Judas

Steeped in desire and curiosity, Amos Oz’s Judas is both a tragi-comic coming-of-age tale and a radical rethinking of the concept of treason. Translated by Nicholas de Lange.Jerusalem, 1959. Shmuel Ash, a biblical scholar, is adrift in his young life when he finds work as a caregiver for a brilliant but cantankerous old man named Gershom Wald. There is, however, a third, mysterious presence in his new home. Atalia Abarbanel, the daughter of a deceased Zionist leader, a beautiful woman in her forties, entrances young Shmuel even as she keeps him at a distance. Piece by piece, the old Jerusalem stone house, haunted by tragic history and now home to the three misfits and their intricate relationship, reveals its secrets. As he starts to uncover the house’s tangled history, he reaches an understanding that harks back not only to the beginning of the Jewish-Arab conflict but also to the beginning of Jerusalem itself - to Christianity, to Judaism, to Judas."The book’s prose is meticulous, almost pre-modern. This and the plot’s stillness — days pile up, but many of the novel’s 'events' are Shmuel’s realizations — make reading Judas feel a bit like reading Thomas Bernhard without the misanthropy... Oz pitches the book’s heartbreak and humanism perfectly from first page to last, as befits a writer who understands how vital a political role a novelist can play." - Emily Barton, The New York TImes Book ReviewAmos Oz is the internationally acclaimed author of many novels and essay collections, including his brilliant semi-autobiographical work, A Tale of Love and Darkness. His work 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. He was shortlisted, for his entire body of work, for the Man Booker International Prize 2007. International Bestseller Winner of the International Literature Prize Finalist for the Man Booker International Prize A New York Times Editors' Choice "[A] magnificent novel . . . Oz pitches the book's heartbreak and humanism perfectly from first page to last." ? New York Times Book Review "Scintillating . . . An old-fashioned novel of ideas that is strikingly and compellingly modern." ? Observer Jerusalem, 1959. Shmuel Ash, a biblical scholar, is adrift in his young life when he finds work as a caregiver for a brilliant but cantankerous old man named Gershom Wald. There is, however, a third, mysterious presence in his new home. Atalia Abravanel, the daughter of a deceased Zionist leader, a beautiful woman in her forties, entrances young Shmuel even as she keeps him at a distance. Piece by piece, the old Jerusalem stone house, haunted by tragic history and now home to the three misfits and their intricate relationship, reveals its secrets. At once an exquisite love story and a coming-of-age novel, an allegory for the state of Israel and for the biblical tale from which it draws its title, Judas is Amos Oz's most powerful novel in decades. "Oz has written one of the most triumphant novels of his career." ? Forward "A [big] beautiful novel . . . Funny, wise, and provoking." ? Times (UK) INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER and winner of the International Literature Prize. At once an exquisite love story and a coming-of-age novel, an allegory for the state of Israel and for the biblical tale from which it draws its title, Judas is one of Amos Oz’s most powerful novels. Jerusalem, 1959. Shmuel Ash, a biblical scholar, is adrift in his young life when he finds work as a caregiver for a brilliant but cantankerous old man named Gershom Wald. There is, however, a third, mysterious presence in his new home. Atalia Abravanel, the daughter of a deceased Zionist leader, a beautiful woman in her forties, entrances young Shmuel even as she keeps him at a distance. Piece by piece, the old Jerusalem stone house, haunted by tragic history and now home to the three misfits and their intricate relationship, reveals its secrets. “[A] magnificent novel . . . Oz pitches the book’s heartbreak and humanism perfectly from first page to last.”—New York Times Book Review “Scintillating . . . An old-fashioned novel of ideas that is strikingly and compellingly modern.”—Observer “Oz has written one of the most triumphant novels of his career.”—Forward “A [big] beautiful novel . . . Funny, wise, and provoking.”—Times (UK) Winner Of The International Literature Prize, The New Novel By Amos Oz Is His First Full-length Work Since The Best-selling A Tale Of Love And Darkness. Jerusalem, 1959. Shmuel Ash, A Biblical Scholar, Is Adrift In His Young Life When He Finds Work As A Caregiver For A Brilliant But Cantankerous Old Man Named Gershom Wald. There Is, However, A Third, Mysterious Presence In His New Home. Atalia Abarbanel, The Daughter Of A Deceased Zionist Leader, A Beautiful Woman In Her Forties, Entrances Young Shmuel Even As She Keeps Him At A Distance. Piece By Piece, The Old Jerusalem Stone House, Haunted By Tragic History And Now Home To The Three Misfits And Their Intricate Relationship, Reveals Its Secrets. At Once An Exquisite Love Story And Coming-of-age Novel, An Allegory For The State Of Israel And For The Biblical Tale From Which It Draws Its Title, Judas Is Amos Oz's Most Powerful Novel In Decades-- Amos Oz ; Translated From The Hebrew By Nicholas De Lange. Includes Bibliographical References. "Winner of the International Literature Prize, the new novel by Amos Oz is his first full-length work since the best-selling A Tale of Love and Darkness. Jerusalem, 1959. Shmuel Ash, a biblical scholar, is adrift in his young life when he finds work as a caregiver for a brilliant but cantankerous old man named Gershom Wald. There is, however, a third, mysterious presence in his new home. Atalia Abarbanel, the daughter of a deceased Zionist leader, a beautiful woman in her forties, entrances young Shmuel even as she keeps him at a distance. Piece by piece, the old Jerusalem stone house, haunted by tragic history and now home to the three misfits and their intricate relationship, reveals its secrets. At once an exquisite love story and coming-of-age novel, an allegory for the state of Israel and for the biblical tale from which it draws its title, Judas is Amos Oz's most powerful novel in decades"-- Provided by publisher Shmuel, a young, idealistic student is drawn to a mysterious handwritten note on a campus noticeboard. This takes him to a strange house, where an elderly invalid man requires a paid companion, to argue with and read to him. But there is someone else in the house, too ..