Besides and Other Stories

Uri Nissan Gnessin (1879 - 1913), the son of a rabbi, was attracted to the Enlightenment movement and influenced by Russian literature. In 1907 he moved to London, where he assisted Yosef Haim Brenner in the publication of a Hebrew newspaper. He then spent several months in Palestine but returned to Russia, and died in Warsaw at the age of 34. Gnessin is recognized as one of the fathers of modern Hebrew literature. His stream-of-consciousness technique has greatly influenced contemporary authors. This is the first English language edition of many of his works, which bring together some of his finest writings, including Besides, The Time Before, Uproar and Sideways. Rachel Gidron-Albeck, Professor of Hebrew Literature at Bar Ilan University, has written the introduction for the collection.