The complex and delicate relationship between an ascetic and a prostitute is the central theme of this powerful and sensitive novel – a unique blend of love story, social commentary and spiritual essay, set against the raw and vibrant human landscape of Jaffa. “Lili is an ambitious, sweeping book, especially moving at the end… Shlomo Kalo is, obviously, a writer of talent, vision and significant accomplishment.” Daniel Menaker, HarperCollins, US “I read ‘Lili’ with great interest…I found it to be an emotionally-searing, thought-provoking read… it is a good read.” Kate Lyall Grant, Simon and Schuster, UK I read this with avid interest, and was truly captivated by the writing… the language has a rhythmical, soothing quality that makes the novel difficult to put down. Shaye Areheart, Crown, US "Impressive storytelling talent and realism… The novel’s structure and inner architecture are immaculate, and the plot, in spite of its contemplative quality, is suspenseful. It contains several human subtleties which the author delights in revealing. What makes “Lily” an interesting work is not solely its philosophical aspect or its literary aspect, but their integration. Arik Glessner, critic, Maariv, Israel Shlomo Kalo is thinker, novelist and one of the most prolific writers in Israel. Some of his 80 published fiction and non-fiction titles, written in a variety of genres and themes, have appeared in 16 countries.
Kapcsolódó könyvek
Herman Wouk - Remény I-II.
A Remény négy izraeli katonatiszt története és asszonyaiké, akiket szeretnek. A bécsi születésű, kulturált Zev Baraké; a vallásos, vakmerő vadászpilótáé, Benny Luriáé a keserűen gunyoros és titokzatos mosszados Sam Pasternáké és a Don Kisote becenévre hallgató, egyáltalán nem „búsképű” katowicei menekülté, aki öszvérháton érkezik első izraeli csatájába, majd az évek során magas rangra emelkedik. Három emlékezetes izraeli nőalak mellett, egy amerikai CIA tisztviselő okosan elragadó leányi formálja meg a szerző a főhősök finoman szövődő szerelmi történetében. S mindehhez az Izraeli Függetlenség Háború és a Hatnapos Háború fordulatos, izgalmas eseményei nyújtják a hiteles hátteret, amelyekből elénk tárul egy maroknyi nép harca a túlélésért. Századunk egyik legsikeresebb írója új remeke, az amerikai kiadással egyidőben, két kötetben kerül a magyar olvasóhoz.
Amos Oz - A Perfect Peace
Set on a kibbutz in the mid-1960s, _A Perfect Peace_ is Amos Oz's most ambitious and powerful novel to date.
It is the story of the founders of Israel and their children, of two generations caught in the crosscurrents of history and modern life. More than that, it is the story of people: the messianic father exulting in deeds that had once been only words, the son who wants to run away from his father's words and deeds, the raw and merciless mother, the wife who is fragile and not all there, the volatile, lonely friend. They are immigrants and native-born Israelis, idealists and charlatans, tender, cruel, funny - all living together on the kibbutz, milking cows, picking citrus fruit, repairing buildings, discussing philosophy, playing music, raising children, in bright sunshine or pouring rain. The human richness and intensity of kibbutz life alternates, fuguelike, with political tribulations, with the gaunt biblical landscape. Oz, the poet, tells the story of his people.
Cormac McCarthy - Cities of the Plain
On a ranch in southeastern Texas, soon after World War II, a group of solitary, inarticulately lonely men gathers to work animals as the sun sets for good on the mythic American West. All of these men nurse losses both personal (siblings or wives) and collective (a shared lifestyle and philosophy). Among them is John Grady Cole, the adolescent hero of the first book in Cormac McCarthy's Border trilogy, All the Pretty Horses. John Grady remains the magnificent horseman he always was, and he still dreams too much. On the ranch, he meets Billy Parham, whose own tragic sojourn through Mexico in The Crossing, the second book of the set, continues to quietly suffocate him. The two form a friendship that will nurture both but save neither from the destiny that McCarthy's characters always sense lurching to meet them.
Soaked in storm-heavy atmosphere but brightened by the ranch-hands' easy camaraderie and gentle humor, Cities of the Plain surprises with its sweetness. The awkward doomed-romance plot at the center of this tight, concise novel fails to convince, but, remarkably, does little to undercut the book's impact. What lingers here, and what matters, are the brooding, eerie portraits of the plains and the riders, glimpsed mostly alone but occasionally leaning together, who slip across them, over the horizon into memory. --Glen Hirshberg
Dorit Rabinjan - Lakodalmaink
„A nőnek, míg férjhez nem megy, mérges kígyó van a szívében, holló a fejében, bolha a lába közt!” – Irani Azizjan a mesés Keletről hozott, ősi életbölcsességekkel nevelgeti féltve imádott, egy szem fiát és sugárzó szépségű, életre, szerelemre éhes lányait. A szoknyájába kapaszkodó gyerekseregnek majdani, pazar esküvőjét színezgeti – a nagy szerelemről, boldogságról csivitelnek még a szülők ablaka alatt tanyázó kolibrik is. Ám az utolsó kislánnyal, a halva született ikerbátyjával érkező Matival együtt mintha a balsors is megjelenne az aranyszívű szülők boldog családi otthonában. Vagy esetleg már korábban sem volt minden rendben? A cseperedő gyerekek kicsúsznak a halott kisfiút végtelenül gyászoló anya kezei közül, a várva várt, pompás külsőségek közt megült esküvőket baljós előjelek árnyékolják be, az elhanyagolt kislány pedig tudathasadásos belső dialógusokba, kezelhetetlen hiperaktivitásba menekül. Van-e vajon visszaút, gyógyulás Mati számára? Fellobbanhat-e újra a tűz Irani konyhájában és házasságában? A Tel-Avivban élő fiatal írónő önéletrajzi elemekkel átszőtt, színes családregénye egy egzotikus világot, ugyanakkor nagyon is ismerős problémákat ábrázol Azizjanék sorsában: egy modernizálódó társadalom generációs feszültségekkel is terhelt képét.
Terry Pratchett - Wyrd Sisters
Terry Pratchett takes on Shakespeare in this sixth installment in the long-running parodic fantasy series set on the Discworld. Rigidly honorable, nasty-tempered witch Granny Weatherwax, who first appeared in EQUAL RITES, is back, joined by two other witches: matronly, raunchy Nanny Ogg and soppy, ineffective Magrat. This coven of three, aided by the ghost of the newly murdered king, must defend the tiny realm of Lancre and protect its rightful heir from the usurping Macbeth-like couple Duke and Duchess Felmet.
Terry Pratchett - Pyramids
Being trained by the Assassin's Guild in Ankh-Morpork did not fit Teppic for the task assigned to him by fate. He inherited the throne of the desert kingdom of Djelibeybi rather earlier than he expected (his father wasn't too happy about it either), but that was only the beginning of his problems...
Pyramids (the book of going forth) is the seventh Discworld novel - and the most outrageously funny to date.
Terry Pratchett - Eric
Eric is the Discworld's only demonology hacker. Pity he's not very good at it. All he wants is his three wishes granted. Nothing fancy: to be immortal, to rule the world and have the most beautiful woman in the world fall madly in love with him. The usual stuff. But instead of a tractable demon, Eric calls up Rincewind, the most incompetent wizard in the universe, and his extremely intractable and hostile travel accessory, the Luggage. With them on his side, Eric's in for a ride through space and time that is bound to make him wish (quite fervently) again - this time that he'd never been born.
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Read by Jim Dale Running time: 11 hrs., 48 mins. 10 CDs. For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts." Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
A special new edition in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, with a stunning new cover illustration by Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick.
The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses. And yet...
As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate - and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.
So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort - and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.
This gorgeous new edition in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone features a newly designed cover illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick, as well as the beloved original interior decorations by Mary GrandPre.
Yann Martel - Life of Pi
After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific.The crew of the surviving vessel consists of a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan, a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger and Pi - a 16-year-old Indian boy.The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary pieces of literary fiction of recent years. Yann Martel's Life of Pi is a transformative novel, a dazzling work of imagination that will delight and astound readers in equal measure. It is a triumph of storytelling and a tale that will, as one character puts it, make you believe in God.
Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book
When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard?
Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him — after all, he is the last remaining member of the family.
A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod’s life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter is an ordinary boy who lives in a cupboard under the stairs at his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s house, which he thinks is normal for someone like him who’s parents have been killed in a ‘car crash’. He is bullied by them and his fat, spoilt cousin Dudley, and lives a very unremarkable life with only the odd hiccup (like his hair growing back overnight!) to cause him much to think about. That is until an owl turns up with a letter addressed to Harry and all hell breaks loose! He is literally rescued by a world where nothing is as it seems and magic lessons are the order of the day. Read and find out how Harry discovers his true heritage at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, the reason behind his parents mysterious death, who is out to kill him, and how he uncovers the most amazing secret of all time, the fabled Philosopher’s Stone! All this and muggles too. Now, what are they?? The Author: This is Jo’s first book and she has already written seven outlines for Harry’s further adventures at Hogwarts. She lives in Edinburgh.
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter receives an ominous warning from a house-elf at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: if he returns to the school at the end of the summer, terrible things will happen. But return Harry must.
His second year begins with a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quidditch training and the intensification of old rivalries. Then the warning starts to ring true, as mysterious words are daubed on a wall, students are attacked and Ron's sister, Ginny, disappears. And so the search for Salazar Slytherin's heir begins, with the mystery pointing Harry to a clandestine chamber and a deadly creature at its heart...
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Read by Jim Dale Running time: 20 hrs., 30 mins. 17 CDs. Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for his fourth year of magical adventures in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This year Harry turns 14 and becomes interested in girls -- one in particular. And with Dark Magic comes danger, as someone close to Harry dies. You'll have to listen to learn more! The audio is available on July 8th.
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him… In this final, seventh instalment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited. The spellbinding, richly woven narrative, which plunges, twists and turns at a breathtaking pace, confirms the author as a mistress of storytelling, whose books will be read, reread and read again.
Leon Uris - Exodus
Az Exodus Mózes második könyve, amely azt beszéli el, hogyan menekült el a zsidóság az egyiptomi rabságból Kánaán földjére, és _Exodus_ annak a hajónak a neve, amely 300 árva zsidó gyereket szállított 1946 végén Ciprus szigetéről Palesztinába.
Uris nagy ívű történetében arról mesél, hogyan tér vissza a zsidó nép két évezredes vándorlás után Palesztinába, az ősi földre, ahol az érkezőket ellenségesen fogadják nemcsak az ott élők, de a környező országok lakosai is. Megismerkedünk Ari Ben Kánaánnal és Dávid Ben Amival, a harcos fiatalokkal, akik már itt születtek, és akár életük árán is küzdenek a függetlenségért, az eljövendő békéért; Kittyvel, az amerikai fiatalasszonnyal, aki férje és kislánya halálát próbálja feledni egy gyermekmenhely iszonyú gondjait magára véve; és a szinte még gyerek Dov Landauval és Karen Clementtel, akik a régóta tartó menekülés után most talán végre hazára lelhetnek. Uris főhőseinek életén keresztül mutatja meg nekünk, hogyan kovácsolódik a szélrózsa minden irányából érkező emberekből egy új közösség, a zsidó nemzet.
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry Potter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror? Here are just a few things on Harry's mind: - A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey. - A venomous, disgruntled house-elf - Ron as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team - The looming terror of the end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams . . . and of course, the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry Potter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew, boundless loyalty; and unbearable sacrifice. Though thick runs the plot, listeners will race through these tapes and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
The Collector's Library in Colour takes the favourite illustrated titles of The Collector's Library and presents them in full colour. Jane Austen's best-loved novel is a memorable story about the inaccuracy of first impressions, about the power of reason, and above all about the strange dynamics of human relationships and emotions. Here, where Hugh Thomson's delightful period illustrations were originally black-and-white, they have been sensitively coloured by Barbara Frith, one of Britain 's most accomplished colourists.
A tour de force of wit and sparkling dialogue, Pride and Prejudice shows how the headstrong Elizabeth Bennett and the aristocratic Mr Darcy must have their pride humbled and their prejudices dissolved before they can acknowledge their love for each other."
With an Afterword by Henry Hitchings.
Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
There can be many varying reasons for selling one's soul to the devil. Fame, power, love; a distraction of this world can rapidly consume the entirety of one's concentration until the distraction becomes that person's very "reality". It is fascinating to observe how the good in this world can be overlooked or neglected due to the singularity of one's concentration on what is, ultimately, the "bad".
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a story that captures such a concept and places it in the context of late nineteenth century London. Basil Hallward is a painter, one of amateur talents, but a painter that receives an inspiration that some like to call divine. A particularly new acquaintance of his, a Mr. Dorian Gray, seems to put all art into perspective for the aspiring artist. The result is a perfectly splendid picture of the beautiful Dorian Gray, who sits for Hallward in the epitome of innocence.
There is a friend of Hallward's, who goes by the name of Lord Henry Wotton. Harry, as his friends call him, is something of an enigma to the familial circles of English aristocracy; Dorian most aptly entitles him "Prince Paradox" much later in the novel. Gray is immediately captivated by the charisma of Lord Wotton, whom he met while Hallward is painting his portrait. Following the completion of the painting, Dorian becomes melancholic, having just learned the wonders of his youth and beauty from Prince Paradox; indeed, upon gazing into his own picture, Dorian Gray is already missing his youthful splendour. In his newfound narcissism, Dorian makes a foolhardy wish: that the painting grows old and ugly while he should retain his exceptional beauty.
There is a liberal utilization of symbolization in this controversial book, and most particularly so in Henry Wotton and his meeting with Dorian Gray. Harry, who becomes Dorian's closest friend, represents a kind of hedonism that is vastly different from the sociality of their familiars, and yet also apart from the vulgar tastes of the uneducated.
In the words of Dorian Gray:
"Yes: there was to be, as Lord Henry prophesied, a new Hedonism that was to recreate life, and to save it from the harsh, uncomely Puritanism that was making its own curious revival. It was to have its service of the intellect, certainly; yet, it was never to accept any theory or system that would involve the sacrifice of any mode of passionate experience. His aim, indeed, was to be experience itself, and not the fruits of experience, sweet or bitter as they might be. Of the asceticism that deadens the sense, as of the vulgar profligacy that dulls them, it was to know nothing. But it was to teach man to concentrate himself upon the moments of a life that is itself but a moment."
Before Dorian Gray met Lord Henry Wotton, he recognized things as they were. Following that momentous exchange, Dorian Gray recognized only shadows. Art, to the corrupted youth, was not just a reflection of life and love, but reality itself. Passion is the first and final goal of his new worldview, and it ultimately destroys the child within.
Basil Hallward symbolizes the simplicity, the good, and the rare in modern London: his friend Henry calls him "dull", as all great artists are. Hallward, in a clever instance of foreboding, did not want Lord Henry to even meet Dorian: "Dorian Gray has a simple and beautiful nature… Don't spoil him." The good in life seems to become less relevant, less necessary as life goes on, as the individual experiences more, until the good doesn't seem to exist… at all.
A key idea in the Picture of Dorian Gray is, I think, the fall of innocence to the pleasures of this novel Hedonism that plays the antagonism of this story. Though Dorian may indeed retain his outer beauty, startling the perceptions of everyone near him, the soul within becomes unrecognizable to a simple eye, to any eye removed of darkness. In the writing of this, his only novel, Oscar Wilde manages to take hold of several key ideas and succeeds in putting them on a magnificent, provocative display. The central themes, art, love and novelty, are the fine threads that boldly form the grandeur of the patterned Idea. As this is the ultimate goal in every work of art, I would claim that The Picture of Dorian Gray is an accomplished story on every level.
Nick Hornby - How to Be Good
London GP Katie Carr always thought she was a good person. With her husband David making a living as 'The Angriest Man in Holloway', she figured she could put up with anything. Until, that is, David meets DJ Goodnews and becomes a good person too. A far-too-good person who starts committing crimes of charity like taking in the homeless and giving their kids' toys away. Suddenly Katie's feeling very bad about herself, and thinking that if charity begins at home, then maybe it"s time to move ...