White City, Black City :Architecture and War in Tel Aviv and Jaffa
White City, Black City :Architecture and War in Tel Aviv and Jaffa
paperback
Published:
15 January, 2015
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Description
This is the history of colonialism as seen through the architecture of Israel/Palestine. Tel Aviv is the 'White City', said to have risen from the sands of the desert, acclaimed worldwide for its architectural heritage and gleaming Bauhaus-inspired Modernism.
Jaffa is the 'Black City', the Palestinian city that was largely obliterated to make way for a new European-style architecture at the heart of a newly-formed Israel.
Both a gripping narrative and a unique architectural record, this book shows how any city in the world is made not only of stones and concrete but also of stories and histories - victors and losers, predator and prey. In this way, the legend of the Black City and the White City, architecture and war, is our story too.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780745335117 |
| ISBN10 | 074533511X |
| Number Of Pages | 260 |
| Item Weight | 343 g |
| Publisher / Reseller | Pluto Press |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
'A superbly researched and exemplary architectural study ... If you want an explanation of the roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict - and of just how deep they go, right into the very foundations of the buildings - this book gives one of the most unusual and convincing accounts' -- Owen Hatherley, the Guardian
'An important and fascinating exposé through architecture, geography and history. A sad but revealing history of how myths are forged and histories corrupted' -- Raja Shehadeh, author of Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape (Profile Books, 2008) and winner of the Orwell Prize for Literature
'This tale of Tel Aviv's growth from a Jaffa suburb to a metropolis is gripping' -- The Economist
'Fascinating' -- Edwin Heathcote, Financial Times
'A path-breaking and brilliant analysis that combines architecture, urban design, military strategy and general culture into an exhilarating war of streets and homes.' -- Eyal Weizman, author of Hollow Land: Israel's Architecture of Occupation (Verso, 2012)
'White City, Black City is a detailed and useful corrective to the mainstream Zionist narrative about the founding of Tel Aviv' -- Times Literary Supplement
'Rotbard's narrative contains fascinating insights' -- Haaretz
'White City, Black City is not a book about architecture. It is a political text written in a beautiful clear language.' -- Time Out
'A challenging book that deserves to be read and argued over. Rotbard here slaughters an especially sacred cow: Tel Avivness' -- Tom Segev, Haaretz
'A fundamental, fascinating and clever book on architecture in the service of politics' -- Adam Baruch, Maariv
Author's Bio
Sharon Rotbard is an Israeli architect, publisher and author. He co-founded the independent press Babel Publishers and serves as Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem. He lives with his wife in Tel Aviv.