What They’re Reading: Living in the Land of the Book

Foreign Policy: What nonfiction books are Israelis reading?

David Ehrlich: Biographies of political leaders are a big field here. Israelis look at their political figures sort of as family members. I’m reading a new biography about [former Prime Minister] Shimon Peres by Michael Bar-Zohar. It’s called Like a Phoenix, because of politicians’ and terrorists’ nature to rise back again and again into the center of the Israeli political scene. It’s a very popular book these days, even though it’s more than 700 pages.

FP: What makes Israeli writers different than those from other countries?

DE: A lot of our great writers do more than just writing. They write fiction, they publish books for kids, and they also publish essays and books of thought about Israel, contemporary political issues, etc. In a way, they feel responsibility. They seem to say that if people like their writing, they might as well carry [political] messages. Such writers as Meir Shalev, David Grossman, and Amos Oz have a stand on current issues. The media will go to them to interview them when things happen. In the U.S., maybe the media will go to Hollywood stars or to big economic people. But here, they go to writers as a source of inspiration for contemporary dialogue.

FP: How important is reading to Israeli culture?

DE: The Jewish people like to think of themselves as a people of the book. The book, of course, is the Bible, but on top of that there’s a huge, rich literature of commentary — essays and fiction. Here in Israel, [there’s] a very happening literary scene which is not provincial. It gives and takes from what is happening abroad.

FP: Who are some of the young, up-and-coming writers?

DE: Ron Leshem’s first book, If There Is Heaven, just won the Sapir, a prestigious literary prize here. He’s only 30. The book deals with a bunch of soldiers in a fortress on top of a mountain in Lebanon. The book, which is based on research that Leshem did as a journalist, is about how Israeli soldiers felt being bombed by Hezbollah militants, knowing that Israel was supposed to leave soon. It’s like one of those existential, Catch-22 situations. It’s funny and morbid and deep, giving a sense of nonsense. It’s an interesting example of what Israeli literature does. Here’s a story of something from years ago. The conflict it describes is not exactly like the conflict we’re having now. But the bottom line hasn’t changed. We’re still at war, we’re still fighting, we’re still sending young soldiers to dangerous posts.

FP: Is there any interest in Palestinian writers?

DE: Yes and no. With the exception of one great poet who sits in Ramallah — Mahmoud Darwish — I haven’t heard of great Palestinian writers. As far as I know, Palestinians don’t read Israeli books. Their society seems to be less interested in literature than ours. Maybe it’s because they have fewer resources than we do, because they feel they need to use their time for survival.