Write like a Man: Jewish Masculinity and the New York Intellectuals

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 26 March 2024
Publisher: Princeton University Press

In the aftermath of World War II, a remarkable transformation took place within the intellectual landscape of New York City. The city's intellectuals emerged as some of the most celebrated critics and writers in the nation, and while predominantly male and Jewish, this influential group also encompassed women and non-Jews. However, what set this group apart was their shared embrace of a secular Jewish machismo that would go on to define the contemporary experience.

The book "Write like a Man" delves into the intricate relationship between virility and Jewishness in the postwar New York intellectual scene. It explores how these two qualities became defining characteristics of the city's intellectual community, shaping their approach to argumentation, debate, and self-definition. Through vivid portraits of figures such as Norman Mailer, Hannah Arendt, Lionel and Diana Trilling, Mary McCarthy, Norman Podhoretz, Midge Decter, and Irving Howe, the book sheds light on how their construction of Jewish masculinity helped propel the American Jew from outsider to insider, while also sparking intense clashes over its meaning.

Grinberg's narrative unfolds as a captivating chronicle of mid-century America, tracing the ways in which a combative and intellectually grounded vision of Jewish manhood contributed to the masculinization of intellectual life. The book examines the fraught encounters of these intellectuals with a range of contentious issues and ideas, from student radicalism and the civil rights movement to feminism, Freudianism, and neoconservatism. It highlights how their intellectual prowess and their commitment to Jewish values shaped some of the most significant political and cultural debates of the postwar era.

"Write like a Man" offers a nuanced and insightful exploration of the complex interplay between gender, religion, and culture in postwar America. It sheds light on the ways in which the New York intellectuals negotiated their identities and their place in the broader society, and how their intellectual pursuits shaped the course of history. This book is a valuable contribution to the study of modern intellectual history and will be of interest to scholars, students, and anyone with an interest in the intersection of gender, religion, and culture.

Weight: 690g
Dimension: 166 x 244 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691193090