Abstract for MLA 2004 panel on Hebrew Literature

Anarchism in the Zionist Landscape

From the beginnings of the Zionist movement, in which anarchists such as Bernard Lazare and Gustav Landauer played key roles, to this past year's launching of the "Anarchists Against the Wall Initiative" by Israeli activists, anarchism has formed a significant part of Israel's political and cultural mix.  How, then, have a century and a half of anarchist speculations on art and culture -- including the seminal work of Lazare and Landauer themselves -- influenced Israeli literary consciousness? This presentation will explore the question in the context of works by Yizhar Smilansky and Meir Wieseltier.