{"product_id":"the-tables-of-the-law","title":"The Tables of the Law","description":"\u003cp\u003eBy Thomas Mann\u003cbr\u003eTranslated by Marion Faber and Stephen Lehmann \u003cbr\u003e Afterword by Michael Wood\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"To present the foundation of law for half the world is no simple task. \u003cem\u003eThe Tables of the Law\u003c\/em\u003e is a historical title following Moses as he is tasked by God to present the ten commandments, providing a human and much different insight on the role of Moses as the Prophet of God. Expertly translated, \u003cem\u003eThe Tables of the Law\u003c\/em\u003e is a solid addition to any literary fiction collection.\"—\u003cem\u003eMidwest Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Beautiful…one of the best short novels he has written.\" —\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Can rank with the best of Mann's writing\" —\u003cem\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"His senses were hot, and so he yearned for spirituality, purity, and holiness—the invisible, which seemed to him spiritual, holy, and pure.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Thus Thomas Mann introduces Moses in \u003cem\u003eThe Tables of the Law\u003c\/em\u003e, the Nobel Prize winner's retelling of the prophet's life. Invited in 1943 to write this story as a defense of the Decalogue, Mann reveals how strange and forbidding Moses' task was. As \"the Lawgiver\"—endowed with the wrists and hands of a stonemason—engraves the tablets, so he hews the souls of his people:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"Into the stone of the mountain I carved the ABC of human behavior,but it shall also be carved into your flesh and blood, Israel . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Mann's tale of the ethical founding and molding of a people sharply rebukes the Nazis for their intended destruction of the moral code set down in the Ten Commandments. But does his famous irony and authorial license mock or enhance the Biblical account of the shaping of the Jewish people? You know the Bible story. Now read Mann's version—it will grip you anew.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePaperback\u003cbr\u003e120 pages\u003cbr\u003ePaul Dry Books, 2010\u003cbr\u003eOriginally published in 1944\u003cbr\u003eISBN 9781589880573 \u003cbr\u003eSpirituality, Historical Fiction\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"vendor-unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":319588413,"sku":"9781589880573","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0175\/8594\/products\/Mann_The_Tables_of_the_Law.jpg?v=1634935474","url":"https:\/\/neue-galerie-design-shop.myshopify.com\/products\/the-tables-of-the-law","provider":"Neue Galerie Design Shop \u0026 Book Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}