New Releases by Amos Oz

"This book consists of six conversations between Amos Oz and Shira Hadad, who worked closely with Oz as the editor of his novel Judas. The interviews, which took place toward the end of Oz''s life, about a decade after the publication of his memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness, capture the writer''s thoughts and opinions on many of the subjects that occupied him throughout his life and career, including writing and creation, guilt and love, death and the afterlife. In the first interview, "A Heart Pierced by an Arrow," Oz discusses how he became a writer, along with his writing process and its attendant challenges. "Sometimes" explores Oz''s reflections on men, women, and relationships across his experience and work. "A Room of Your Own" sketches his development as a writer on the kibbutz and his eventual decision to leave. In "When Someone Beats up Your Child," Oz discusses the critical reception of his work, and in "What No Writer Can Do" he describes his experience teaching literature, including his thoughts on contemporary modes of literary instruction. In the concluding piece, "The Lights Have Been Changing Without Us for a Long Time," he reflects on other writers and on changes he has observed in himself and others over time. The title comes from a passage in the first interview: Oz says, "What makes an apple? Water, earth, sun, an apple tree, and a bit of fertilizer. But it doesn''t look like any of those things. It''s made of them but it is not like them. That''s how a story is: it certainly is made up of the sum of encounters and experiences and listening.""--

Amos Oz, Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras 2007 Teo, hombre pragmático, inteligente e irónico, en la madurez de sus casi sesenta años y entregado a esa sabiduría de quien ya ha vivido, conoce en uno de sus viajes por Latinoamérica a Noa, una mujer vital, apasionada e igualmente inteligente, quince años más joven que él. Ambos nos irán contando la misma historia pero desde dos puntos de vista diferentes.Amos Oz capta en esta novela, con magistral hondura, todo aquello que deja huella en la vida: las ilusiones, los sueños, los anhelos, el amor, la amistad, el hastío y también el silencio.

"A delicate contemporary tale about the quiddities of love and the perpetual mysteries of human motivations" from the bestselling Israeli author of Judas ( Los Angeles Times). A New York Times Notable Book of the Year At Tel-Kedar, a settlement in the Negev desert, the longtime love affair between Theo, a sixty-year-old civil engineer, and Noa, a young schoolteacher, is slowly disintegrating. When a pupil dies under difficult circumstances, the couple and the entire town are thrown into turmoil. Amos Oz explores with brilliant insight the possibilities—and limits—of love and tolerance. "A rich symphony of humanity . . . If Oz''s eye for detail is enviable, it is his magnanimity which raises him to the first rank of world authors." — Sunday Telegraph (UK) "Vivid, convincing, and haunting." — The New York Times Book Review "A vividly and affectionately detailed picture of Israeli village life—and of what might be called a JulyOctober relationship—by acclaimed essayist and novelist Oz . . . A perfectly pitched comedy, expertly translated, and one of Oz''s most attractive and accomplished books." — Kirkus Reviews "This novel, his 10th (after Fima), is set in Tel Kedar, a quiet desert town in the Negev that is both a microcosm of Israeli society and a vividly evoked setting whose atmosphere and residents are palpable . . . his story carries thought-provoking implications." — Publishers Weekly "Skillfully alternating point of view between his two main characters, Oz shows us the painful process by which a couple uncouples, one sinew at a time." — Booklist

The third novel from the international bestselling author of Judas. "A profusion of delightful passages couched in unfailingly lovely language." — The New York Times Book Review 1939. As the Nazis advance into Poland, a Jewish mathematician and watchmaker named Pomeranz escapes into the wintry forest, leaving behind his beautiful, intelligent wife, Stefa. After the war, having evaded the concentration camps, they begin to build new lives; Stefa in Stalin''s Russia and Pomeranz in Israel, where, as they move toward reunion, another war is brewing. An intricate tale of people seeking escape from a hostile world in thrillingly fantastical ways. "Lyrical . . . Its youthfulness and energy are exhilarating." — The New Yorker "A masterful aggregate of philosophical speculation, witty social commentary and solid story telling." — Kirkus Reviews "An outstandingly rich book . . . a pleasure to read." — Times Literary Supplement

El libro más personal de uno de los grandes intelectuales de nuestro tiempo. «Este volumen muestra a Amos Oz tal y como lo conocimos sus amigos: abierto y con un extraordinario sentido del humor y la ironía». DAVID GROSSMAN «Amos Oz fue un hombre sabio y generoso. Tanto quienes tuvieron la suerte de tomar un café con él como aquellos que nunca pudieron disfrutar de la oportunidad de mirarle a los ojos, reconocen la clarividencia con que analizaba nuestra realidad, su profunda comprensión de la política y la naturaleza humana». DAVID GROSSMAN ¿De qué está hecha una manzana? no es un libro de entrevistas al uso, sino la quintaesencia de un diálogo continuado, la cristalización de una amistad y unas afinidades sólidamente forjadas a lo largo de los años entre Amoz Oz, sin lugar a duda uno de los más influyentes y respetados intelectuales del siglo XX, y Shira Hadad, su editora en Israel. Influencias, libros y autores, creación e inspiración, pero también amor, matrimonio, paternidad... Lo divino y lo humano desfila por este lúcido, personal y emotivo repaso por las principales cuestiones que han sustentado la vida y la obra del que fuera siempre un incansable defensor del entendimiento, la paz y el diálogo.

Amos Oz nos sorprende con una historia contada por diferentes personajes en lugares distintos, pero constantemente interrelacionados, bien por la realidad, bien por los sueños y obsesiones de cada uno de ellos. En El mismo mar todos los personajes se hallan separados de su objeto de amor, a veces por una barrera, una pared, un país, una habitación o la muerte. Publicado en más de veinte países de todo el mundo, El mismo mar representa un singular evento en la literatura actual: aquí, prosa y poesía se entrelazan en la narración en un estilo que consagra a Amos Oz como uno de los grandes escritores de la literatura contemporánea.

El autor de Una historia de amor y oscuridad nos entrega un maravilloso cuento para todos los que creen en la sabiduría de la infancia. Una parábola sobre la diversidad y el valor de ir a contracorriente. El lector tiene entre sus manos una Aggadah, una parábola, con todo su simbolismo y carga metafórica, que cuenta la historia de un pequeño pueblo embrujado sobre el cual ha recaído una extraña maldición: la desaparición de todos los animales... De noche, en el pueblo, un raro e imposible silencio habita la oscuridad. También de día la ausencia total de animales deja su huella: ni un perro, ni un gato, ni siquiera una mosca o un grillo. Algo debe de haber sucedido: los niños preguntan y algunos adultos se enfadan. Otros no, como la maestra Emmanuela con sus extraños dibujos, o el viejo pescador Almón, cuyas redes están siempre vacías, o la panadera, que en vano echa migas en el patio para pájaros que nunca vendrán. Hasta que Maya y Mati, dos niños empecinados en encontrar la verdad, se atreven a desobedecer la ley establecida y parten para su aventura...

The acclaimed author presents “three passionate lectures about the state of politics in Israel” in this “humorous, mournful, enraged, and uplifting” volume (Kirkus). A National Jewish Book Award Finalist Israeli author Amos Oz has won numerous awards for his novels capturing the cultural and political complexities of his country, including the Frankfurt Peace Prize, the Primo Levi Prize, and the National Jewish Book Award. But these essays on the universal nature of fanaticism and its possible cures, on the Jewish roots of humanism and the need for a secular pride in Israel, and on the geopolitical standing of Israel in the wider Middle East and internationally, “may contain his most urgent message yet.” (Ruth Eglash, Washington Post). These essays were written, Oz states, “first and foremost” for his grandchildren: they are a patient, learned telling of history, religion, and politics, to be thumbed through and studied, clung to even, as we march toward an uncertain future. “Concise, evocative . . . Dear Zealots is not just a brilliant book of thoughts and ideas—it is a depiction of one man’s struggle, who for decades has insisted on keeping a sharp, strident and lucid perspective in the face of chaos and at times of madness.” —David Grossman, winner of the Man Booker International Prize

Als Autor trat Amos Oz auf ihn bezeichnende Weise zum ersten Mal 1961 an die Öffentlichkeit, mit einem politischen Essay sowie einer Erzählung. Es folgten mehr als zwanzig Romane, Erzählsammlungen und Essaybände. In Wo die Schakale heulen, seiner ersten Buchpublikation aus dem Jahre 1965, acht Erzählungen, die erstmals in deutscher Übersetzung vorliegen, ist in exemplarischer Weise mitzuerleben, wie Oz zu dem Schriftsteller geworden ist, der er ist. In den Erzählungen sind alle den Autor prägenden Themen bereits versammelt: Der eminent politische Oz erzählt vom Kibbutzalltag in feindlicher Umgebung. Dabei zeigt sich: Politische Gegebenheiten sind äußerst wichtig für das individuelle und kollektive Handeln. Im Heulen der Schakale jenseits der Zäune ist der israelisch-palästinensische Konflikt präsent. Das Außen, die gesellschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen, erklärt jedoch nicht hinreichend das Verhalten der Einzelnen: Es hängt im gleichen Maße ab von den Traditionen, den Phantasien, dem Glauben. Auch in den frühesten Erzählungen erweist Amos Oz sich als Meister im Verfolg der luzidesten Regungen seiner Personen, die sich auf keinen vorgefassten Begriff bringen lassen. Hier haben die traumhaft-utopischen Aspekte seiner Bücher ihren Ursprung – auch wenn die Hoffnungen von Autor und Protagonisten auf politischer wie individueller Ebene nie in Erfüllung gehen.

I sin genombrottsroman ”Min Michael” skildrar Amos Oz ett kargt Jerusalem som tynar bort under ett obarmhärtigt vitt ljus. Här träffar litteraturstudenten Hanna geologen Michael. De gifter sig, får barn och för ett stillsamt familjeliv i en våning med utsikt mot gården. Men den traditionella tillvaron plågar Hanna: Michael, barnet, staden – allt känns främmande, långt borta. Och när hon börjar hemsökas av två tystlåtna pojkar från det förflutna drar hon sig undan till en egen värld av undertryckta drömmar, medan äktenskapet och staden långsamt förfaller runt omkring henne. Med psykologisk skärpa gestaltar Amos Oz en ung kvinnas kamp i en ung nation. Berättelsen rör sig framåt med en dov intensitet – i ”Min Michael” är beskrivningen av Jerusalem lika viktig som den av äktenskapet mellan Hanna och Michael. Romanen utkom för första gången på svenska 1977 och räknas som författarens internationella genombrott. Nu ges den ut i en efterlängtad nyutgåva.

«Si solo le quedasen dos días de vida, leer este libro sería la única cosa que podría hacer para morir sin ningún tipo de arrepentimiento». La RepubblicaAmor y oscuridad son las dos fuerzas que recorren la conmovedora autobiografía novelada de Amos Oz, publicada por vez primera en hebreo en 2002. El autor narra su infancia y adolescencia en los años cuarenta y cincuenta, en Jerusalén y en el kibutz de Hulda, marcados por la trágica existencia de sus padres: Yehuda, un estricto bibliotecario, y Fania, una mujer culta, romántica y soñadora. Atrapado entre ellos, el futuro escritor es un niño que soporta sobre sus frágiles hombros la pesada herencia de sus singulares antepasados y asiste atónito a los grandes cambios que marcarán su vida y la de su incipiente nación. La narración de Una historia de amor y oscuridad oscila hacia delante y hacia atrás en el tiempo y refleja más de cien años de historia familiar, cuatro generaciones de soñadores, estudiosos, poetas egocéntricos y ovejas negras, que desde Vilna y Odesa, a través de Polonia y Praga, llegaron a Israel. «Uno de los libros más divertidos, trágicos y conmovedores que he leído». The Guardian «Una obra maestra». The Irish Times «Si solo le quedasen dos días de vida, leer este libro sería la única cosa que podría hacer para morir sin ningún tipo de arrepentimiento». La Repubblica «Una historia de amor y oscuridad es un ejemplo de autobiografía bien narrada. Una obra inmersa en el deseo de vivir y de ser, gratificante, emocionante e inteligente». J. M. GUELBENZU, Babelia, El País

Publicada por primera vez en hebreo en 1978, La bicicleta de Sumji es, según palabras del propio autor, una sencilla historia sobre un niño «a quien una vez le regalaron una bicicleta y la cambió por un tren, el tren, por un perro, el perro, por un sacapuntas, y el sacapuntas, por amor».Pero es mucho más que eso. Es una historia sobre los cambios, sobre hacerse mayor, sobre los sueños. Una historia acerca de las familias, sus amores y hasta sus políticas. Es una historia sobre la ocupación y el colonialismo. Es una historia de Jerusalén. Pero, sobre todo, es una historia sobre un niño que consigue su primera bicicleta y declara su primer amor, todo en el mismo día. Y que, seguramente, llegará a los corazones de todos aquellos que alguna vez han crecido (o que nunca han dejado de hacerlo).En la tradición de personajes tan memorables como Huckleberry Finn o Holden Caulfield, Sumji, salido de la pluma magistral del novelista Amos Oz, es un pequeño gran héroe divertido, puro y muy muy simpático.

“Fintanto che il tuo senso dell’umorismo tiene, sei almeno in parte immune dal fanatismo“ “Come curare un fanatico? Inseguire un pugno di fanatici su per le montagne dell‘Afghanistan è una cosa. Lottare contro il fanatismo è un‘altra. Completamente diversa. L‘attuale crisi mondiale in Medio Oriente o in Israele/Palestina non discende dai valori dell‘Islam. Non è da imputarsi, come dicono certi razzisti, alla mentalità araba. Assolutamente no. Ha invece a che fare con l‘antica lotta fra fanatismo e pragmatismo. Fra fanatismo e pluralismo. Fra fanatismo e tolleranza. Il fanatismo nasce molto prima dell‘islamismo, del cristianesimo, del giudaismo. Viene prima di qualsiasi stato, governo o sistema politico. Viene prima di qualsiasi ideologia o credo. Disgraziatamente, il fanatismo è una componente sempre presente nella natura umana, è, se così si può dire, un gene del male.” Amos Oz Tratto da tre interventi dello scrittore all’Università di Tubinga, in Germania, Contro il fanatismo è un libro che dovrebbe far parte del corredo delle letture scolastiche e, più in generale, essere patrimonio comune di lettori che abbiano a cuore la civiltà del vivere contro la “cultura della morte”.

Unto Death contains two beautiful short novels linked by death and destruction. Crusade is set in 1096 - a year of sinister omens. Count Guillaume of Touron sets out on a crusade to Jerusalem and on the way he serves his God by killing any Jews he meets. But will the Count find the peace of mind he seeks when he faces the terrible realities of war in the Holy Land? In Late Love Oz portrays an elderly professor living alone in Tel Aviv, a man neither loving nor loved. His last mission is to expose the plight of his fellow Russian Jews and alert the people of Israel to the conspiracy that threatens them. But nobody wants to listen...

《爱与黑暗的故事》 It is the story of a boy growing up in the war-torn Jerusalem of the forties and fifties, in a small apartment crowded with books in twelve languages and relatives speaking nearly as many. 《爱与黑暗的故事》是当今以色列最富影响力的作家阿摩司·奥兹的自传体长篇小说，一向被学界视为奥兹最优秀的作品。短短五年，便翻译成二十多种文字，曾夺得2005年“歌德文化奖”，2007年入围“国际布克奖”。小说以耶路撒冷做为主要背景，以娓娓动人的笔法向读者展示出百余年一个犹太家族的故事与民族历史，既带你走进一个犹太家庭，了解其喜怒哀乐；又使你走近一个民族，窥见其得失荣辱。

A young boy in modern-day Jerusalem trades away one possession after another, only to find something much more wonderful--his first love.

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award: A “gorgeous, rueful collection of eight linked stories” capturing the collective dreams of Israel in the 1950s (Chicago Tribune). These eight interconnected stories, set in the fictitious Kibbutz Yekhat, draw masterful profiles of idealistic men and women enduring personal hardships in the shadow of one of the greatest collective dreams of the twentieth century. A devoted father who fails to challenge his daughter’s lover, an old friend, a man his own age; an elderly gardener who carries on his shoulders the sorrows of the world; a woman writing perversely poignant letters to her husband’s mistress. Each of these stories is a luminous human and literary study; together they offer an eloquent portrait of an idea, and of a charged and fascinating epoch. Award-winning writer Amos Oz, who spent three decades living on a kibbutz, is at home and at his best in this “lucid and heartbreaking” award-winning collection (The Guardian). “Oz lifts the veil on kibbutz existence without palaver. His pinpoint descriptions are pared to perfection . . . His people twitch with life.” —The Scotsman “A collection of stories . . . that boasts the sense, scope and unity of a novel . . . Breathtaking.” —Irish Examiner “A complex and melancholic vision of people struggling to transcend their individuality for the sake of mundanely idealist goals.” —The Times Literary Supplement

La notte, al villaggio, uno strano, impossibile silenzio abita il buio. Anche di giorno, l’assenza degli animali lascia ovunque le sue tracce: non un cane in cortile, non un gatto sui tetti, e nemmeno una mosca che ronza o un grillo che canta nei prati intorno. Qualcosa dev’essere successo tempo fa e i bambini ogni tanto fanno domande, ma i grandi rispondono in modo evasivo, per non dire irritato. Tutti o quasi: perché nei disegni della maestra Emanuela, nella solitudine del vecchio Almon, che una volta faceva il pescatore nel fiume e aveva un cane fedele, nei gesti tristi della fornaia, che sparge invano briciole di pane all’aria, qualcosa di strano s’intende. Fino a quando Mati e Maya non partono per la loro avventura, in cerca del mistero del villaggio dove gli animali sono scomparsi. Nel folto del bosco troveranno Nimi, il bambino puledrino ammalato di nitrillo, Nehi, il demone del bosco, e una triste verità. Gli animali, pur se assenti, insegnano agli uomini a parlare una lingua in cui nessuno si sente beffato, diverso. Perché la lingua degli animali ha tante parole, ma nemmeno una che sia capace di esprimere il distacco e l’esclusione.

«Una extraordinaria sensibilidad para la reconciliación y la observación recorre estos relatos. Estas características reflejan un fascinante movimiento hacia la modestia y la introversión, quizás como respuesta al constante crecimiento de la figura de Amos Oz a nivel internacional.» Haaretz Los ocho relatos de Entre amigos transcurren en el kibutz imaginario Yikhat y dibujan retratos maravillosos por su delicadeza de mujeres y hombres que tienen sueños íntimos y experiencias dolorosas privadas a la sombra de uno de los más grandes sueños colectivos de la historia del siglo XX. Un padre cuya hija se va a vivir con un miembro del kibutz tan mayor como él; una mujer que escribe una carta estremecedora a otra mujer por la que su marido la ha abandonado; un niño externo que va a visitar a su padre a un hospital para enfermos mentales; un jardinero que carga sobre sus espaldas con todas las tragedias del mundo: cada una de estas historias personales es una perla de humanidad literaria y juntas forman un collar que es también un retrato de un ideal y de una época.

In seinem Bestseller erzählt Amos Oz die Geschichte seiner Familie, voller Zärtlichkeit und Scharfblick. Alles beginnt im Jerusalem der 1940er Jahre, einem Refugium der Juden, die – wie Oz’ Großeltern – vor der antisemitischen Verfolgung fliehen konnten. In der Stadt ringen sie mit ihrer Verzweiflung, hier wächst aber auch ihre gemeinsame Hoffnung auf ein angstfreies Leben.

DIV Why are words so important to so many Jews? Novelist Amos Oz and historian Fania Oz-Salzberger roam the gamut of Jewish history to explain the integral relationship of Jews and words. Through a blend of storytelling and scholarship, conversation and argument, father and daughter tell the tales behind Judaism’s most enduring names, adages, disputes, texts, and quips. These words, they argue, compose the chain connecting Abraham with the Jews of every subsequent generation. Framing the discussion within such topics as continuity, women, timelessness, and individualism, Oz and Oz-Salzberger deftly engage Jewish personalities across the ages, from the unnamed, possibly female author of the Song of Songs through obscure Talmudists to contemporary writers. They suggest that Jewish continuity, even Jewish uniqueness, depends not on central places, monuments, heroic personalities, or rituals but rather on written words and an ongoing debate between the generations. Full of learning, lyricism, and humor, Jews and Words offers an extraordinary tour of the words at the heart of Jewish culture and extends a hand to the reader, any reader, to join the conversation. /div

Seven years after their divorce, Ilana breaks the bitter silence with a letter to Alex, a world-renowned authority on fanaticism, begging for help with their rebellious adolescent son, Boaz. One letter leads to another, and so evolves a correspondence between Ilana and Alex, Alex and Michel (Ilana''s Moroccan husband), Alex and his Mephistophelian Jerusalem lawyer—a correspondence between mother and father, stepfather and stepson, father and son, each pleading his or her own case. The grasping, lyrical, manipulative, loving Ilana has stirred things up. Now, her former husband and her present husband have become rivals not only for her loyalty but for her son''s as well.

A tale of “dazzling brilliance . . . a simple story which conveys boundless meanings both modest and diverse, set in Jerusalem directly after WWII” (Historical Novel Society). When Soumchi, an eleven-year-old boy growing up in British-occupied Jerusalem just after World War II, receives a bicycle as a gift from his Uncle Zemach, he is overjoyed—even if it is a girl’s bicycle. Ignoring the taunts of other boys in his neighborhood, he dreams of riding far away from them, out of the city and across the desert, toward the heart of Africa. But first he wants to show his new prize to his friend Aldo. In the tradition of such memorable characters as Huckleberry Finn and Holden Caulfield, Amos Oz’s Soumchi is fresh, funny, and always engaging. “What a difference spirit and talent make! . . . told . . . with zest and buoyant humor, from the dual viewpoint of the alternately crushed and elated Soumchi and the amused author who delights in his boyhood excesses.” —Kirkus Reviews “Oz shows a remarkable ability to stay true to his character and expand him fully into a multi-faceted jewel. Soumchi is a concise read which enhances each person’s view on life, possessions, and how tender life and far-reaching imagination can be at such a sensitive age.” —Historical Novel Society

«Amos Oz despliega ante nuestros ojos la naturaleza del fanatismo, ofreciéndonos a la vez el remedio para su cura universal». Nadine Gordimer, Premio Nobel de Literatura 1991 «¿Cómo curar a un fanático? Perseguir a un puñado de fanáticos por las montañas de Afganistán es una cosa. Luchar contra el fanatismo, otra muy distinta. [...]» La actual crisis del mundo, en Oriente Próximo, o en Israel/ Palestina, no es consecuencia de los valores del islam. No se debe a la mentalidad de los árabes como claman algunos racistas. En absoluto. Se debe a la vieja lucha entre fanatismo y pragmatismo. Entre fanatismo y pluralismo. Entre fanatismo y tolerancia. [...] »El fanatismo es más viejo que el islam, que el cristianismo, que el judaísmo. Más viejo que cualquier estado, gobierno o sistema político. Más viejo que cualquier ideología o credo del mundo. Desgraciadamente, el fanatismo es un componente siempre presente en la naturaleza humana, un gen del mal, por llamarlo de alguna manera.»Amos Oz

Amos Oz''s first book: a disturbing and beautiful collection of short stories about kibbutz life. Written in the ''60s, these eight stories convey the tension and intensity of feeling in the founding period of Israel, a brand-new state with an age-old history.

“Oz conjures up a fairy story in which we may well recognize ourselves, our history and our nations . . . be prepared simply to be enchanted.” —The Guardian In a gray and gloomy village, all of the animals—from dogs and cats to fish and snails—disappeared years before. No one talks about it and no one knows why, though everyone agrees that the village has been cursed. But when two children see a fish—a tiny one and just for a second—they become determined to unravel the mystery of where the animals have gone. And so they travel into the depths of the forest with that mission in mind, terrified and hopeful about what they may encounter. From the internationally bestselling author Amos Oz, this is a hauntingly beautiful fable for both children and adults about tolerance, loneliness, denial, and remembrance. “In this swiftly moving fable, Oz creates palpable tension with a repetitive, almost hypnotic rhythm and lyrical language that twists a discussion-provoking morality tale into something much more enchanting.” —Booklist “Short, poetic, and haunting, the book operates on a plane of mystery somewhere between fable and fairy tale . . . The great beauty of this story is the rhythm and clarity of its evocative language.” —New York Journal of Books “From the whispered tales of a local monster to the brash, spunky heroes on a quest, internationally acclaimed Israeli author Oz litters his story with fairy-tale tropes that give this narrative a fable-like quality; the atmosphere is intriguingly secretive and shadowed, but the prose is measured and accessible and the length manageable.” —The Bulletin

In the village of Tel Ilan, things are not what they seem. And the veneer of new wealth around the village cannot conceal relics of a troubled past--abandoned outbuildings, air raid shelters, rusting farm tools, and abandoned trucks.

Proposes that the murderous violence that has riven our society is driven as much by confusion as by inescapable hatred. Challenging the reductionist division of people by race, religion, and class, Sen presents a vision of a world that can be made to move toward peace as firmly as it has spiraled in recent years toward brutality and war. - from publisher information.

An ingenious, witty, behind-the-scenes novel about eight hours in the life of an author. A literary celebrity is in Tel Aviv on a stifling hot night to give a reading from his new book.While the obligatory inane questions ("Why do you write? What is it like to be famous? Do you write with a pen or on a computer?) are being asked and answered, his attention wanders and he begins to invent lives for the strangers he sees around him. Among them are Yakir Bar-Orian Zhitomirski, a self-styled literary guru; Tsefania Beit-Halachmi, a poet (whose work provides the novel''s title);and Rochele Reznik, a professional reader, with whom the Author has a brief but steamy sexual skirmish; to say nothing of Ricky the waitress, the real object of his desire. One life story builds on another--and the author finds himself unexpectedly involved with his creations.