Khirbet Khizeh - Softcover

S. Yizhar

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9659012594 ISBN 13: 9789659012596

Publisher: Ibis Editions, 2008

Synopsis

Fiction. 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.

About this title

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.

Review:

"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

About this edition

• Publisher: Ibis Editions
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 9659012594
• ISBN 13: 9789659012596
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 134