(1976) was written during 1975, the year in which Bellow married mathematician Alexandra Ionescu Tulcea and spent three months in Israel with her while she taught at Hebrew University. During this year he read many articles and books on Israel and interviewed numerous Jewish government and cultural leaders. The book combines these firsthand accounts and provides a somewhat journalistic chronology of his stay, along with fictional stories, reported conversations, travelogue, bits of essays, and pieces of public addresses. It earned Bellow the label of “neoconservative” and a number of negative reviews. According to some critics he did not interview enough people involved in the arts, medicine, science, civic projects, or religious groups. Others complained of…
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Citation: Cronin, Gloria. "To Jerusalem and Back: A Personal Account". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 October 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13828, accessed 23 November 2024.]