MEN OF DIALOGUE: Martin Buber and Albrecht Goes

by E. William & Harry Zohn--Eds. Rollins ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1969

Ecumenical dialogues have this in common with ecclesiastical reforms, that they are always about to take place without, apparently, ever actually doing so. One exception, however tentative, was the exchange--a few lengthy conversations and an intermittent correspondence over a period of thirty years--between Buber and Albrecht Goes, the German Protestant clergyman and novelist (Unquiet Night, The Boychik, The Burnt Offering). The present work is an attempt to record and to extend that dialogue by the sometimes appropriate juxtaposition of pieces and excerpts from the writings of both men. Inevitably, sections of the book are unsatisfactory. The considerable extracts from Goes' novels, for example--however interesting they may be in themselves--may be fictional expositions of Buber's teachings, but only an excessively elastic imagination can conceive of them as part of a ""dialogue."" The only part of the book which justifies the editorial concept is the third section, ""Personal Encounters with Martin Buber,"" which, unfortunately, comprises less than one-third of the book's material. It is possible that a more adroit arrangement would have produced a more useful work.

Pub Date: May 1, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Funk & Wagnalls

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION