The second volume of Herzl's Zionist Writings deals with the crucial years from 1898 till his untimely death in 1904. Volume 1, 1896 - 1898, provided a fascinating picture of Herzl's first attempts to gain converts for his revolutionary solution for the Jewish Question. By 1898 the idea had already been launched and an organised movement was in the process of formation. The second volume goes beyond the expository phase and deals with the arduous problems of implementation.

The young Zionist movement had its successes and reverses; its impassioned leader suffered inevitable disappointments when his brilliant imaginative schemes for the creation of a Jewish state did not find the immediate practical response that he anticipated. In his anger at unexpected adversaries in the Jewish fold Herzl appears polemical at best. His reports to successive Zionist Congresses, after the initial one in 1897, unsparing trace the ups and downs of the movement he has daringly launched. At the same time neither his fervour nor conviction fail.

The full impact of the dramatic Uganda episode on Herzl is revealed in full in Herzl's own words and shows his development as a national leader. The volume concludes with his poignant "Testament", soon to be followed by his death at the age of forty-four.

Like Volume 1, Volume 2 adds another dimension to our understanding of Herzl. These Zionist Writings, translated into English for the first time, complement Herzl's familiar works such as The Jewish State, his Diaries, and Old-New Land, and form an invaluable addition to the literature of Zionism.

Translated by Harry Zohn.