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The Flying Camel and the Golden Hump
Kalman Keren is a writer with a megalomaniac dream of writing the ultimate masterpiece of all time. Professor Schatz is a merciless literary critic who is every writer's nightmare - and who refused to review Keren's last book. Now Schatz and his wife have moved into the apartment above Keren's, and life in the small Tel Aviv building will never be the same.
Keren complains that Schatz's incessant banging on the typewriter is dooming him to eternal writer's block. Schatz complains that Keren's rabbits are noisy and disturbing. The battle lines are drawn.
Then Keren meets Naomi, Professor Shatz's lovely wife, who just happens to love Kerens work. All's fair in love and war, and this is definitely both...
A story of communal life that is also a witty satire of the writer-critic relationship.
Keren complains that Schatz's incessant banging on the typewriter is dooming him to eternal writer's block. Schatz complains that Keren's rabbits are noisy and disturbing. The battle lines are drawn.
Then Keren meets Naomi, Professor Shatz's lovely wife, who just happens to love Kerens work. All's fair in love and war, and this is definitely both...
A story of communal life that is also a witty satire of the writer-critic relationship.
- GenresIsrael
334 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
2 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Aharon Megged
32 books3 followersAharon Megged (Hebrew: אהרון מגד) (10 August 1920 – 23 March 2016) (Hebrew year 5680) was an Israeli author and playwright. In 2003, he was awarded the Israel Prize for literature.
Aharon Greenberg (later Megged) was born in 1920 in Włocławek, Poland. In 1926, he immigrated with his parents to Mandate Palestine. He grew up in Ra'anana, attending Herzliya high school in Tel Aviv. After graduation, he joined a Zionist pioneering youth movement, training at Kibbutz Giv'at Brenner. He was a member of Kibbutz Sdot Yam for twelve years.
Megged was married to author Ida Tsurit, with whom he had two children, Eyal Megged, also a writer, and Amos Megged, a lecturer in history at University of Haifa.
Megged was one of the founders of the Masa literary weekly, and served as its editor for fifteen years. He worked as a literary editor for theHebrew newspapers La-merhav and Davar. In 1977/78 he was author-in-residence at the Center for Hebrew Studies affiliated with Oxford University. He made several lecture tours of the United States, and was also author-in-residence at the University of Iowa. He published 35 books.
Megged's plays were performed at Habima, Ha-Ohel and other theaters. His books have been translated into numerous languages and published in the United Kingdom, the United States, Argentina, France, and other countries.
From 1968 to 1971, Megged served as cultural attaché to the Israeli embassy in London.
In 1974, Megged won the Bialik Prize for his books The Evyatar Notebooks: a novel and Of Trees and Stones.
In 2003, he was awarded the Israel Prize, for literature.
Megged won the Brenner Prize, the S.Y. Agnon Prize, and the Prime Minister's Prize.
(from Wikipedia)
Aharon Greenberg (later Megged) was born in 1920 in Włocławek, Poland. In 1926, he immigrated with his parents to Mandate Palestine. He grew up in Ra'anana, attending Herzliya high school in Tel Aviv. After graduation, he joined a Zionist pioneering youth movement, training at Kibbutz Giv'at Brenner. He was a member of Kibbutz Sdot Yam for twelve years.
Megged was married to author Ida Tsurit, with whom he had two children, Eyal Megged, also a writer, and Amos Megged, a lecturer in history at University of Haifa.
Megged was one of the founders of the Masa literary weekly, and served as its editor for fifteen years. He worked as a literary editor for theHebrew newspapers La-merhav and Davar. In 1977/78 he was author-in-residence at the Center for Hebrew Studies affiliated with Oxford University. He made several lecture tours of the United States, and was also author-in-residence at the University of Iowa. He published 35 books.
Megged's plays were performed at Habima, Ha-Ohel and other theaters. His books have been translated into numerous languages and published in the United Kingdom, the United States, Argentina, France, and other countries.
From 1968 to 1971, Megged served as cultural attaché to the Israeli embassy in London.
In 1974, Megged won the Bialik Prize for his books The Evyatar Notebooks: a novel and Of Trees and Stones.
In 2003, he was awarded the Israel Prize, for literature.
Megged won the Brenner Prize, the S.Y. Agnon Prize, and the Prime Minister's Prize.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 8, 2018
אני לא מבין איך לא שמעתי על הספר הזה מעולם. חבר פשוט שם לי אותו ביד, במקרה, בלי שדיברנו עליו, ואמר "קח, קרא" וזה כל הסיפור. רק שתי שורות על הכריכה מרמזות לי שמדובר בסיפור על סופר ועל מבקר, אבל באמת שלא ידעתי למה אני נכנס.
מסתבר שזו סאטירה מתוחכמת, שנונה, חדה, עם עולם דימויים עשיר והכל באופן אירוני ומודע לעצמו, כתוב בעברית מליצית, בחילופי משלבים ובקריצה שהזכירו לי מההתחלה את "לוליטה", ומבחינתי אין מחמאה גדולה יותר לספר.
הספר עוסק בספרות, בביקורת ספרות ובעולם הביצתי של הספרות העברית, ולמרות שלא למדתי ספרות ולא ניתחתי טקסט מאז שיעור ספרות בתיכון (ואפשר להודות שלא באמת ניתחתי כמו ששיננתי את התשובות מראש) עדיין נסחפתי לסיפור העשיר הזה.
מסתבר שזו סאטירה מתוחכמת, שנונה, חדה, עם עולם דימויים עשיר והכל באופן אירוני ומודע לעצמו, כתוב בעברית מליצית, בחילופי משלבים ובקריצה שהזכירו לי מההתחלה את "לוליטה", ומבחינתי אין מחמאה גדולה יותר לספר.
הספר עוסק בספרות, בביקורת ספרות ובעולם הביצתי של הספרות העברית, ולמרות שלא למדתי ספרות ולא ניתחתי טקסט מאז שיעור ספרות בתיכון (ואפשר להודות שלא באמת ניתחתי כמו ששיננתי את התשובות מראש) עדיין נסחפתי לסיפור העשיר הזה.
August 19, 2020
This is an exciting novel. Firstly, it has strong satirical elements which I just love, and it satirises the world of literature (in Israel in the late 70s or so, but could have easily been today's Australia too) which of course interests me endlessly. Secondly, it is a highly inventive novel ranging between traditional linear narrative, literary criticism and history, parody of literary criticism and even lengthy quotations from some classics. Totally unpredictable, with many allusions and much to say, yet also very, very readable - a fit difficult to achieve and here achieved successfully. I've always thought that Aharon Megged is one of the most (internationally) underrated Israeli novelists. I wish he was as known outside of Israel as Amos Oz and David Grossman are.
January 17, 2014
This was a surprisingly funny book about a novelist whose work comes to a grinding halt when a famous literary critic moves into the apartment above him. I thought it summed up every emotion a writer could possibily have - self doubt, loss of confidence, the desire to write THE book that would make all other books obsolete, writers block, envy - but in quite an entertaining manner. I am going to seek out other books by this writer.
December 11, 2020
3.5*
ספר קריא ומוצלח. איכשהו לא קראתי אף פעם את מגד עד לפני כמה חדשים, ואני ממש שמח שגיליתי אותו.. הוא פשוט כותב יפה.
הספר קליל וקריא, אבל בלי להיגרר לרדדת וטפשת. העברית יפה. העלילה פשוטה, פשטנית לעתים, אך מושכת, הכתיבה נבונה.
קריאה חביבה ומהנה.
ספר קריא ומוצלח. איכשהו לא קראתי אף פעם את מגד עד לפני כמה חדשים, ואני ממש שמח שגיליתי אותו.. הוא פשוט כותב יפה.
הספר קליל וקריא, אבל בלי להיגרר לרדדת וטפשת. העברית יפה. העלילה פשוטה, פשטנית לעתים, אך מושכת, הכתיבה נבונה.
קריאה חביבה ומהנה.
December 1, 2021
Eine großartige Erzählung mit viel jüdischen Humor
April 2, 2010
Wouldn't have chosen this book if it weren't for my temple book club. Interesting and completely Israeli. Liked it, but it wasn't amazing.
June 20, 2011
העברית, אח, העברית :)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews