The Hypocrite

Abraham Mapu

1857–1864

After finishing the letter, Elisheva handed it back to Hogeh and gracefully added: “Would that letters such as this might appear more often in our literature! For only such refinement of language will teach the youth of Israel good taste and fine understanding, and inspire their minds. But not so the harsh style which ruins the taste of the learned…

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Creator Bio

Abraham Mapu

1808–1867

Abraham (Avraham) Mapu, the first Hebrew novelist, was born in Slobodka near Kovno and was known as a brilliant Talmud scholar. He studied Latin, modern languages and literature, and Hebrew grammar on his own. While living apart from his family and working as a tutor, he began following the Haskalah, becoming one of its major figures in Eastern Europe due to his popular and widely translated novels. His fiction combined European romanticism with works set in ancient Israel, influencing both maskilic writers and Zionists. Mapu also wrote several language textbooks. In his later years he struggled with poverty, infirmity, and censorship.

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