A bravura exploration of politics and writing in dark times.
In The Last Resistance, Jacqueline Rose explores the power of writing to create and transform our political lives. In particular, she examines the role of literature in the Zionist imagination: here, literature is presented as a unique form of dissidence, with the power to expose the unconscious of nations, and often proposing radical alternatives to their dominant pathways and beliefs. While Israel-Palestine is the repeated focus, The Last Resistance also turns to post-apartheid South Africa, to American national fantasy post-9/11, and to key moments for the understanding of Jewish culture and memory. Rose also underscores the importance of psychoanalysis, both historically in relation to the unfolding of world events, and as a tool of political understanding. Examining topics ranging from David Grossman, through W.G. Sebald, Freud, Nadine Gordimer, the concept of evil, and suicide bombers, The Last Resistance offers a unique way of responding to the crises of the times. Reviews: “A breathtakingly refined textual analysis sustains a passionate, ethical and political engagement in the ongoing Near East crisis. This alone makes her a model of what a public intellectual should be.”
– Slavoj Žižek “Jacqueline Rose has written what can only be called a masterpiece of scholarship and thought ... a work of stunning insight and moral courage. Destined to become a standard in the field, it will have a profound and lasting impact.”
– Sara Roy, Harvard University “In The Last Resistance, Jacqueline Rose uses her knowledge of literature, psychoanalysis, and politics to brilliantly illuminating effect ... Stimulating and thought-provoking, it deserves to be read widely.”
– Avi Shlaim, University of Oxford “It takes a fierce shell of courage to speak out, as Jacqueline Rose does here ... She is a fine, original scholar.”
– Peter Preston, Observer “A passionate celebration of Jewish thought and writing ... an original, innovative survey of some of the deeper dynamics at play within Zionism.”
– Tribune
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