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Reconsidering Lilith
Joy Kogawa and Lilian Broca A Song of Lilith. Polestar $21.95 Reviewed by Ian Rae
A Song of Lilith is a collaborative project by the artist Lilian Broca and poet-novelist Joy Kogawa. Broca's paintings and Kogawa's long poem hinge upon the fascinating premise that there are two contradictory creation narratives in Genesis: an initial one in which God creates man and woman from clay as equals, and a later one in which God takes a rib out of Adam to create Eve. In an article that forms the basis of Broca's research, Aviva Cantor argues that this discrepancy gives credence to the Judaic tradition that Adam had a rebellious first wife, Lilith, who was replaced by Eve. When Adam refused to acknowledge Lilith's equal status, the frustrated wife "used her wisdom, uttered God's secret name, grew wings and...