Encounter on the Narrow Ridge: A Life of Martin Buber

by Maurice S. Friedman

Martin Buber's stature as the most significant Jewish religious philosopher of the twentieth century is reinforced by his accomplishments and renown in areas as diverse as Hasidism, psychotherapy, education, folklore, and politics. His classic, I and Thou, is known and studied all over the world. In this complete and masterful biography, Maurice Friedman traces the interweaving of Buber's wholehearted engagement with world events and crises and the evolution of his unique and influential philosophy. We see the impact of World War I on the young thinker; his work in education, community, and politics between the wars; his leadership of the spiritual resistance to the Nazis in Hitler's Germany; and his more than forty years of fighting for Jewish-Arab understanding. In addition, we see Buber interact with Heidegger, Sartre, Jung, Ben Gurion, Hesse, Rosenzweig, and Hammarskjold. Through his close relationship with Buber and recent access to forty-five thousand unpublished letters, Maurice Friedman recreates Buber's vitality, his philosophy of dialogue, and his spirituality based on a personal relationship with God. Encounter on the Narrow Ridge delivers the essential spontaneity of a great man who saw in every encounter a focal point for human growth.

Genres: Biography, Philosophy, Religion, Judaism

496 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 1981

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could give this a better rating. Friedman was a teacher of mine years ago and Buber was a spiritual giant of the 20th century who is still very relevant. But the book is poorly written and not well organized. A good editor could have helped. Friedman knew Buber personally, and his occasional insertions of conversations he had with Buber are illuminating. Friedman is the preeminent Buber scholar in the English-speaking world. Despite this book’s shortcomings, there is plenty of good substance in it about the life, thought and character of Buber.

[Dennis Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for anyone who wants to go deeper into Buber's life and work. It is a clear, accessible, and substantial blending of Buber's biography and thinking. An excellent choice!