The Pen and the Sword

<p><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>Successive generations of Israeli writers have charted the hopes of peace and the pain of conflict. What does the nation's writing reveal about the challenges of today?</strong></p><p class=ql-align-justify><br></p><p class=ql-align-justify><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>The process of saying goodbye to these two authors who had been a visible presence in Israeli society for decades is far from over. -Nir Baram</strong></p><p class=ql-align-justify><br></p><p class=ql-align-justify><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>The Pen and the Sword</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)> explores the efforts by successive generations of Israeli writers to grapple with their nation's difficult political questions. In a probing essay Israeli novelist </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>Nir Baram</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)> examines the remarkable friendship between two giants of Israeli literature - Amos Oz and A.B. Yehoshua - whose lives writing and passionate disputes reflect their country's recent turbulent history and divides. And leading critic </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>Arik Glasne</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>r surveys a younger generation of Israeli writers whose disparate voices and stories provide a crucial glimpse into Israel today.</span></p><p class=ql-align-justify><br></p><p class=ql-align-justify><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>The issue also includes </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>Steven Nadler</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>'s new insights into the excommunication of Spinoza </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>Michael Vatikiotis</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>'s portrait of the Jewish community of pluralist Singapore and book reviews by </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>Irris Makler</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)> </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>Benjamin Balint</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)> and </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>Catherine Taylor</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(51 51 51 1)>.</span></p><p><br></p>