Language, Absence, Play

Despite considerable critical writing on the stylistic use of language by Nobel Prize-winning Israeli author Agnon (1887- 1970), Hagbi (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Jewish studies, U. of Amsterdam) opines that his attitude toward the revived Hebrew language has not been adequately explored. Using Agnon's 'Ad hena (Thus Far), an anthology of some of his later works, as a point of departure, he studies his interweaving of traditional Jewish texts, history, and self-mythologizing in light of superstructuralist theories of criticism. In true structuralist and Foucauldian manner, the themes of 'absence' and 'play' have multilayered meanings. The Hebrew version of the book was published in 2007. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)