Only Yesterday: A NovelPrinceton University Press, 2019 M02 26 - 696 pages When Israeli Nobel Laureate S. Y. Agnon published the novel Only Yesterday in 1945, it quickly became recognized as a major work of world literature, not only for its vivid historical reconstruction of Israel's founding society. The book tells a seemingly simple tale about a man who immigrates to Palestine with the Second Aliya--the several hundred idealists who returned between 1904 and 1914 to work the Hebrew soil as in Biblical times and revive Hebrew culture. This epic novel also engages the reader in a fascinating network of meanings, contradictions, and paradoxes all leading to the question, what, if anything, controls human existence? |
From inside the book
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... passed over by modern capitalism. The Zionists who called for an exit from Exile were actually marginal in Jewish society; and the “realizing” Zionist, who in fact carries out their ideals, was a mock-hero even in their own eyes. From ...
... passing on a train through named or nameless towns and cities. He arrives in the legendary capital of his Empire, Vienna, and has several hours of free time on his hands. But first he delivers a catalogue of all the remarkable places in ...
... passed the days of Isaac's youth, days that should form the foundation of a man's future. He didn't notice that he was spending them idly, or he did notice and wasn't worried, because his dwelling Outside the Land wasn't worth anything ...
... passed away leaving behind her a house full of orphans, Simon expected his son would help him. And what does the son do? Is it not bad enough that he doesn't help him, but he also drives the customers away to other shops? Simon neither ...
... passed before the Ark with the blessings for the new month and for impending salvation, he added a curse to the blessing and shouted at the top of his voice, But not through the wicked heretics in our time. And because he feared lest ...