In April 1945, Jean Améry was liberated from the Bergen Belsen concentration camp. A Jewish and political prisoner, he had been brutally tortured by the Nazis, and had also survived both Auschwitz and other infamous camps. His experiences during the Holocaust were made famous by his bookAt the Mind's Limits: Contemplations by a Survivor of Auschwitz and Its Realities.
Essays on Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and the Left features a collection of essays by Améry translated into English for the first time. Although written between 1966 and 1978, Améry's insights remain fresh and contemporary, and showcase the power of his thought.
Originally written when leftwing antisemitism was first on the rise, Améry's searing prose interrogates the relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism and challenges the international left to confront its failure to think critically and reflectively.
JEAN AMÉRY was born in Vienna in 1912 as Hans Maier. As a young man, he trained as a bookseller and attended lectures on philosophy and literature. In the mid 1930s he edited a literary journal and wrote his first novel. When the Nazis came to power in Austria in 1938, he fled to Belgium and joined the resistance there. He was caught distributing leaflets and was tortured and sent to Auschwitz. He survived Auschwitz and after the war made his home in Brussels, changing his name to Jean Améry. His most famous works available in English include At the Mind's Limits,On Aging, and On Suicide.
Lars Fischer is a professional translator.
Foreword
Introduction
Essays
1. On the Impossible Obligation to Be a Jew
2. Between Vietnam and Israel
3. Virtuous Antisemitism
4. The New Left's Approach to "Zionism"
5. Jews, Leftists, Leftist Jews
6. The New Antisemitism
7. Shylock, Kitsch, and Its Hazards
8. Virtuous Antisemitism
9. The Limits of Solidarity
10. My Jewishness
Epilogue
Note on Sources
Biographical Timeline
Contributor Biographies
Index
