Studies in Medieval Jewish Poetry—A Messager upon the Garden

In this volume resulting from a 2004 meeting of the Association of Medieval Hebrew Poetry and Renaissance Literature, Guetta (Jewish thought, l'Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales [INALCO], Paris) and Itzhaki (Hebrew literature, INALCO) compile 14 noteworthy essays in the field. They introduce current research foci including: interactions between Jewish, Muslim, and Christian poetics; theoretical studies from contemporary points of view; new perspectives on classic authors (e.g., Judah Halevi, Judah al-Harizi); newly appreciated authors (Shelomo Boafed, El'azar ha-Bavli); lesser known authors from Egypt, Iraq, and Aragon; and specific genres such as a form of piyut (liturgical poem). The first complete Hebrew critical edition of a poetic correspondence between Vidal Abenvenist ('Efer we and Simon Solomon de Piera Diwan is presented. One of the contributions is in French. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Alessandro Guetta, PhD (1993) in Philosophy, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, is professor of Jewish Thought at Inalco, Paris. He has published extensively on the intellectual history of Italian Judaism, including Philosophy and Kabbalah. His latest work is Elijah Benamozegh and the Reconciliation of Western Thought and Jewish Esotericism (SUNY Press, 2008).Masha Itzhaki, PhD (1979) Tel Aviv University, teaches Hebrew literature in INALCO Paris. She is the author of many books and papers on Hebrew medieval poetry and about Israeli literature. Her books include Jardin d'Eden, Jardin d'Espagne, (BNF & Sueil, Paris 1993), Yehuda Ha-Levi, from Toledo to Jerusalem, (Albin Michel, Paris 1997), Poesie hebraiqe amoureuse, (Somogy, Paris 2000).