Description
Book SynopsisReturning to the kibbutz of his childhood to attend his father's funeral, Balaban confronts his intensely painful childhood memories. Comparing the kibbutz of today with that of his early years, he tells two stories: his own and that of the Kibbutz Huldah, a grand but unsuccessful social experiment.
Trade Review[Avraham Balaban's] lyrical voice and his honest criticism of the kibbutz's social experiment will pull readers in to this elegy not only for a father but for the slow death of the socialist kibbutz dream. * Publishers Weekly *
A top-notch work of literature. . . . Avraham Balaban seeks to express the sorrow of parents who missed parenthood and of children who missed childhood, and does this with talent and an exacting, complex, and most sensitive vision. -- Eleonora Lev, Ha'aretz
Breathtaking. . . . This marvelous literary text weaves together present and past, and original metaphors accompany authentic memories and literary inventiveness. -- Karni A'm-A'd, Iton kibbutz
The child examines with an adult eye all the participants in the drama of his childhood, looking backward, at times with anger and at times with pity, pain, irony, and love. This child is a universal hero. . . . Avraham Balaban's memoir is literature at its best. -- Tamar Rodner * Ha'aretz *
An important and sensitive literary work, written with restraint, wisdom, piercing insight, and impressive narrative and descriptive skill. -- Dan Miron, Columbia University
Many stories were written about childhood, motherhood, and parenthood in the early days of the kibbutz movement, but Balaban conveys the collective voice with great talent and new force. -- Amia Lieblich, Hado'ar
An English translation of a book which has appeared in Hebrew to great critical acclaim and wide appeal. A fascinating work. -- David Patterson, emeritus president of the Oxford Center for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
An extremely impressive book. -- Elie Wiesel
Each section is as sharp as a poem. . . . This is an unforgettable book for anyone whose life is, or has been, bound up with the state of Israel. * The Jewish Chronicle, USA *
After his father's death, Avraham Balaban, author and Professor of modern Hebrew literature at the University of Florida, journeyed back to the kibbutz in Israel where he was raised. Intending to mourn the death of his father, Balaban is confronted with the ghost of his own life as he swirls into his past and sifts through his memories of being raised on a kibbutz. Upon examination, Balaban laments over what he know sees as a childhood lost, and parents who were restricted in parenting style by the limitations and structure of communal living. Balaban's prose is lyrical, and the book is a well-written and honest account of his own childhood that is sure to hit a nerve in all who venture to read it. -- A. F. Roberts, University of California * Jewish World Book *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Child of a Dream, Child of a Laboratory Part 2 Ten Opening Data Chapter 3 Broken Skies Chapter 4 Remembering a Lack Chapter 5 A Moment's Silence, Please Chapter 6 What Did You Learn in Kindergarten Today? Chapter 7 Gordonia Hulda Chapter 8 Four Eyes, Two Mouths Chapter 9 Crowding Chapter 10 Cultivators Chapter 11 Death in a Clown's Cap Chapter 12 Observing Hands—Possible Memories: A Note on First-Person Narratives Part 13 Words Chapter 14 Pampered Children—Nehemiah Chapter 15 A Decent Society Chapter 16 Words Chapter 17 A Lost War Chapter 18 A Wet Icicle Chapter 19 What Memory Recalls Chapter 20 Blue Bruises on the Flesh: Openings on Life Chapter 21 Pampered Children—Yossi Chapter 22 Singing and Weeping: Early Training Chapter 23 Pampered Children Chapter 24 Crowding: Hairstyles from Overseas Chapter 25 Pampered Children—Shlomo Chapter 26 Pampered Children: Sex is Little Moments of Love Chapter 27 Pampered Children—Batsheva Chapter 28 Singing and Crying: Homeland Songs Chapter 29 Coffee Chapter 30 A Dream Chapter 31 Parting Part 32 Completions Chapter 33 The Return Home Chapter 34 Early Days Chapter 35 Birth Chapter 36 What Have They Done to You? Chapter 37 A Miss Chapter 38 Laboratory Child, Laboratory Mother Chapter 39 Days of Crisis Chapter 40 Portrait of a Man as a Poet Chapter 41 A Walk: A Place Chapter 42 A Nocturnal Chat Chapter 43 Circles: Children's Stories Chapter 44 A Family Picture Chapter 45 A Will Chapter 46 Completions: Two Possible Stories Chapter 47 Crowding Chapter 48 The Wheel Turns Chapter 49 An Israeli Sorrow Chapter 50 Love Chapter 51 A Miss: A Possible Journey to Bendery Chapter 52 Dry Sobs Chapter 53 Chapter 54
