The House of Rajani
Published on 21. February 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-84655-299-1 (ISBN)
Description
The year is 1895, Jaffa. Salah Rajani, a troubled Muslim boy living in a dilapidated mansion surrounded by orange groves, suffers from peculiar visions about a disaster which is set to befall his people. His life is changed by the arrival of a handsome young man, a dynamic Jewish settler, new to the city, by the name of Isaac Luminsky. Luminsky covets both the fertile lands of the Rajani estate and Salah's beautiful mother Afifa, and his friendship with the boy is destined to lead to violence and tragedy.
This rich and colourful novel is made up of the two opposing journals of Hilu's intriguing and extraordinary protagonists as they negotiate love, honour and betrayal in the changing world of nineteenth-century Palestine.
This rich and colourful novel is made up of the two opposing journals of Hilu's intriguing and extraordinary protagonists as they negotiate love, honour and betrayal in the changing world of nineteenth-century Palestine.
Reviews / Votes
An extraordinary book * Shimon Peres * A masterpiece of a rich and lush linguistic tapestry...The strong effect of Hilu's writing does not derive only from his new look at events of the past, but also and mainly from the way in which he compels us to think anew about today's political reality and its bleak future. .. an important, great book, and I assume it will be much discussed in the future * Haaretz Book Review * The most attractive young author around. The reviews danced in praise of him; in literary circles Hilu was marked as the next great hope; David Grossman called to offer his compliments. Now, with his new novel, The House of Rajani, Hilu is again taking the reader to raft in a raging river * Yedioth Ahronot * The House of Rajani is a surprising and excellent novel, positioning Alon Hilu in a good stand within the first rank of the important Israeli literature * Ynet * The House of Rajani should be read like a funny fairytale, told by an adroit storyteller. The wings of Hilu's imagination are wide and spectacular * Time Out Tel Aviv *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 204 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
379 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84655-299-1 (9781846552991)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Alon Hilu is an Israeli writer and playwright. He was born in 1972. His first book, Death of a Monk, is a historical novel which re-tells the story of the blood libel against the Damascus Jews which took place in 1840. The book was translated into five languages, was among the five finalists for the prestigious Sapir Prize in 2005, and won the Israeli Presidential prize for a debut novel in 2006 and the Israeli Prime Minister prize in 2008. The House of Rajani was awarded the 2009 Sapir Prize. Alon Hilu lives with his family in Tel Aviv.
www.alonhilu.com
www.alonhilu.com