Document Type
Review
Publication Date
9-8-2018
Department 1
English
Department 2
Judaic Studies
Abstract
The golem crosses many borders. A popular culture icon and an enduring image of creative power, its hybridity contributes to its elusive nature. What it is and what it means shifts over time. Maya Barzilai's Golem: Modern Wars and Their Monsters takes a unique approach. Deeply interdisciplinary, as one must be to explore such a complex and paradoxical figure, and drawing on religious, literary, cinematic, and historical contexts, Barzilai weaves a rich tapestry of golem narratives. All the while, Barzilai keeps a clear eye on the golem's ongoing association with war, seeing its birth in the clay trenches of World War One and tracing its later evolution as emblematic of nuclear weapons, computer technology, and Israeli military policy.
Copyright Note
This is the publisher's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Version
Post-print
ISBN/ISSN
1948-5077
Recommended Citation
Berg, Temma. "Review of Golem: Modern Wars and Their Monsters by Maya Barzilai." Studies in Jewish American Literature 37, no. 2 (2018): 207-210.
Required Publisher's Statement
The article can also be found on the publisher's website: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/702761#info_wrap