TWILIGHT And Other Stories

by Shulamith Hareven ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 10, 1992

Six stories by Israeli writer Hareven, whose bone-white allegorical novels--The Miracle Hater, Prophet--have had nonmodern settings. Here, though, with the semi-exception of one dreamscape story, ""Twilight,"" contemporary Israel is the venue. Hareven writes in ""Loneliness"" and in ""Two Hours on the Road"" of sudden, surprising infatuations by middle-aged women; and in ""My Straw Chairs"" of loneliness triumphant. Translated by different hands (and, with the exception of Hillel Halkin's efforts, not especially well: studded with garbled idioms), the stories in general have a sharp, overly hurried tone--as though Hareven repeatedly lost patience with not coming quickly enough to the stories' points. One piece, the longest of them all, ""A Matter of Identity,"" about a Russian woman's wartime ""marriage"" to a Jew and the contemporary Israeli identity difficulties of their daughter when she seeks to emigrate, is pregnant with comedy and tragedy both--but frustrates as it loses many of its narrative opportunities by the pace of its headlong drive. Hareven's novels are short and haunting. Her stories are only short.

Pub Date: Feb. 10, 1992

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Mercury House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992

Categories: FICTION