Elie Wiesel and the Art of Storytelling

Elie Wiesel is a master storyteller with the ability to use storytelling as a form of activism. From his landmark memoir Night to his novels and numerous retellings of Hasidic legends, Wiesel's literature emphasizes storytelling, and he frequently refers to himself as a storyteller rather than an author or historian. In this work, essays examine Wiesel's roots in Jewish storytelling traditions; influences from religious, folk, and secular sources; education; Yiddish background; Holocaust experience; and writing style. Emphasized throughout is Wiesel's use of multiple sources in an effort to reach diverse audiences.

Table of Contents

Preface      
Introduction     

Mosaics and Mirrors: Wiesel, American Autobiographies, and the Shaping of a Storied Subject     
Creative Ambiguity in Wiesel's Storytelling     
Elie Wiesel: Telling Stories of Children and Loss     
The Storyteller and His Quarrel with God     
Wrestling with Oblivion: Wiesel's Autobiographical Storytelling as Midrash     
The Maggid of Sighet: Jewish Contexts for Wiesel's Storytelling     
Laughter and the Limits of Holocaust Storytelling: Wiesel's The Gates of the Forest     
Transfiguration     
The Artist as Witness, Prophet, and Encourager     
Shaliach Tzibor: Wiesel as Storyteller of His People     
Teaching Beyond the Text: Examining and Acting On the Moral Aspects of Night     
Afterword: Night-the Memoir-a Promise Fulfilled     
About the Contributors     
Index