Meir Šalev Libros

The absorbing first novel by one of Israel's most important and acclaimed contemporary writers focuses on four idealistic early settlers of the modern state of Israel.Set in a small rural village prior to the creation of the State of Israel, this funny and hugely imaginative book paints an extraordinary picture of a small community of Ukrainian immigrants as they pioneer a new life in a new land over three generations. Narrated by Baruch, a grandson of one of the founding fathers of the village, this lyrical novel transcends time and place by touching on issues of universal relevance, showcasing the skill of a master storyteller who never fails to entertain. 

From the author of the critically acclaimed  A Pigeon and a Boy , the extraordinary story of Zayde, his enigmatic mother Judith, and her three lovers When Judith arrives in a small, rural village in Palestine in the early 1930s, three men compete for her Globerman, the cunning, coarse cattle-dealer who loves women, money, and flesh; Jacob, owner of hundreds of canaries and host to the four meals which lend the book its narrative structure; and Moshe, a widowed farmer obsessed with his dead wife and his lost braid of hair which his mother cut off in childhood. During the four meals, which take place over several decades, Zayde slowly comes to understand why these three men consider him their son and why all three participate in raising him. A virtuoso performance of spellbinding storytelling, this is a deeply satisfying read—sensuous, hilarious, compassionate, and profound.

Dwa morderstwa: jedno z zemsty, drugie dla wymierzenia kary. Trzy pokolenia rodziny, w których miłość, zdrada i odwet splatają się w skomplikowanej narracji. Ruta Tawori, nauczycielka Biblii Hebrajskiej, odkrywa tajemnicę sprzed siedemdziesięciu lat, kiedy w jej moszawie doszło do tragicznych wydarzeń. W 1930 roku trzech rolników popełniło samobójstwo, ale w rzeczywistości tylko dwóch z nich targnęło się na swoje życie – trzeci został zamordowany. Ruta opowiada o mężczyznach, których kochała, o synu, którego straciła, oraz o męskiej przyjaźni, miłości, zdradzie, pokucie i zrozumieniu. Autor, Meir Shalev, przyznaje, że historia ta przerosła jego wyobrażenia, zmieniając jego spojrzenie na bliskich. W przeciwieństwie do wcześniejszych powieści, ta jest mroczniejsza i brutalniejsza, zanurzona w krwi i zemście, przypominająca thriller. Styl Shaleva jest unikalny, a poruszane tematy, takie jak namiętność, szaleństwo i przemoc, pozostaną w myślach czytelników. Opowieść o morderstwie i jego reperkusjach, miłosna historia o głębokiej fizyczności i wrażliwości, ukazuje również historię Brytyjskiej Palestyny i Izraela na przestrzeni dekad. Dzieło to jest wielostronną powieścią jednego z najwybitniejszych izraelskich pisarzy.

A mesmerizing novel of two love stories, separated by half a century but connected by one enchanting act of devotion—from the internationally acclaimed Israeli writer Meir Shalev. During the 1948 War of Independence—a time when pigeons are still used to deliver battlefield messages—a gifted young pigeon handler is mortally wounded. In the moments before his death, he dispatches one last pigeon. The bird is carrying his extraordinary gift to the girl he has loved since adolescence. Intertwined with this story is the contemporary tale of Yair Mendelsohn, who has his own legacy from the 1948 war. Yair is a tour guide specializing in bird-watching trips who, in middle age, falls in love again with a childhood girlfriend. His growing passion for her, along with a gift from his mother on her deathbed, becomes the key to a life he thought no longer possible. Unforgettable in both its particulars and its sweep, A Pigeon and A Boy is a tale of lovers then and now—of how deeply we love, of what home is, and why we, like pigeons trained to fly in one direction only, must eventually return to it. In a voice that is at once playful, wise, and altogether beguiling, Meir Shalev tells a story as universal as war and as intimate as a winged declaration of love.

From the acclaimed author of A Pigeon and a Boy comes a charming tale of family ties, meticulous housekeeping, and the art of storytelling set in Nahalal, the author's birthplace. The narrative centers on Grandma Tonia, who arrived in Palestine from Russia in 1923, perpetually battling what she considered the family's greatest foe: dirt. Always seen with a cleaning rag, she welcomed visitors outdoors, allowing only select guests into her immaculate home. The story humorously and poignantly unfolds around the arrival of a shiny American sweeper, a gift from Great-uncle Yeshayahu, who had emigrated to Los Angeles. To little Meir and his family, America represented hedonism and alluring progress, filled with tempting luxuries and painted fingernails. The sweeper, intended as a tool to introduce ease into their hardworking socialist household, symbolizes the family's conflicts and aspirations. The fate of Tonia’s “svieeperrr,” hidden for decades in a pristine bathroom after its first use, becomes a family mystery that Meir is determined to unravel. This delightful translation by Evan Fallenberg brings to life the obsessive yet loving Tonia, the pioneers who shaped Meir's childhood, and the humor and resilience of those forging new lives.