A Tale of Love and Darkness

A novel-memoir, the most personal book by a classic of Israeli literature. A family saga and self-portrait of a writer who witnessed the birth of a nation and the tumultuous era of post-war times. It is the story of a boy's coming of age, who grew up in war-torn Jerusalem, in a small apartment filled with books in twelve languages, surrounded by twelve relatives. It is the story of a teenager whose life was forever changed after the death of his mother. It is the story of a young man who managed to break free from the suffocating world of his family, immerse himself in an unknown new world, and change his name. It is the story of a renowned writer who becomes an active participant in the political life of his country. A very warm book, with both humorous plots and very serious reflections on good and evil, on the place of a person in a new, emerging world, on family, parents, war, and confrontation with the neighboring people. Amos Oz, already a famous writer, looks back on his childhood, where there was more hardship and deprivation than joy, and sees only warmth and love there.