אחוזת דג'אני

by Alon Hilu, אלון חילו

השנה היא 1895 בעיר יפו. צאלח דג`אני, ילד ערבי המתגורר עם אמו באחוזה רחבת ידיים בסמוך ליפו המוסלמית, סובל מחזיונות משונים על חורבן ואסון המתרגשים לבוא על בני עמו. אמו, עפיפה, אובדת עצות. המשרתת הזקנה אמינה, האריסים שטופי האמונות התפלות וחזותו הקודרת של בית המידות באחוזה אינם תורמים להחלמתו של הילד. אבל הכול משתנה כשאל חייו של צאלח דג`אני נכנס בסערה גבר צעיר ויפה תואר, יהודי נמרץ ששמו חיים מרגליות קלווריסקי - מאנשיה הססגוניים ביותר של העלייה הראשונה, שהיה ה"ערביסט" של התנועה הציונית בחיתוליה ונודע כאחד מגואלי הקרקעות הנחושים ביותר שלה. קלווריסקי לוטש עיניו אל האחוזה הפורייה של משפחת דג`אני, מתיידד עם צאלח ומתאהב בעפיפה היפה והמפתה. מערכת היחסים הנלהבת בין הילד הערבי לגבר היהודי מתפתחת לכיוונים שייקספיריים כאשר אב המשפחה נפטר בפתאומיות וצאלח נדרש לקום מספריו וממחברותיו ולהגן על כבודו ועל נכסיו. איש לא בא לעזרתו. הכול לועגים לו כאשר הוא חוזה כי על שטחה של האחוזה ייבנו שלושה מגדלי ענק - האחד משולש, השני מרובע והשלישי מעוגל - אך לצאלח אין ספק כי משהו רקוב בממלכת דג`אני - או שמא זו כבר ממלכתו של קלווריסקי?

בתהליך כתיבת הרומן נעזר אלון חילו במכתבים תקופתיים אמיתיים שנשמרו בארכיון הציוני המרכזי בירושלים. ספרו זה הוא הישג ספרותי יוצא דופן , המשחזר את העברית האותנטית של סוף המאה התשע-עשרה ומצליח להפיח בה חיוניות סוערת ומרגשת.

"ספר יוצא מן הכלל" נשיא המדינה שמעון פרס

"זהו ספר חשוב שהולך בגדולות... ההישג הזה איננו רק פוליטי, היסטורי או מחקרי-למדני, אלא גם ובעיקר ספרותי, סגנוני ולשוני'' שירה סתיו, ספרים, הארץ

"רומן מפתיע ומצטיין, הממצב את אלון חילו במקום טוב בשורה הראשונה של הספרות העברית הרצינית" גל אוחובסקי, ynet

"יוצא מן הכלל... סיימתי את קריאת הספר בתום שמונה שעות מרתקות עד כדי כך שבמהלכן אפילו כוס מים לא הגשתי לעצמי" נרי לבנה, מוסף הארץ

"כנפי הדמיון של חילו רחבות ומרהיבות'' יעל ישראל, טיים אאוט

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Israel, Historical

367 pages

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Hilu earned a degree in dramatic writing at Tel Aviv University, studying under Israel’s leading playwrights, such as Yehoshua Sobol and Shmuel Hasfari. His plays, "The Wedding" and "The Day of the Dogs" were produced in theatre festivals in Israel, and were both translated into English for the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club. From 1987 to 1988, Hilu wrote radio plays for Israeli Radio. During the 90s, two of his short stories were published in Israeli literary magazines: "The Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem" ("Iton 77", 1992) and "Last Seen" ("Moznaim", 1993). In Addition to his writing career, Hilu also holds a law degree and practices Intellectual Property law as an attorney.

His first novel, Death of a Monk (Xargol, 2004), l was shortlisted for the prestigious Sapir Prize in Israel (2005) and was awarded the Presidential Prize for literature (Israel, 2006) .

Hilu's second novel, The House of Rajani (Harvill Secker, Random House UK) initially received the 2009 Sapir Prize, but after claims were made regarding a conflict of interests among the judges the prize was withdrawn and the award cancelled. Israel's president Shimon Peres called it "an extraordinary book".

Reviews

[Tittirossa · Rating 1 out of 5]

meh. boh.
c'avrà voluto dì? direbbe una nota comica, io non l'ho capito se non confusamente come confusa è la narrazione.
Il modello Rashomon ha fatto un bel po' di danni con autori che vogliono essere originali (l'equivalente del verso Ed è subito .... per titolisti pigri di giornali), quindi qua abbiamo un paio di punti di vista (l'agronomo protagonista attraverso il suo diario, il ragazzo protagonista attraverso la sua narrazione, il narratore esterno), forse, della stessa vicenda.
Vicenda su cui abbiamo anche il punto di vista della Storia (sappiamo come è finita, anzi, boh, come è adesso, come finirà chi lo sa).
Fine 1800, l'Agronomo dai riccioli biondi (saranno importanti, perchè il Ragazzino visionario lo scambierà per l'Arcangelo Gabriele) arriva in Palestina con la moglie, l'Odontoiatra frigida (su questa caratteristica l'Agronomo-in-calore tornerà spesso, in modo sempre più irritante. Peraltro non abbiamo il punto di vista dell'Odontoiatra, quindi solo il giudizio reiterato dell'Agronomo), alla ricerca di terreni su cui esercitare il proprio sapere.
Cerca invano (mentre l'Odontoiatra si fa un nome a sistemare dentature di ricchi Arabi) ma grazie a una coppia di arabi, descritta come se fossero un duo comico (le caratteristiche che emergono dalla narrazione sono avidità e sodomia) arriva finalmente a conoscere la Signora della tenuta Rajani e il di lei figlioletto, ovvero il Ragazzino visionario.
Qui la narrazione si ingarbuglia assai: l'Agronomo è il salvatore della tenuta o un approfittatore (di terre e carni, quelle della Signora) manipolatore? I mezzadri arabi sono dei nullafacenti pigri e inetti o i fieri eredi di una casta secolare? La moglie è frigida e l'amante calda, o è quello che vuole farci credere l'Agronomo? Si potrebbe andare avanti con altre 20 domande dicotomiche, che non portano a niente.
La narrazione ondeggia tra diaristica, milleeunanotte, visioni, descrizioni, affermazioni apodittiche, detto-e-non-detto. Il punto centrale sembrerebbe essere quello delle visioni del Ragazzino, che con 150 anni di anticipo vede la Jaffa del futuro, le guerre, i bombardamenti, insomma, ha una visione degli anni 2000 a cui nessuno crede (per come è narrata, sembra l'inserto di Terminator che racconta che viene dal futuro). Ma tutta questa parte è confusa, tra arcangeli, visioni mistiche, debolezze, raptus suicidi, complessi di Edipo (il triangolo peloso della madre è una delle scene più cringe che abbia letto negli ultimi anni).
Il tema è delicato, arabi ed ebrei, e l'autore cerca di barcamenarsi in una sorta di neutralità partecipe. Senza riuscirci, anzi.
L'ultima parte è imbarazzante alla lettura, e l'ho tirata via.

[Ana Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este livro conta-nos a história de Salah Dajani, um menino árabe de 12 anos com uma "doença" mental. Um dia, ele conhece o agrónomo Haim Margaliot Kalvarisky, um judeu, e Salah considera-o a sua salvação.

Achei o livro um bocado confuso pois, no início, a história é nos contada por Kalvarisky e pelo o que ele escreve no seu diário. Com o avançar do livro, Salah conta-nos também a história na sua perspetiva e também são entradas do seu diário. Para tornar a narrativa (se é que se pode chamar narrativa) ainda mais confusa, existe outra historia dentro da história principal: uma história que Salah escreve ao longo do livro. Só consegui perceber a quem pertencia cada uma das perspetivas depois de metade do livro.

O final do miúdo foi previsível mas a forma como aconteceu achei um pouco estranha e até de certa forma perturbadora.

O Kalvarisky é um tarado que só pensa em ir pra cama com todas as mulheres que lhe aparecem à frente, apesar de ser casado, e em mandar em tudo aquilo que pode.

O livro não me cativou quase nada e não consegui sentir ligação com nenhuma das personagens.

Só não lhe dei 1 estrela porque houve uma parte a meio do livro e outra no fim que me conseguiram cativar mais do que o resto do livro. Pela sinopse, o livro parecia sem muito mais interessante!

[Smitha Murthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the strangest books I have ever read. Was this satire? What was it? Filled with misogyny, hatred, and racism, I thought there must be some point to this. The pages kept turning almost by themselves, but then, I don’t know what I read. What did I read? What?

[Linda Price-Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently, the novel's popularity in Israel reflects a hunger to explore the truth of the Zionist narrative, after being force-fed on the victors' version of history. The original title was The House of Dajani and the main character Haim Margaliot Kalvarisky was a real-life Zionist pioneer of the 1890s.

However, the descendants of Kalvarisky sued the author, and the names were changed. Salah Dajani, was, it seems, a young boy who was a member of a well-known Palestinian land-owning family.

I found the book very interesting as I knew little about early Zionism or the Palestinian exodus. I went on to discover that currently Americans born in the city must put “Jerusalem” rather than “Israel” on their passports. That’s because the nationality of the entire city remains contested, which is a source of deep fury for many Israelis and American Jews. Also, that Palestinian refugees (and descendants) along with those in the Palestinian territories remember the Palestinian exodus on 15 May, a date now known as Nakba Day.

Such a lot of suffering and sorrow; if only the Israeli–Palestinian conflict could be resolved so that all could live in harmony.

[Ellen Dunne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another historical novel, against the backdrop of the jewish settlers in palestine, 1895. It tells the story of the friendship (and later antagonism) between the israeli settler Isaac Luminsky and the gifted but mentally troubled palestinian boy Salah, whose mother Isaac starts an ill-fated affair with. There's quite a couple of things that I don't like there - the characters all seem obnoxious to me, for a start, and each of them is eaten up by prejudices and the inability or unwillingness to understand each other. Also, the style I found tedious at some passages, mainly when Salah's diary was involved. And the feeling that all this will lead to no good in the end, doesn't make it a light book, either. Still. I was drawn into it and really needed to read on most of the time, intrigued by the story. So if you are interested in an (quite ugly) account of that part of Israeli/Palestinian history, I would still recommend.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book had so much promise at first but slowly the book dragged on and on

[Ram · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year is 1895 in the city of Jaffa. Saleh Dajani, an Arab boy who lives with his mother in a spacious estate near Muslim Jaffa, suffers from strange visions of destruction and disaster that are yet to come upon the estate that he lives in and to his people. Everyone mocks him when he predicts that three huge towers will be built on the grounds of the mansion - one triangular, the second square and the third round - but Saleh has no doubt that something is rotten in the kingdom of Dajani. His Mother is at loss, she consults all the doctors of all kinds that she finds no result. The fact that her husband is away most of the time and has no influence on her son and the gloomy appearance and isolation of the estate does not help either.

Into the picture comes Haim Margaliot Kalvaryski ,one of the most colorful people of the first aliyah, who was the "Arabist" of the Zionist movement in its infancy and one of its most determined land redeemers.

Mr Kalvaryski is interested in the Mother and the estate. He agrees to help the son in order to get closer to the mother who is willing to do anything to “cure” her son.

The story that unfolds is to some extent (and in accordance with some political positions) a microcosm of the story of Zionism with emphasis on the Palestinian point of view.

The book is presented as two journals written by Saleh, the boy and by Haim Margaliot Kalvaryski, the land redeemer. The language of the journals is very poetic and representative of the era.


At first, while reading this book I was fascinated. The poetic language of the journals, (especially the Kalvaryski journal) enchanted me. It is hard to explain this in English, but the usage of the authentic Hebrew of the late nineteenth century was so refreshing, comic and touching, that I felt like I needed to read more literature from the era (and probably I will). I recommended the book to my friends and my wife and then decided to read some more background information on it.

That's when I found that the book is controversial. The descendants of Kalvaryski sued the author and changes were made to the book. Basically, the author presents the book as based on actual journals and facts while it is completely fictional and has little correlation with actual events in the life of Kalvaryski.

I do have an issue with these types of books. When writing about recent historical events, I prefer that the author either sticks to facts as much as possible or uses fictional characters. While this is especially true when the author presents a character in a favoring way, I assume the same issue should be when the author presents the character in a less favoring way.

So…… The story is nice, entertaining and humorous , the language is impeccable, the characters are well researched and the overall feeling is good.
The fact that the author uses a real character that is fairly well documented does present a problem. Another clear issue is that the story is very politically charged and presents the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian biased point of view.

[Shaul Melech Fishman · Rating 4 out of 5]

הספר כתוב כ 2 יומנים אישיים הנכתבים במקביל של איש העליה הראשונה וילד ערבי החי באחוזה. חיי 2 הכותבים משתלבים וכך גם היומנים למרות שכל אחד נכתב כביכול בנפרד. השפה היא עברית מליצית ארכאית וציורית שמשחזרת את העברית של התקופה. סגנון השפה מחזק את תחושת האותנטיות של תאור התקופה. סגנון היומן מגביר את תחושת הסיפור האישי של 2 כותבי היומן , הרגשות והמחשבות וסבך האירועים המשולבים של 2 הדמויות. הספר מצליח לשחזר את אווירת החיים בארץ באותה תקופה, היהודים המנסים להאחז בארץ אך הרבה מתיאשים ועוזבים, חיי הערבים , הפשטות והאמונות בשדים. רוחות וג'ינים. הילד כותב ביומנו מעין נבואה על האסון שעומד לנחות על הערבים למרות שבאותה תקופה נראה הזוי ובלתי מציאותי בהתחשב במיעוט היהודים וחולשתם. אהבתי לקרוא על סבך הרגשות את סגנון השפה וגם להתרשם מאווירת התקופה.

[Chloé · Rating 3 out of 5]

out of my comfort zone - historical fiction which shifted between the perspectives of a Jewish man and a young Arab boy. A strange book with a plot line that took a while to get started. Well written but really uncomforably full of misogyny, homophobia and more. Very political, with a lot of foreshadowing done through prophecies told by the young boy, as well as a deep questioning of cultural relationships with land. Interesting but thoroughly unsettling.

[Gili · Rating 4 out of 5]

ספר מהנה ולא שגרתי

המבנה שלו הוא של יומנים אישיים משני צדדים: מצד אחד צאלח, ילד פלסטיני רגיש עם חזיונות כמעט מיסטיים על חורבן האחוזה שלו, ומצד שני חיים מרגליות קלווריסקי, דמות היסטורית אמיתית, שמוצג כאן כאגרונום יהודי מניפולטיבי ודי אובססיבי. לכל אחד מהכותבים יש את הנרטיב שלו שלא ממש מתאים מתאים למקבילו.

גולת הכותרת של הספר היא השפה שלו. הוא מצליח לברוא עולם שלם דרך סגנון כתיבה ארכאי ומסוגנן שמתאים בדיוק לתקופה, אבל הוא עושה את זה בלי להכביד. השפה של קלווריסקי היא עברית משכילה של פעם, פתלתלה ומלאה בחשיבות עצמית, בעוד שהשפה של צאלח מרגישה פיוטית ורדופה. הסגנון ממש מכניס אותך לאווירה המיוזעת והטעונה של יפו בסוף המאה ה-19.
פחות התחברתי לפנטזיות המזרחיות בסגנון אלף לילה ולילה של צלאח.

הספר עורר פולמוס גם בגלל שחיים קלווריסקי מוצג כנראה לא באופן מאד נאמן למקור וגם בגלל האופן שקלווריסקי בתור מייצג של העולים הציונים מוצג כחומס אדמות לעומת ערביי המקום המסכנים. לי זה לא הפריע ולא הרגשתי לא נוח תוך כדי קריאתו.

[Tal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It must be said that I read this book in Hebrew. I can’t imagine (though curious enough to read the translation ) how the richness of the ancient Hebrew could be translated, and to me it was a big part of what I liked about this book.
I also enjoyed it as a fiction book, and was fascinated by the two voices in the story. These two voices resonate the two sides of Israel’s complicated story - and in my opinion this is the great historical achievement of the book.

[Ella Gordon-Khen · Rating 4 out of 5]

הכתיבה מאוד מיוחדת ונאמנה לעברית כפי שדוברה בסוף המאה ה19.
שני מספרים לא אמינים כשאחד מהם הוא בכיין, נצלן בלתי נסבל בעל אישיות מעוררת סלידה והשני הוא ילד לא לחלוטין בריא בנפשו.

[Yulia Bronstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good literature. I have a political problem with this.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na " De dood van van een monnik" is dit weer een goed boek van deze schrijver.

Zeggen dat dit in 2008 geschreven werd...brandend actueel

[Shlomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

כתוב בצורה קולחת, שפה עשירה המשחזרת את שפת התקופה.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing that struck me was the similarity to the book I just finished - The Elegance of the Hedgehog - in terms of the narration and the fact that it was a translation. There are the alternating voices - this time in the form of diary entries - of an adult and a (precocious) child - this time male, not female. There the similarities end though.

This story of one man and boy is actually (I think) a metaphor for the narratives of the two nations fighting over one land. I found it very thought provoking, how the juxtaposed tellings of the same events differed in perspective and interpretation. It was a powerful way of conveying the viewpoints of the Arabs and the Jews. The characters were all difficult to like, whatever their race. All were portrayed as being flawed. It was hard to tell where the author's sympathies lie.

I most enjoyed Saleh's prophecies, which were made to sound so ridiculous and far-fetched and futuristic, but which have indeed come to pass. Like the round, square and triangular towers that would one day be built on his land...even though my husband now works in the round tower, it still sounded so ridiculous! The historical setting and mention of the early settlements was also interesting, especially as I live in one of them.

Not an easy book to read, too wordy and hallucinatory in parts, but I'm glad I read it. Another to add to my list of "I wish I was up to reading the original."

[Kiri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was...hmmmm, I didn't like it, but I didn't dislike it. It was really interesting but I couldn't connect with any of the characters.

It's told through the diary pages of a young, disturbed, Palestinian child (Salah) and a grown, egotistical, Jewish man (Isaac). It's a reflection of the Zionism in the 19th century. Haphazardly thrown into the book were stories that the young boy made up in his head.

The stories were the hardest part to follow because they weren't needed. They weren't frequent enough for me to remember what it had to do with the main story line and I don't see why Hilu felt the story should have them. Even the characters were a little flat and dry but at the same time, I wonder if any of the problems had to do with the fact that this was a translated book from Israeli to English.

The only part I liked about this book, it's saving grace, was towards the end, you couldn't tell who was telling the truth. Throughout the novel, I assumed Isaac was writing the most true version of accounts, with Salah being off in la-la land. However, toward the end, I began to wonder if there was more truth to Salah's accounts and if Isaac was rewriting history to sound more favorable to him.

Did Isaac actually murder Salah's father? Was it Salah's mother that murdered him? Or did he actually die naturally? When Isaac and Salah had their confrontation, who had a closer account to what really happened?

[Cindy H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exquisitely written, from the first page until the last I was completely absorbed in Alon Hilu's fanciful tale.
In the late 1800's, Isaac Luminsky and his beautiful yet temperamental bride sail from Odessa to Palestine to work the land and build Jewish roots. A chance encounter with a young Palestinian boy named Salah Rajani leads to an unexpected relationship between the two. Salah suffers from terrifying visions and prophesies and comes to believe Isaac is his avenging angel. What starts as a unique friendship soon becomes a adversarial clash.
Captivating prose and rich detail make this story worth reading.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some very interesting elements about it - the conflicting narratives of Isaac and Salah, the play of the stereotypes of Arab and Jew, the use of the story of Hamlet to provide shape to the narrative. The novel didn't totally work for me but i'm interested enough to look at Hilu's other books.

[K C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish I knew what I think about this book. It's not just parrallel diaries of a late 19th centuty Jewish settler and a 10 year old Arab boy, but fantasies and prophesies of the Arab boy and as the book progresses the Jewish settler as well. I found it confusing, sometimes obvious parabels, unrealistic and characters unsympathetic.

[!Tæmbuŝu]

KOBOBOOKS

Reviewed by The Guardian

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the reviews I read the Hebrew original text is actually quite moving. In translation this is just a rambling Zionist history too overrun by prejudice to make much sens. I do not recommend reading it and will steer clear of the library suggestions from now on.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the beginning of this book was full of hope but soon enough the story dwindled and never seemed to have a real purpose.

I hated the ending. I was left thoroughly confused and aggitated.

Don't bother wasting your time with this one

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but too self-consciously literary and allegorical for my taste--especially since the comparison of the Jewish/Palestinian conflict in the early years of Zionism to Hamlet doesn't add much to our understanding of the novel or the history.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book very much because the theme was keenly interesting to me. An israeli author writing a novel about the arab/ jewish time of Jews leaving Europe pre World War and settling in a desert place in the middle east. But the story was repetitive and predictable.

[miaaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting fiction , as the author emphasised -a fiction-, regarding Arabs and Jews in the 18th century.

However somehow I barely connected with the characters, and in some other reviews other reaers felt the same. Let's just presume we'd get more if we're able to read this story in Hebrew ☺

[Naama]

מאכזב, מתייפיף,

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting way to learn more about this history of Jaffa-Tel Aviv.

[Olivia]

reviewed in TLS 19 February 2010 - not wholly positively

[Bernadet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een prachtig stukje poëtische literatuur.