Zvi Arbel is an Israeli historian whose chosen field is Jewish history. His work is read by the Yiddish poet Foiglman, a Holocaust survivor who sends Arbel a volume of his own poetry. The relationship that springs up between the two men is one of ambivalence and fascination; the reserved Israeli historian alternatingly sympathetic and suspicious, affectionate and resentful, towards the enthusiastic but tormented poet. Despite his ambivalence, Arbel embarks on an effort to get Foiglman's poetry translated into Hebrew. As Foiglman begins to monopolize more and more of his time, the relationship drives a wedge between Arbel and his wife that leads to tragedy. This intense novel balances biology and archeology, history and poetry in a compelling and poignant portrait of the confrontation of two intimately linked cultures: the Israeli, Hebrew-speaking, born to freedom and independence, and the 'Yid', the Jew whose language is Yiddish, who celebrates and mourns the vibrant, destroyed communities of pre-Holocaust Europe and wonders at the transformation of the people he once knew, now they have a land of their own.
Translated by Marganit Weinberger
About the Author
 Aharon Megged came to Tel Aviv from Poland at the age of 6. He was a kibbutz member for 12 years, and then worked as a literary editor and journalist. Megged began publishing in 1938. He has served as the Israeli cultural attache in London, and was writer in residence at Haifa University and Oxford. Between '80-'87 he was the president of the Israeli center of PEN. His fiction has won numerous awards, including the French Wizo prize for Foiglman, the Bialik, Brenner, and Agnon Prizes, and most recently, the coveted Israel Prize of 2003. He lives in Tel Aviv.
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The Critics Praise:
"Megged balances the see-saw of Israel's conflicts with ironic poise."
- The Times
"a virtuoso's tour de force"
- Ziva Shamir
"another masterpiece"
- Journal De Geneve
"...a highly satisfying work. In Foiglman, Megged has written a powerful, thought-provoking and poetic novel."
- Chicago Jewish Star
"This novel, which explores the contrast between the lost world of European Jews and life in today’s Tel Aviv, is haunting and unforgettable."
- Booklist (starred review)
"It is extraordinarily accomplished fiction - subtle, complex, and as well-constructed as a Bach fugue. On every page, genuine literary magic glows."
Philadelphia Inquirer
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