The Ashen Rainbow: Essays on the Arts and the Holocaust

by Ori Z. Soltes

The Ashen Rainbow plays on the paradox of the Holocaust: that the darkest hour of human depravity influenced an unprecedented array of human creativity's rainbow tinged with ash. The juxtaposition of the terms "arts" and "Holocaust" seems illogical: one pertaining to creation and the other to destruction. Yet Soltes's insightful interpretations embrace this disconnect, as he interweaves multiple disciplines ranging from literature, music, and theater, to visual art and film. The Ashen Rainbow focuses on the diversity of Holocaust art, claiming that the most successful pieces recognize "the essential inaccessible ineffability of such an event." Each of Professor Soltes's essays stand on its own. However, together they offer a comprehensive, multifaceted examination of an event that captures humanity in its brightest and darkest moments

Paperback

First published June 1, 2007