Betrothed

Rating:
Summary: If James Joyce were Jewish ...
Review: Agnon is the James Joyce of Hebrew Literature. This book is relatively short and accessible. It serves as a great intro to his works. In a few brief passages, Agnon vividly re-creates Jaffa and Vienna of circa 1900. In the same way that Joyce adds references to all of western literature, Agnon brings in both western and Jewish literature. This short book is packed with references to ancient Greek literature, Hebrew bible, Talmud, medieval commentaries, 19th century German philosophy and more. Yet it is an engaging, dramatic story, full of romance, suspense and the supernatural.

Rating:
Summary: A flawlessly produced and narrated audiobook
Review: The late S.Y. Agnon, Israel's Nobel Laureate and acknowledge master of modern Hebrew fiction, is the author of more than 24 novels, novellas, and short story collections, was a master storyteller who aptly and amply demonstrated the literary abilities of the Hebrew language. Betrothed (written in 1943) is set in Palestine, in 1909, where a gentle scholar who studies the sea encounters a beautiful girl in the grip of a mysterious illness. This engaging story was first translated into English by Walter Lever in 1966 and is now available as an unabridged, flawlessly produced and narrated audiobook which will splendidly introduce a whole new generation to a master craftsman of enduring literature.