The people of these books Hannah Srour-Zackon on five recent novels that reflect the current state of Israel W hen Hebrew was revived as a modern spoken language, its authors had limited literary inspirations to draw upon. Of course, there was the Tanakh and the piyyutim (liturgical poetry). But for the most part, novelists like S. Y. Agnon and his contemporaries created the modern Hebrew novel, paving the way for the entire can- on of Israeli literature. Israeli literature has since flourished, gifting us with a wealth of wonderful and varied works. Discerning writers have offered their readers meaningful insights, shedding light on how life in Israel has taken shape as the country marks its 75th year. As a predominantly English- and French-speaking population, Can- adian Jews largely encounter Israeli novels in translation. We must therefore thank the passionate translators who take on the respons- ibility of translating not only words, but also poetics, nuances, and culture. Some of the most innovative work in Jewish literature today is happening in Hebrew; it is only through the methodical work of these artful translators that English and French readers are blessed to enter this world. The following works, all published in the 21st century, showcase the diversity of Israeli experiences, shedding light on a modern Israel.
Sarit Yishai-Levi, The Woman Beyond the Sea (2023, translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann) Amazon Crossing The author of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem recently released her much-anticipated second novel, which
takes on the weighty subject of intergenerational trauma and familial rifts. Flipping between the perspectives of its main characters, the novel begins at a moment of intense crisis for its protagonist, Eliya, who has just been abandoned by her narcissistic, aspiring-novelist husband at a café in Paris. Utterly shattered, Eliya reaches the depths of despair. As part of her path of healing following a suicide attempt, she sets out to repair her strained relationship with her emotionally distant mother Lily—an orphan who was left on the steps of a convent in Jerusalem as a newborn and has no knowledge of her origins other than being Jewish. Another important component of this story is Eliya’s estrangement from her paternal grandparents. Both are survivors of an old Sephar- dic Jewish community in Monastir (present-day Bitola in Macedonia) that was largely decimated in the Holocaust. In this forced separa- tion, Eliya is further removed from an important family heritage. Yet as Eliya embarks on her own self-healing, a domino effect of healing takes place, tracing back up the generations. Set in the mid-1970s, in the wake of the Yom Kippur War, the charac- ters’ suffering and internal struggles mirror those of a country that has been broken in spirit by the war. Yishai-Levi’s writing is exquisite, and she captures the raw emotions of her characters with stunning clarity in a heart-wrenching novel. Keep a box of tissues on hand when reading this book, as it is sure to move even the most stoic reader to tears.
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