Between Friends

Author(s): Amos Oz

Fiction

'On the kibbutz it's hard to know. We're all supposed to be friends but very few really are.' Amos Oz's compelling new fiction offers revelatory glimpses into the secrets and frustrations of the human heart, played out by a community of misfits united by political disagreement, intense dissatisfaction and lifetimes of words left unspoken. Ariella, unhappy in love, confides in the woman whose husband she stole; Nahum, a devoted father, can't find the words to challenge his daughter's promiscuous lover; the old idealists deplore the apathy of the young, while the young are so used to kibbutz life that they can't work out if they're impassioned or indifferent. Arguments about war, government, travel and children are feverishly taken up and quickly abandoned - and amid this group of people unwilling and unable to say what they mean, Martin attempts to teach Esperanto. At the heart of each drama is a desire to be better, more principled and worthy of the community's respect. With his trademark compassion and sharp-eyed wit, Amos Oz leaves us with the feeling that what matters most between friends is the invisible tie of our shared humanity.


Product Information

In eight interlinked family dramas, master storyteller Amos Oz reveals the secrets and frustrations of the human heart.

"Lucid and heartbreaking. Explores the always uncertain relationships between men and women, parents and children, friends and enemies, in a clear, clipped language perfectly suited to the laconic tone of the narrative and impeccably rendered into English by Sondra Silverston" -- Alberto Manguel Guardian "There's a beautiful economy and simplicity to Oz's storytelling" The Times "Oz lifts the veil on kibbutz existence without palaver. His pin-point descriptions of individuals and spaces.are pared to perfection in order to resonate. His people twitch with life" -- Tom Adair Scotsman "Oz is a quiet, plain, compelling writer" -- Alan Taylor Herald "Deeply affecting chamber piece." -- Ben Lawrence Daily Telegraph "Engaging collection. Beautiful, spare prose" -- Lucy Popescu Independent on Sunday "Oz is brilliant at compact images in which a small action expresses a complexity of unarticulated emotion" -- Rebecca Abrams Financial Times "Presents us...with a complex and melancholic vision of people stuggling to transcend their individuality for the sake of mundanely idealistic goals" -- Michael Sayeau Times Literary Supplement "All Israeli life is here, rendered in loving detail" Mail on Sunday

Born in Jerusalem in 1939, Amos Oz is the internationally acclaimed author of many novels and essay collections, translated into over 30 languages, including recently his brilliant semi-autobiographical work, A Tale of Love and Darkness. He has received several international awards, including the Prix Femina, the Israel Prize, the Goethe Prize,the Frankfurt Peace Prize and the 2013 Franz Kafka Prize.

General Fields

  • : 9780099581475
  • : Vintage
  • : Vintage
  • : 0.154
  • : May 2014
  • : 198mm X 129mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : February 2015
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Amos Oz
  • : Paperback
  • : 1
  • : 192