Through fiction and a smidgen of fact, Gluzman, a professor of poetry and comparative literature at Tel Aviv University, and Seidman, who teaches Hebrew literature at the Center for Jewish Studies, Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., purport to present works that "will enlighten a traveler to the soul of" Israel. The latest in a series for readers planning trips (two more are also due out in 1997), this collection includes, but is not limited to, pieces about villagers burning a neighbor's house; a soldier kicking an Arab in the face before the other can shoot him; and a religious Jew molesting a secular Jew. The stories themselves are strong, eloquent and penned by the very best Israeli writers (among them David Grossman, Shulamith Hareven, A.B. Yehoshua). But the only one not guaranteed to sadden is an exquisite piece by Ofra Rizenfeld on the innocent Adam and Eve romping in the Garden of Eden. And we all know what happens to them. "Where does it get you, this state you made?" a religious Jew asks Amos Oz in one of two pieces or reportage. "Murderers, prostitutes, robbers, perverts, blasphemers, emptiness and impudence." Kind of makes you want to stay home.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This is the fourth in a series of collected short fiction depicting contemporary life in a locale popular with tourists (previous volumes are on Costa Rica, Prague, and Vietnam). The editors, travelers and journalists, have selected 16 recent essays grouped under the headings Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat, kibbutz, land, borders, and pilgrimage, all written in Hebrew and translated into English. The authors are mostly Israeli, e.g., Amos Oz ("Thank God for His Daily Blessings," about Jerusalem); David Grossman ("Barta'a," which focuses on the West Bank border), and Ofra Rizenfeld ("What's There and What Isn't," concerning kibbutzim). The pieces reveal a cross section of people in situations tender, sad, angry, and funny. Collectively, the pieces present a view of Israeli life seldom encountered by tourists or other outsiders, as well as suggesting the rich state of creative writing in the country today. A good foreword and preface place the essays in context for the reader. This reasonably priced series offers opportunities for public libraries to add depth to their travel collections.?Harold M. Otness, Southern Oregon State Coll. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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