to much wider circles. His skillful, sensitive retellings and his erudite, insightful commentary are precious contributions to the treasury of spiritual wisdom." --Daniel Matt, author of The Essential Kabbalah, God and the Big Bang, and The Zohar: Pritzker EditionRabbi Nachman of Bratslav is widely considered to be the greatest Jewish storyteller of all time. In this magnificent and comprehensive collection, Howard Schwartz has gathered Reb Nachman s tales, both known and unknown, told orally in Yiddish, and retold them as polished tales. Although the stories can be read as fairy tales or folktales, Schwartz s commentaries reveal the extensive kabbalistic foundation the stories are built on. The result is a book of stories that is fascinating and profound. --Peninnah Schram, author of Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another and Tales of Elijah the Prophet"These stories put Nachman chronologically at the front of the line of great Jewish storytellers such as Sholem Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer... Lovers of good tales well told will find plenty of gems here."--Library Journal
"Schwartz's analysis is characterized by respect, scholarship, and a sense of joy."
--Jewish Book Council
"Readers can dip into [A Palace of Pearls] at any point and come away with a fresh way of looking at an old situation, like wandering through an art museum's many exhibits, one after the next."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch"Schwartz is admired around the world for his scholarship and tireless efforts to assure that giants of Jewish literature, folk tales and the wisdom of the great rabbis and sages will be accessible to present and future generations of readers... Each of the stories selected, introduced and contextualized by Schwartz is a glittering gem of wisdom and insight."
--St. Louis Jewish Light
"Schwartz's analysis is characterized by respect, scholarship, and a sense of joy."
--Jewish Book Council
"Readers can dip into [A Palace of Pearls] at any point and come away with a fresh way of looking at an old situation, like wandering through an art museum's many exhibits, one after the next."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch"Schwartz is admired around the world for his scholarship and tireless efforts to assure that giants of Jewish literature, folk tales and the wisdom of the great rabbis and sages will be accessible to present and future generations of readers... Each of the stories selected, introduced and contextualized by Schwartz is a glittering gem of wisdom and insight."
--St. Louis Jewish Light