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מים נושקים למים
Against the backdrop of the large waves of Jewish immigration to Israel during the 1950's, unfolds the story of Joseph, an immigrant from Iraq, hired by the Water Authority of the young nation for work involving dangerous tours and wild landscapes, alongside fearless men. Joseph takes his first steps in literary writing in the language he has newly-learned through first hand experience - Hebrew. Joseph's awakens to the social world shaped by two love affairs of rare beauty: his love for the tender and troubled Ina, and for the vibrant and full of life Smadar. The hidden conflict bubbles beneath the surface of the novel, until it finally erupts in a surprising and tragic ending.
על רקע גלי העלייה הגדולים של שנות החמישים נפרש סיפורו של יוסף, עולה חדש מעיראק, הנשכר לעבוד ברשות המים של המדינה הצעירה - עבודה הכרוכה בסיורים באזורי ספר מסוכנים, בנופים פראיים, לצידם של גברים עזי נפש.בד - בבד עושה יוסף את צעדיו הראשונים בכתיבה ספרותית בלשון החדשה שלמד זה מקרוב - העברית. בסיפור התערותו של יוסף בעולם החברתי שזורות שתי פרשיות אהבה נדירות ביופיין: אהבתו לאינה הענוגה, פגועת - הנפש, מכאן, ואהבתו לסמדר התוססת ומלאת החיים מכאן. הקונפליקט הסמוי מבעבע מתחת לפני השטח לאורך הרמן, עד שהוא מתפרץ לבסוף בצורה מפתיעה וטראגית.
על רקע גלי העלייה הגדולים של שנות החמישים נפרש סיפורו של יוסף, עולה חדש מעיראק, הנשכר לעבוד ברשות המים של המדינה הצעירה - עבודה הכרוכה בסיורים באזורי ספר מסוכנים, בנופים פראיים, לצידם של גברים עזי נפש.בד - בבד עושה יוסף את צעדיו הראשונים בכתיבה ספרותית בלשון החדשה שלמד זה מקרוב - העברית. בסיפור התערותו של יוסף בעולם החברתי שזורות שתי פרשיות אהבה נדירות ביופיין: אהבתו לאינה הענוגה, פגועת - הנפש, מכאן, ואהבתו לסמדר התוססת ומלאת החיים מכאן. הקונפליקט הסמוי מבעבע מתחת לפני השטח לאורך הרמן, עד שהוא מתפרץ לבסוף בצורה מפתיעה וטראגית.
403 pages
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 10, 2010
When I read in Hebrew I miss a lot of subtleties of language and meaning. I'm hoping/assuming that in this book there were a LOT of subtleties to be missed because I did not really enjoy this book as I read and understood it. First of all, it was boring. The plot (or lack thereof) dragged. Some mysteries were introduced early on in the book (e.g. Ina's strange behavior, and the identity of Yair's father) and only resolved near the end. Instead of building suspense, as I assume it was supposed to do, I found this literary tool, in this instance, to be irritating, because it didn't build slowly but was just dangled like a carrot from the very beginning. Also, some of the relationships between the characters struck me as completely unrealistic. Why did Yosef hate his parents-in-law so much? They didn't seem that bad to me. Yosef and Smadar were also not very likeable and I found their adulterous love affair to be weird and creepy rather than romantic. Don't even get me started on the character Eli Philosoph.... what was up with him? What was the point of having him as a central character for the entire middle of the book when he just sort of fizzled out at some point and was never mentioned again? What purpose did he serve? I'm giving this book 2 stars because I assume that if my Hebrew was better than the book would have been at least a little better...it's not entirely the book's fault.
May 24, 2011
In a sentence, I loved this book and recommend reading it!
This book depicts the life of an Iraqi immigrent, Yosef, in 1950's Israel, i.e. highly prejudicious and unwelcoming to new immigrants from the east.
Ktina (a.k.a Ina), Israeli native and of Ashkenazi descent, falls in love with Yosef and despite the disapproval of her Israeli natives' parents, marries him. Ina is also fighting with dark secrets fron her past and lives in the shadows of her broken spirits, only slightly humored by Yosef's relentless efforts to make her feel better and perhaps even laugh.
To prove her parents wrong, Yosef takes a job with the Israeli Water Company, "Mekorot" and risks his life on a daily basis, if not by the hostile Syrian border, than by the elements.
A tragedy brings up a second lease of life and a second chance at romance.
The writing is very engaging, genuine albeit blatant at times. The characters development is superb. Great book in general.
My only complaint is that the book ended, I wanted it to go on and on. I felt that the end had kept me hanging but on the other hand, it leaves room for imagination which is always a good thing in a book.
This book depicts the life of an Iraqi immigrent, Yosef, in 1950's Israel, i.e. highly prejudicious and unwelcoming to new immigrants from the east.
Ktina (a.k.a Ina), Israeli native and of Ashkenazi descent, falls in love with Yosef and despite the disapproval of her Israeli natives' parents, marries him. Ina is also fighting with dark secrets fron her past and lives in the shadows of her broken spirits, only slightly humored by Yosef's relentless efforts to make her feel better and perhaps even laugh.
To prove her parents wrong, Yosef takes a job with the Israeli Water Company, "Mekorot" and risks his life on a daily basis, if not by the hostile Syrian border, than by the elements.
A tragedy brings up a second lease of life and a second chance at romance.
The writing is very engaging, genuine albeit blatant at times. The characters development is superb. Great book in general.
My only complaint is that the book ended, I wanted it to go on and on. I felt that the end had kept me hanging but on the other hand, it leaves room for imagination which is always a good thing in a book.
October 5, 2012
The novel was written in very high literary standard! Amaizing!!!
October 29, 2025
אולי הטוב ביותר של סמי מיכאל, אישי ולאומי, רחב יריעה וחושף את צפונות הלב
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews