He wrote stories that blur the boundary between fantasy and reality, laying the groundwork for two of the most beloved literary genres of the past 150 years. He also played a decisive role in shaping the modern image of pirates. Without him, Jack Sparrow might have looked very different indeed. Yet Robert Louis Stevenson’s own life was no less compelling than his fiction, filled with adventure, romance, and drama worthy of his novels. This is the story of the Scottish writer behind “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
From Treblinka to Stalingrad: The Many Truths of Vasily Grossman
How a Soviet-Jewish reporter became one of the 20th century’s most essential truth-tellers.
“Here Lies a Humorist”: The Last Wish of Sholem Aleichem
What transformed the young boy Solomon Rabinovich – a simple child, orphaned of his mother – into one of the greatest Yiddish writers of his generation? Hint: a wicked stepmother, an unexpected happy ending, and a lifelong love of laughter all played a part. This is the story of the great Jewish humorist who, even in death, chose to laugh.
Around the World in 15 Years: The First Israeli Woman to Travel the Globe
Schlomit Flaum left behind no family, no one to preserve her memory. Yet she did leave something extraordinary—a groundbreaking book, the first Hebrew-language travelogue written by a woman from the Land of Israel, during an era when women rarely ventured beyond their homes. Her memoir reveals a turbulent, fascinating life marked by profound loneliness, and recounts remarkable encounters with individuals who shaped the course of history.
Kafka’s Secrets: The Missing Page of “The Castle”
A page torn from the manuscript of Franz Kafka’s “The Castle” has been revealed for the first time. What is written on that missing page? Who tore it out? Why would anyone want to keep it hidden?
The Clerk Who Became a Writer Against His Will: Who Was Franz Kafka of Prague?
What would have happened if Kafka had lived for many more years and died of old age? How did a seemingly nondescript clerk become one of the greatest writers of the 20th century? Was his death the best thing that ever happened to him? Kafka’s fascinating character is explored in a new exhibition at the National Library, showcasing the man whose life, work, and death became an inseparable part of the modern human experience.
Another Trial: A Kafkaesque Love Triangle
Despite his romantic and tortured image, Franz Kafka’s attitude towards women had its darker aspects. Who would have guessed that the tangled romantic triangle between Kafka, his fiancée Felice Bauer and her good friend Grete Bloch would produce one of the greatest literary classics of all time?
How I Found the Lost Ending to a Legendary Author’s Story
Modern technology helped reveal the conclusion to “Falik and His House”, written by renowned Yiddish author Jacob Dinezon nearly 120 years ago
