BEGINNINGS: Reflections on Firsts in the Bible

Meir Shalev

Fiction, 2008

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#1 bestseller since it's 2008 publication.

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The first kiss in the Bible is not a kiss of love. The first love in the Bible is not the love of a man and a woman. The first hatred in the Bible is the hatred of a man for his wife. The first laugh in the Bible is also the last.

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In this collection of essays Meir Shalev describes many ”firsts” in the Bible and portrays those chosen to experience them: to dream the first dream, to cry the first cry, to become the first wise man, king, prophet, spy.

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This is Meir Shalev’s second book dealing with biblical texts. His first, The Bible for Now, created an enthusiastic following of secular readers.

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Rights Sold:

USA, Doubleday; Switzerland, Diogenes Verlag; Holland, Ambo/Anthos; Russia, Text Publishers;  Israel, Am Oved

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Reviews:

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“[An] innovative and skillfully woven analysis of biblical firsts… Readers, either familiar or unacquainted with the biblical text, will enjoy this accessible and authentic excursion into the ancient world of Jewish life.” – Publishers Weekly

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“These essays bring a novelist's insight to the analysis of biblical characters.” – Jewish Review of Books

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“Shalev puts his fine storytelling skills to work.”– Booklist

“Shalev is an author of great sophistication whose enthusiasm is contagious. He has an eye for detail, a thirst for making implied connections explicit and a wonderful habit of fully imagining the potent drama narrated.” – The Forward

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