This Just In

No sooner did I finish the last post than this came across my email transom:

Jerome Rothenberg’s Experimental Poetry and Jewish Tradition

By Christine A. Meilicke

This book examines the Jewish writing of the contemporary experimental poet Jerome Rothenberg. Exploring the interplay of American poetry and American Judaism, it demonstrates ways in which he contributes to the creation of an American Jewish avantgarde poetry and a contemporary Jewish diaspora identity.

The two main parts of this book examine Rothenberg’s reappropriation of Jewish tradition with reference to religion and history. The theme of loss and recovery provides the overall framework for the different chapters. While the first three chapters deal with the poet’s reappropriation of Jewish mysticism, ritual, and magic, the last three examine his evasion of nostalgia in Poland/1931 and his confrontation with the Holocaust in Khurbn

Embracing postmodern experimentation and drawing on heterodox Jewish sources, Rothenberg constructs a contemporary American Jewish identity that does not rely on institutionalized Judaism. His poetry invigorates the American and the American Jewish poetry scene.

About the Author: Christine A. Meilicke has studied history and English literature at the University of Tübingen, Jewish studies at Oxford, and American and comparative literature at the University of Mainz. She has published several articles about Jewish–Christian relations, kabbalistic poetry, and the Jewish counterculture.

Looks promising! Let's all check it out, shall we?