Jean-Paul Sartre's book is a brilliant portrait of both anti-Semite and Jew, written by a non-Jew and from a non-Jewish point of view. Nothing of the anti-Semite either in his subtle form as a snob, or in his crude form as a gangster, escapes Sartre's sharp eye, and the whole problem of the Jew's relationship to the Gentile is examined in a concrete and living way, rather than in terms of sociological abstractions.
"Anti-Semite and Jew, in its best passages, stands with Theodor Adorno's study of the authoritarian personality, Talcott Parson's essays on the sociology of Nazism, Erich Fromm's Escape from Freedom,and Hannah Arendt's account of totalitarian politics . . . [Nonetheless] Sartrean authenticity has taken on new meanings, a sign simultaneously that his argument is persuasive and that it is in need of revision." —From the Preface by Michael Walzer
"[A fervent and brilliant challenge to ant-Semitism." —The New York Times
"A review . . . can merely indicate the humanity, the compassion, and the suggestive brilliance of Sartre's writing. His essay is a genuine contribution to contemporary thought; it will be read and reread in years to come." —Harvey Swados
"Still a monument of postwar writing on anti-Semitism . . . Michael Walzer's fine introduction will help current readers sift out what remains relevant from Sartre's work for considering the variants of anti-Semitism haunting the world today." —Elisabeth Young Bruehl
"Sartre's account of anti-Semitism is an acknowledged classic, based in large measure on assimilated Jews whom he personally knew. Michael Walzer's essay provides significant balance to Sartre's brilliant analysis." —Arthur Hertzberg
Jean-Paul Sartre's book is a brilliant portrait of both anti-Semite and Jew, written by a non-Jew and from a non-Jewish point of view. Nothing of the anti-Semite either in his subtle form as a snob, or in his crude form as a gangster, escapes Sartre's sharp eye, and the whole problem of the Jew's relationship to the Gentile is examined in a concrete and living way, rather than in terms of sociological abstractions.
Excerpt
"Anti-Semite and Jew, in its best passages, stands with Theodor Adorno's study of the authoritarian personality, Talcott Parson's essays on the sociology of Nazism, Erich Fromm's Escape from Freedom,and Hannah Arendt's account of totalitarian politics . . . [Nonetheless] Sartrean authenticity has taken on new meanings, a sign simultaneously that his argument is persuasive and that it is in need of revision." —From the Preface by Michael Walzer
"[A fervent and brilliant challenge to ant-Semitism." —The New York Times
"A review . . . can merely indicate the humanity, the compassion, and the suggestive brilliance of Sartre's writing. His essay is a genuine contribution to contemporary thought; it will be read and reread in years to come." —Harvey Swados
"Still a monument of postwar writing on anti-Semitism . . . Michael Walzer's fine introduction will help current readers sift out what remains relevant from Sartre's work for considering the variants of anti-Semitism haunting the world today." —Elisabeth Young Bruehl
"Sartre's account of anti-Semitism is an acknowledged classic, based in large measure on assimilated Jews whom he personally knew. Michael Walzer's essay provides significant balance to Sartre's brilliant analysis." —Arthur Hertzberg
