This matchless history traces the development of a literature from its European roots into the 1880s, when it had neither a country nor a spoken language, to its flowering on Israeli soil through the 1990s. The product of over 20 years of research, it is unique in its scope, profilingfour generations of writer. Through detailed discussions of themes and styles in specific texts, Shaked conveys the richness of the Hebrew literary tradition. With biographical surveys, historical observations, and sociocultural and political analyses, he highlights the context within which the writings were produced, revealing the complex intertextual play between Hebrew literature and life.