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.”
The British-Jewish Officer Who Fooled Hitler
How did a corpse save thousands of Allied soldiers in World War II and help change the course of the war? Who was this person? Why was it said that “the only worthwhile thing that he ever did, he did after his death”? And what does any of this have to do with James Bond? This is the astonishing true story behind “Operation Mincemeat”, a tale that sounds like the plot of a first-rate spy novel but actually took place in reality.
When “Not Without My Daughter” Was Filmed in Israel
Can a country become part of a movie cast? The number of major international films shot in Israel can likely be counted on two hands, and when the film crews did come, many used the local landscape to stand in for other Middle Eastern countries. In the National Library archives, we uncovered documentation of how Ramat Gan became Tehran, and well-known Israeli actors found themselves playing Persians and Turks.
The Questionable (and Immortal) Values in the Books of Roald Dahl
He saw the world as a dark and terrible place. He thought Hitler wasn’t entirely wrong. His books brim with gruesome imagery, and with scorn for women, overweight people and different races. And yet, decades after they were written, they remain bestsellers, fueling blockbuster Broadway productions and prompting Netflix to pay hundreds of millions for the rights. Who was Roald Dahl, and what is the secret of his stories’ enduring appeal?
The Inner Workings of a Library … and a Person
“To the Internal Libraries,” artist Hadassa Goldvicht’s new video exhibition at the NLI, is a behind-the-scenes journey through the stacks of the institution’s previous building, one that also serves as a meditation on pain, healing and the body’s own inner systems.
An Innocent Fairytale or a Treatment for Trauma? The True Magic of Narnia
What’s the connection between three young London girls who fled the Blitz and one of the world’s most beloved books? What was the backdrop for the tales of C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia”, and how does it all relate to the situation in Israel today?
Her Holocaust: The First Female Survivor to Write Her Memoirs
One of the earliest firsthand accounts of the horrors of the Holocaust was written in 1944 by a 21-year-old Jewish woman. Revolutionary in many ways, it would remain her only book. She never wrote again, living out her life quietly and modestly. Who was Renia Kukielka?
Lover, Liar, Librarian: The Two Lives of Casanova
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova’s name has become a symbol—even a dictionary entry. But was there more to the life and memoirs of the famed Italian lover than just romantic escapades and skirt-chasing? His writings reveal a gifted storyteller who lived without inhibition, but also insights that are dubious, disturbing, and endlessly fascinating. So who was Casanova?
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?
Book Review: “Come With Me to the Ritz” by Vasile Dubb
A collection of anecdotal short stories that contain an intellectual playfulness that keeps readers engaged.
