Tel-Aviv, the First Century: Visions, Designs, Actualities

by Maoz Azaryahu (Editor), S. Ilan Troen (Editor)

“A learned and engaging collection of essays” on Israel’s diverse, modern metropolis, established in 1909 (Religious Studies Review).  Tel-Aviv, the First Century brings together a broad range of scholars and cutting-edge research to trace the development and paradoxes of Tel-Aviv as an urban center and a national symbol. Through the lenses of history, literature, urban planning, gender studies, architecture, art, and other fields, these essays reveal the place of Tel-Aviv in the life and imagination of its diverse inhabitants. The careful and insightful tracing of the development of the city's landscape, the relationship of its varied architecture to its competing social cultures, and its evolving place in Israel's literary imagination come together to offer a vivid and complex picture of Tel-Aviv as a microcosm of Israeli life and a vibrant, modern, global city.   “Israel’s main metropolis is scrutinized through the lens of history, geography, architecture, art, literature, and gender studies, presenting the many facets that have come to constitute the elaborate personality of a very complicated city and society.”—H-Judaic

478 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of mostly dreary academic articles on the history of Tel Aviv. Not really what I was looking for, the work spends a lot of space discussion what the various visions for the city were and why they didn't come about, or how they came about in a manner different from that which had been suggested initially. Did Tel Aviv actually become the first "Jewish City" since Biblical times? Well, actually yes, but the writers of these articles seem to consider this a type of failure. Was it really significant that the first main sewer line was built through Jaffa and also took its sewage? No, not really. And yet, here and there one can find nuggets of interesting and relevant history about Tel Aviv scattered in the articles. There is an engaging and well-written article about the history of balconies in the city. This shouldn't be the first or even the second book one should read on the history of that fascinating city, but it might be the third.