Overview

"""Intensely readable and beautifully observed . . . full of wisdom, generosity, humor, and sharp insights.""—Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or and The Idiot Three Israeli women, their lives altered by immigration to the United States, seek to overcome crises. Ilana is a veteran Hebrew instructor at a Midwestern college who has built her life around her career. When a young Hebrew literature professor joins the faculty, she finds his post-Zionist politics pose a threat to her life’s work. Miriam, whose son left Israel to make his fortune in Silicon Valley, pays an unwanted visit to meet her new grandson and discovers cracks in the family’s perfect façade. Efrat, another Israeli in California, is determined to help her daughter navigate the challenges of middle school, and crosses forbidden lines when she follows her into the minefield of social media. In these three stirring novellas—comedies of manners with an ambitious blend of irony and sensitivity—celebrated Israeli author Maya Arad probes the demise of idealism and the generation gap that her heroines must confront. Reading group guide to The Hebrew Teacher is available for download free of charge at newvesselpress.com."

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9781954404236

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Reviews

"""Sharp, intelligent, full of insights--Maya Arad's writing penetrates the heart and excites the mind."" --Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, author of Waking Lions ""One of the most talented Israeli novelists of her generation and who here offers profoundly moving and universal vistas of experience, sorrow, and humor by observing her local reality with humane intelligence.""--The Jewish Review of Books ""The finest living author writing in Hebrew.""--Haaretz"

"""One of the most talented Israeli novelists of her generation and who here offers profoundly moving and universal vistas of experience, sorrow, and humor by observing her local reality with humane intelligence.""--The Jewish Review of Books ""The finest living author writing in Hebrew.""--Haaretz"

"""Meticulously observed, with remarkable shades of subtlety and nuance. What could have easily become a political screed is, instead, a gentle inquiry into aging, what it means to be relevant, academic ambition, and, most particularly, the morality of Zionist politics . . . The quiet subtlety of Arad's prose only pulls the strength of her insights into higher relief.""--Kirkus Reviews (Starred review) ""Arad makes her English-language debut with an intelligent triptych of novellas that showcase Israeli women navigating their professional and family relationships in the U.S. . . . Throughout, Arad offers an astute and heartfelt look at what brings people together and what drives them apart. Readers will be rewarded by Arad's keen insights.""--Publishers Weekly ""Offers many rewards . . . Arad wrote this story well before the current Israel-Hamas war, but she is strikingly prescient in her understanding of contemporary issues, particularly as they pertain to Israel. Ample credit should go to award-winning translator Jessica Cohen for her seamless work. She has helped make The Hebrew Teacher a must-read.""--Hadassah Magazine ""Sharp, intelligent, full of insights--Maya Arad's writing penetrates the heart and excites the mind.""--Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, author of Waking Lions ""An intensely readable and beautifully observed novel of manners, full of wisdom, generosity, humor, and sharp insights into academic and expatriate life.""--Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or and The Idiot ""A brave, nuanced, and compassionate exploration of the tragedy of immigration and relocation from one of the leading voices of contemporary Hebrew literature.""--Ruby Namdar, author of The Ruined House ""One of the most talented Israeli novelists of her generation and who here offers profoundly moving and universal vistas of experience, sorrow, and humor by observing her local reality with humane intelligence.""--The Jewish Review of Books ""The finest living author writing in Hebrew.""--Haaretz ""Cultures and generations clash in Maya Arad's insightful novella collection The Hebrew Teacher, which follows three storylines whose flows are sometimes concentric . . . With clarity and insight, The Hebrew Teacher dissects divides among Israeli immigrants in California.""--Foreword Reviews""Touches on contemporary issues, from politics and academia in the title story to life and work in Silicon Valley in the second and adolescents' obesession with social media in the third. Arad presents various facets of contemporary life--with some poignant shading--quite entertainingly in these novellas.""--The Complete Review"

Author Information

Maya Arad is the author of eleven books of Hebrew fiction, as well as studies in literary criticism and linguistics. Born in Israel in 1971, she received a PhD in linguistics from University College London and for the past twenty years has lived in California where she is currently writer in residence at Stanford University's Taube Center for Jewish Studies. Jessica Cohen shared the 2017 Man Booker International Prize with author David Grossman for her translation of A Horse Walks into a Bar. She has translated works by Amos Oz, Etgar Keret, Dorit Rabinyan, Ronit Matalon, Nir Baram, and others.

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