The Genius

Reviews / Votes

"Stern's study will become the first resort for anyone seeking to understand the place of Elijah of Vilna in the modern Jewish experience. This is a learned, innovative and important book that, for the first time, situates the Gaon in both his time and his place. Moreover, the work contributes significantly to a re-evaluation of the emphases appropriate to the study of Jewish history in the modern period."-Gershon David Hundert, McGill University -- Gershon David Hundert "Elli Stern's study of the great Gaon of Vilna is a considerable contribution to the study of Jewish genius. Though the Gaon now tragically represents the murdered culture of East European Jewry, his example remains a beacon for the entire Judaic intellectual and spiritual enterprise."-Harold Bloom -- Harold Bloom "Explaining much of the reality behind the Gaon's mystique, Stern shows that in many respects he was even greater than his hagiographers ever imagined. Stern has made a major contribution to our understanding of East European Jewry."-Shaul Stampfer, Hebrew University -- Shaul Stampfer "A profoundly erudite and sometimes scintillating look at a pivotal rabbi."-Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly "In offering an alternative view of the complex genealogy of Jewish modernity, The Genius should generate serious conversation."-The Jewish Review of Books The Jewish Review of Books "Important and ambitious... Stern's The Genius is a pioneering work about an intellectual titan."-Lawrence Kaplan, Tablet magazine -- Lawrence Kaplan Tablet magazine Stern... has masterfully reappraised the Vilna Gaon... He has found, under Eastern European Orthodoxy's murky patina, a Judaism that was shockingly fresh, radical, and modern."-Raphael Magarik, Forward -- Raphael Magarik Forward Winner of the 2012 Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication. -- Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Prize Yale University Finalist for the 2014 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. -- Sami Rohr Prize Sami Rohr