Translated from the Hebrew by Nicholas de Lange and Yaacob Dweck. Afterword by David Shulman. This classic 1949 novella about the violent expulsion of Palestinian villagers by the Israeli army has long been considered a high point in Hebrew literature, as it has also given rise to fierce controversy over the years. Published just months after the end of the 1948 war (in which the author fought) the book--as famous for Yizhar's haunting, lyrical style as for its wrenchingly honest soldier's-eye view of the brutality of that war and, perhaps, all wars--has never before been translated into English. De Lange and Dweck's rendering captures with force Yizhar's unflinching portrait of Israel's primal scene. An absolute must for anyone interested in Middle Eastern literature and history.
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"Years after the tragic events it describes, Khirbet Khizeh retains its disturbing relevance... Conveying in vivid microcosm the moral ambiguities attending Israel's establishment in 1948, Khirbet Khizeh resonates as both historical experience and art." --The Times Literary Supplement
"An exhilarating masterwork. Ibis (a genuine beacon of hope) publishes an ecumenical list of elegant books from 'Levantine' authors, whatever their background. They have surpassed themselves with a terrific translation of S. Yizhar's classic novella.... Khirbet Khizeh endures to bear a bitter witness that transcends allegiance or affinity.... Readers should rush to share its still-shocking wisdom." --The Independent
"The translation, like the afterword, makes it clear that [with the English publication of Khirbet Khizeh] we are confronted not with a political-humanistic pamphlet so much as with a literary work of extraordinary power." --Ha'aretz
"An exhilarating masterwork. Ibis (a genuine beacon of hope) publishes an ecumenical list of elegant books from 'Levantine' authors, whatever their background. They have surpassed themselves with a terrific translation of S. Yizhar's classic novella.... Khirbet Khizeh endures to bear a bitter witness that transcends allegiance or affinity.... Readers should rush to share its still-shocking wisdom." --The Independent
"The translation, like the afterword, makes it clear that [with the English publication of Khirbet Khizeh] we are confronted not with a political-humanistic pamphlet so much as with a literary work of extraordinary power." --Ha'aretz
About the Author
Yizhar Smilansky (27 September 1916 - 21 August 2006), better known by his pen name S. Yizhar, was an Israeli writer and a great innovator in modern Hebrew literature. His pen name was given to him by the poet and editor Yitzhak Lamdan, when in 1938 he published Yizhar's first story Ephraim Goes Back to Alfalfa in his literary journal Galleons. From then on, Yizhar signed his works with his pen name.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What happened in one Palestinian village,
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This review is from: Khirbet Khizeh (Paperback)
This writer was already reknowned when he wrote this book - his novel "The Days of Ziklag" was greeted as a masterpiece when it came out. This book is a small vignette in sparkling language both Biblical and demotic. The author voices his doubts and foreboding, not about the lofty notions of Zionism but how the taking of the land actually was carried out. He also speaks lyrically of the beauty of the land. He makes it clear that the soldiers look down on the people they are displacing, but otherwise it would be unbearable to carry out their orders. They disdain the Palestinian villagers for not fighting back; ironically this same disdain was displayed toward those who survived the concentration camps who came to replace those villagers.
It is interesting to note that this book, very popular when it came out, was high school reading in Israel beginning in 1964. However, this history seems less familiar to many Americans.
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Penetrating,
By
This review is from: Khirbet Khizeh (Paperback)
This is a trgaic story, beautifully written and translated. It would be easy to confine this book to the history of tradgedy, but David Shulman's Afterword draws a direct parallel to the present day and Israel's current occupations.
With few words Yizhar paints a vivid picture of the Palestinian landscape and the figures within it. He is able to contrast the beauty with the hatefulness of the soldiers, often in the very same sentence. He brings to life that which has been buried and covered up. Perhaps it is no surprise that Yizhar wrote this in 1949 immediatly following the events, or similar events, that the story describes. The story prophetically anticipates the future also, yet it has an immediacy and a finality. A brilliant story and a great partner to Kressmann Taylor's Address Unknown.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic of Israeli Literature,
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This review is from: Khirbet Khizeh (Paperback)
This novella written in 1949 and set during Israel's War of Independence deserves to be read much more widely than it is. The author, who had served in the war, based this book on his own observations of forced relocations of Palestinians from Israel proper. Although this book was part of the regular school curriculum in Israel for 20 years, it has faded into the background. The book is set on an afternoon in a fictional Arab village of Khirbet Khizeh. The narrator's unit has been sent there to forcibly evacuate the old men, women and children who have remained. S. Yizhar paints the scene vividly. The narrator's anguished feelings over their mission, which seems to have little to do with fighting a war, is superimposed with the future he imagines for the village that will be erased from knowledge. As he agonizes over the villagers' subdued but anguished responses, he is met by indifference from his fellow squad members who want to get their mission over as quickly as possible are happy that they do not have to deal with the transporting of the villagers somewhere else. The afterword by David Shulman serves 2 complimentary roles. It helps explain some of the Biblical references that infuse the original Hebrew text. Shulman also talks about his own experiences in the West Bank of today, trying with other Isrealis to protect Palestinian's rights while begin attacked by the right wing settlers, and how that relates to Yizhar's story.
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