Introduction—The Meaning of Jewish Literature

S.Y. Agnon was awarded the Nobel Prize for Jewish literature in 1966, the first—and to this day only—Hebrew writer to win the award. In this first lecture, Rabbi Jeffrey Saks analyzes Agnon's Nobel Laureate speech, showing how Agnon used the address to explain how and why he wrote novels and stories, and what, to him, the purpose of Jewish literature really is. The speech is a landmark text for understanding how Agnon thought about his own life and work in the context of Jewish history and tradition.