I bought this book after staying in Tel Aviv back in 1999/2000 and wanting to read an indepth book about the city but I only read about 40 pages at the time. After visiting Tel Aviv again last year I added it to my 999 challenge and because Tel Aviv celebrates its centenary this year.Twelve years ago Jerusalem celebrated the 3 thousand year anniversary of King David declaring Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom, so 100 years doesn't seem like that big a deal, but Tel Aviv was the first fully Hebrew city to be established anywhere since biblical times.
This is a social history of Tel Aviv, part of a Topographic series of books which feature new writing about place. 'Topographics....the reversal of travel literature, the books in this series do not depend on a journey to supply a plot. Instead they mingle analysis with anecdote, criticism with original expressive writing, to explore the creative collision between physical space and the human mind.'
Quite a dense read, but ultimately satisfying, Schlor explores the founding of Tel Aviv and its spectacular growth from many angles. He discusses Tel Aviv's place in the Mediterranean, the Levant, the Middle East and in Israel itself and its role as the first Hebrew city. The city grew because of the influx of immigrants from Europe, these people were not like the first aliyas, full of socialist dreams of working the land, but city dwellers wanting to live in a city and Tel Aviv gave them what they wanted.
Tel Aviv always seems to have been a city for young people and that is still one of its main attractions. My husband is from Tel Aviv and I lived, worked and studied Hebrew there many years ago and I've always loved the frenetic charm of the city and all those beautiful bahaus apartment buildings many of which are finally being restored. ( )