THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MENACHEM BEGIN

Perlmutter, Amos

ISBN 10: 0385189265 / ISBN 13: 9780385189262

Published by Garden City NY. 1987. Doubleday & Co., 1987

About this Item

blue & black 1/2 cloth hardcover 8vo. (octavo). dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. fine cond. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of markings. dustwrapper in vg cond. large tears on rear, taped inside long ago, 1" tear on front, spine chipped top & bottom, not price clipped. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking, underlining, remainder markings etc~. first edition so stated. first printing (nap). xi+444p. b&w photo illustrations. sources & acknowledgments. notes. index. biography. world history. history of israel. etzel. irgun. stern gang. world war ii. british mandate palestine. ~ Menachem Begin ranks among the most important world politicians of modern times. He is also one of the most controversial. A man extremes, his contradictory nature has prompted him to be labeled both dreamer and pragmatist, terrorist and peacemaker. Now, in this extraordinary work, distinguished political scientist and journalist Amos Perlmutter offers the first comprehensive biography of Menachem Begin to boldly explore the inner man behind the complex leader. By traveling to Begin's Poland and Israel, and combing through archives to uncover critical letters and documents, Perlmutter has been able to illuminate Begin by placing him in the times and places where he lived and rose in Zionist politics. Here are Begin's early days as a member of the Jewish middle class in Poland, where his political ideology and the roots of his militarism first took shape. Here, too, is his personal tragedy during the Holocaust; his role as leader of the revolt against British rule; his underground period; the political desert years; his astonishing rise to Prime Minister; the momentous Camp David victory; and the tragedy of the Lebanon debacle. Throughout, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MENACHEM BEGIN remarkably reveals the private man, so that in the end we finally come to understand the public figure. Penetrating and provocative, this is an important and timely study of the leader who so dramatically affected the map of the Middle East, the structure of its politics, and Israel's image in the eyes of the world.

Seller Inventory # 11102502

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MENACHEM BEGIN
• Publisher: Garden City NY. 1987. Doubleday & Co.
• Publication Date: 1987
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0385189265
• ISBN 13: 9780385189262
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • history of israel
  • biography
  • world war ii

About this title

Synopsis

Documented by in-depth research into Begin's family origins in Poland, his Holocaust experiences and his years as a guerrilla leader in Palestine, this biography draws together the threads of Begin's life and career in Israeli politics

Reviews

Perlmutter (Israel: The Partitioned State, etc.) has written a tedious, repetitious, political biography of the controversial former Israeli prime minister. Despite a strong, self-admitted ideological bias against his subject, he takes a sympathetic approach to demythologize Begin: "He over the years, has been labeled a Fascist, a threat to Israeli democracy and a militarist, but in fact he was a democrat, a liberal and a parliamentary politician . . . a man of high moral standards . . . committed to justice." Perlmutter also maintains that Begin was, repeatedly, a victim of passivity during crises, and that as a young man, he "was a classic . . . party apparatchik . . . with few original ideas of his own." The author makes some sound points, but they are imbedded in a confusing history of political intrigue and often are accompanied by speculation (for example, on Begin's feelings toward his mentor Vladimir Jabotinsky and rival Ben-Gurion, he writes: "Deep in his heart, Begin believed he never quite measured up to either man"). Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The last few years have seen a flood of personal and "official" assessments of Begin's life and times. No wonder, since Begin has done everything to cloak his own past in mysterious and vague terms. Perlmutter ( Israel: the partitioned state ), a political scientist who knows well the history of Zionism and Israel, has written the first serious biography of Begin. He relies on documentation and evidence, though he also makes full use of oral history. The book traces Begin from his early days in Poland to his last days as prime minister of Israel. It explores the complexity of the man and tries to uncover what lies behind the public facade. Perlmutter obviously has a good grasp on how to write biography. The subtitle of Temko's book indicates that it is a "personal" portrait, and indeed that is so in both meanings of the term. The book concentrates on Begin's personal life, and it is written from a personal point of view, as Temko tries to unravel Begin as a human man and political actor. The author is less familiar with the larger story of Zionism and Israel. The book is based on published sources and many interviews, quite a few of them with Begin's friends and even some with members of his family. Like Perlmutter's book it is well written, but Perlmutter's should be the first choice for most libraries.Jehuda Reinharz, Near Eastern & Judaic Studies Dept., Brandeis Univ., Waltham, Mass.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.