In 2004 the one-hundredth anniversary of Theodor Herzl's death was commemorated throughout the world. The myth of Herzl, as it has developed over the last century, has perhaps become more important than the historical figure. This volume contains revised and expanded essays, which were originally delivered as lectures at international Herzl centennial conferences in Antwerp, London, and Jerusalem. Topics treated include the Herzl myth, Herzl's nationalism and Zionism, his self-understanding and image, his authorship of comedies and philosophical tales, Herzl and Africa, as well as his reception in Israeli and other literature. Zweig films are also considered within this same context.
Introduction - Robert S. Wistrich: Theodor Herzl: Between Myth and Messianism. Denis Charbit: Herzl's Nationalism: Is it Ethnic or Civic? Jacques Kornberg: Theodor Herzl: Zionism as Personal Liberation.
Benno Wagner: Leaders 1904. Masaryk - Herzl - Kafka. Michael Berkowitz: Re-Imagining Herzl and other Zionist Sex Symbols. Eitan Bar-Yosef: A Villa in the Jungle: Herzl, Zionist Culture, and the Great African Adventure. Daniel Hoffmann: "Dieses schlicht verschwiegene Bekenntnis". Gustav G. Cohen, ein unbekannter Freund Theodor Herzls. Jacob Golomb: Transfiguration of the Self in Herzl's Life and in his Literary Fiction. Klaus Hödl: Theodor Herzl and the Crisis of Jewish Self-Understanding. Bernhard Greiner: "What Will People Say?" Herzl as Author of Comedies. Vivian Liska: A Vision out of Sight. Theodor Herzl's Late Philosophical Tales. Mark H. Gelber: The Life and Death of Herzl in Jewish Consciousness: Genre Issues and Mythic Perspectives. Frank Stern: Der Wandernde Jude - Herzl und der Zionismus auf der Leinwand. Na'ama Rokem: Making Use of Prose: The Politics of Genre in Theodor Herzl and H. N. Bialik: Gershon Shaked: Mythic Figure or Flesh and Blood? The Literary Reception of Herzl in Hebrew Poetry and in Nathan Bistritzki's "The Secret of Birth". Anat Feinberg: "Mein Kampf": George Tabori's Subversive Herzl Variation. List of Contributors. Index
Mark H. Gelber, Ben-Gurion University, Israel; Vivian Liska, University of Antwerpen, Belgium.
"Die Herausgeber nutzten [das] große wissenschaftliche Interesse vorbildlich und es entstand ein ausgewogenes Kompendium, das neue Aspekte der Zionismusforschung mit bekannteren Themen verbindet."
Ulrich Bach in: Modern Austrian Literature 42.2/2009
