The Book of Intimate Grammar Contributor(s): Grossman, David (Author), Rosenberg, Betsy (Translator) |
|
ISBN: 0312420951 ISBN-13: 9780312420956 Publisher: Picador USA OUR PRICE: $17.10 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 2002 Annotation: David Grossman, the leading Israeli novelist of his generation, showed himself in his internationally acclaimed novel, See Under: LOVE, to be a consummate artist of the inner life of the child. Now, in his most moving and accessible novel yet, he gives us the story of the greatest and most universal tragedy, the loss of that childhood world. At twelve, Aron Kleinfeld is the ringleader among the boys in his Jerusalem neighborhood, their inspiration in dreaming up games and adventures. But as his friends begin to mature, Aron remains imprisoned for three long years in the body of a child. While Israel inches toward the Six-Day War, and while the voices of his friends change and become strange to him, Aron lives in his child body as though in a nightmare. Like a spy in enemy territory, he learns to decipher the internal codes of sexuality and desire, to understand the unyielding bureaucracy of the human body. Hurled between childhood and adulthood, between the pure and the profane, he is like a volcano of emotions and impulses. But, like his hero Houdini, Aron still struggles to escape from the trap of growing up. The Book of Intimate Grammar is about the alchemy of childhood, which transforms loneliness and fear into creation, and about the struggle to emerge as an artist. Funny, painful and passionate, it is a work of enormous intensity and beauty. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Literary - Fiction | Jewish |
Dewey: FIC |
LCCN: 2002066777 |
Physical Information: 0.98" H x 6.3" W x 8.56" (0.69 lbs) 352 pages |
Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Jewish - Religious Orientation - Jewish |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: With The Book of Intimate Grammar, leading Israeli novelist David Grossman gives us the story of the greatest and most universal tragedy, the loss of the world of childhood. At twelve, Aron Kleinfeld is the ringleader among the boys in his Jerusalem neighborhood, their inspiration in dreaming up games and adventures. But as his friends begin to mature, Aron remains imprisoned for three long years in the body of a child. While Israel inches toward the Six-Day War, and the voices of his friends change and become strange to him, Aron lives in his child body as though in a nightmare. Like a spy in enemy territory, he learns to decipher the internal codes of sexuality and desire, to understand the unyielding bureaucracy of the human body. Hurled between childhood and adulthood, between the pure and the profane, he is like a volcano of emotions and impulses. But, like his hero Houdini, Aron still struggles to escape from the trap of growing up. The Book of Intimate Grammar is about the alchemy of childhood, which transforms loneliness and fear into creation, and about the struggle to emerge an artist. Funny, painful, and passionate, it is a work of enormous intensity and beauty. |
Contributor Bio(s): Grossman, David: - David Grossman has received several international awards for his writing, including the Premio Grinzane and the Premio Mondelo for The Zigzag Kid. He is the author of several novels and children's books, and a play. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and children.Grossman, David: - David Grossman has received several international awards for his writing, including the Premio Grinzane and the Premio Mondelo for The Zigzag Kid. He is the author of several novels and children's books, and a play. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and children.Rosenberg, Betsy: - In 2000, Betsy Rosenberg received the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation for translating Duel from the original Hebrew into English. In their review, the award committee said, "Duel is quirky, compassionate and beautifully edited . . . Grossman deals with values that are not often discussed today. In a lively natural translation, this original book is unforgettable." |