About this item
From one of Israel's most acclaimed writers comes a novel of extraordinary power about family life - the greatest human drama - and the cost of war. Ora, a middle-aged Israeli mother, is on the verge of celebrating her son Ofer's release from army service when he returns to the front for a major offensive. In a fit of preemptive grief and magical thinking, she sets out for a hike in the Galilee, leaving no forwarding information for the "notifiers" who might darken her door with the worst possible news. Recently estranged from her husband, Ilan, she drags along an unlikely companion: their former best friend and her former lover Avram, once a brilliant artistic spirit. Avram served in the army alongside Ilan when they were young, but their lives were forever changed one weekend when the two jokingly had Ora draw lots to see which of them would get the few days' leave being offered by their commander - a chance act that sent Avram into Egpyt and the Yom Kippur War, where he was brutally tortured as POW.
About the Author
From ithl. org:Leading Israeli novelist David Grossman (b. 1954, Jerusalem) studied philosophy and drama at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and later worked as an editor and broadcaster at Israel Radio. Grossman has written seven novels, a play, a number of short stories and novellas, and a number of books for children and youth. He has also published several books of non-fiction, including interviews with Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. Among Grossman`s many literary awards: the Valumbrosa Prize (Italy) , the Eliette von Karajan Prize (Austria) , the Nelly Sachs Prize (1991) , the Premio Grinzane and the Premio Mondelo for The Zig-Zag Kid (Italy, 1996) , the Vittorio de Sica Prize (Italy) , the Juliet Club Prize, the Marsh Award for Children`s Literature in Translation (UK, 1998) , the Buxtehude Bulle (Germany, 2001) , the Sapir Prize for Someone to Run With (2001) , the Bialik Prize (2004) , the Koret Jewish Book Award (USA, 2006) , the Premio per la Pace e l`Azione Umanitaria 2006 (City of Rome/Italy) , Onorificenza della Stella Solidarita Italiana 2007, Premio Ischia - International Award for Journalism 2007, the Geschwister Scholl Prize (Germany) , the Emet Prize (Israel, 2007) and the Albatross Prize (Germany, 2009) . He has also been awarded the Chevalier de l`Ordre des Arts et Belles Lettres (France, 1998) and an Honorary Doctorate by Florence University (2008) . In 2007, his novels The Book of Internal Grammar and See Under: Love were named among the ten most important books since the creation of the State of Israel. His books have been translated into over 25 languages. See also
