Rosenfeld's Lives

Born in Chicago in 1918, the prodigiously gifted and erudite Isaac Rosenfeld was anointed a 'genius' upon the publication of his novel, "Passage from Home"; someone expected to surpass even his closest friend and rival, Saul Bellow. Yet when felled by a heart attack at the age of thirty-eight, Rosenfeld had published relatively little, his life reduced to a metaphor for literary failure.In this deeply contemplative book, Steven Zipperstein seeks to reclaim Rosenfeld's legacy by opening up his work. Zipperstein examines for the first time the small mountain of unfinished manuscripts the writer left behind, as well as his fiercely candid journals and letters. In the process, Zipperstein unearths a turbulent life that was obsessively grounded in a profound commitment to the ideals of the writing life. "Rosenfeld's Lives" is a fascinating exploration of literary genius and aspiration, and the paradoxical power of literature to elevate and to enslave. It illuminates the cultural and political tensions of post-war America, Jewish intellectual life of the era, and - most poignantly - the struggle at the heart of any writer's life.

ISBN 0300126492   Pages 320 ISBN13 9780300126495 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Yale University Press   Weight (grammes) 553 Imprint Yale University Press   Published in New Haven Format Hardback   Height (mm) 210 Publication date 12 May 2009   Width (mm) 140 Library of Congress 2008045797   Spine width (mm) 24 DEWEY 813.52   Academic level Tertiary education DEWEY edition DC22

		Introduction		1
Ch. 1		Home		20
Ch. 2		Terrors		101
Ch. 3		Paradise		153
		Postscript		216
		Notes		241
		Bibliography		261
		Index		266

"More than an examination of the life and work of its subject and certainly more than an attempt to make more of the man than his legacy warrants, "Rosenfeld''s Lives "illuminates what it must have been like to be a young Jewish intellectual of that time and place and to live a life fervently devoted to books and ideas. . . . [Zipperstein] writes with passion for his subject, and with enormous sympathy. . . . "Rosenfeld''s Lives "offer an analysis of the man his work that is intimate and scholarly, full of private musings, and fascinated by and insightful about some of the most famous people and texts of the twentieth century."--Anita Norich, "Association of Jewish Studies Review"--Anita Norich "Association of Jewish Studies "

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