Judah

annotation

Acknowledgements
Translator's Note

Amos Oz Chronology

★ Winner of the 2015 German International Literature Award
★ 2017 Swiss Mount Zion Award Winner
★ 2017 Man Booker International Prize Finalists
★ 2018 Russian Yasnaya Polyana Prize (Tolstoy Prize) in the foreign literature category
★ Winner of the 2018 Swedish Stiegdagerman Award
★ Winner of the 2018 Italian Taobuk Award for Best Literature
★ Copyright sold to 36 countries worldwide


The final novel that encapsulates the language and life of Amos Oz, the father of Hebrew literature.

“This is a chamber music.
Three unfortunate people, each in their own unique circumstances, are trapped in an isolated house in Jerusalem.
And they talk, that's what they do, talking and drinking tea.”
From an interview with the Times of Israel

The story's events unfold primarily through the love and desire of Shmuel and Athaliah, and the conversations and discussions between Shmuel and Bald.
Shmuel, a timid and sentimental man, desperately tries to approach Ataliyah in the hope of gaining her attention, sometimes winning her sympathy, but usually in vain.
Atalia, whose identity is largely shrouded in mystery, appears to be extremely repulsive to human existence and particularly repulsive to men.
The relationship between Shmuel and Ataliyah is one-sided and capricious, which keeps the novel's flow interesting.
But more than anything, what drives 『Judas』 is the free-flowing conversation between Shmuel and Bald.
Bald is well-versed in numerous classics, including the Bible, and is able to freely attack his opponents by quoting or alluding to these passages and adding humor, humor, ridicule, and criticism.
Because the two differ in many ways, including age, ideology, and temperament, the conversation between the old and the young, the nationalist and the socialist, the realist and the idealist is always tense.
If the conversation in the beginning was clearly divided between the speaker and the listener, as it progressed, it developed into an argument due to differences in opinion.
It is interesting that Shmuel's views are primarily narrative, while Bald's are utterances.
And what opened the door for their conversation to turn into a debate was Shmuel's thesis, "Jesus in the Eyes of the Jews."

“In every language I know, and even in those I do not know, the name Judas has become synonymous with traitor.
And it would have become synonymous with the word Jew.
In the eyes of millions of ordinary Christians, all Jews and the Jewish people are infected with the pathogen of betrayal.”
From Jude, Chapter 45, pp. 375-376

In his thesis, Shmuel surveys Jewish scholarship on Jesus throughout the history of the Jewish people, and in the process raises several questions.
Why do the Jews never mention Judas, the man who allegedly betrayed Jesus? They were reluctant to speak of him, as if his name were taboo.
Moreover, even though Jesus and all twelve disciples were Jewish, why was Judas, the traitor, perceived as the representative of the Jewish people, leading to 2,000 years of hatred? Furthermore, was it true that Judas betrayed Jesus? For Shmuel, Judas was the "first Christian," the "last Christian," and the "only Christian."
Shmuel and Bald's argument over whether Judah was a traitor finally reaches another traitor who is deeply entangled with this house: Shealtiel Abravanel.
During the process of establishing Israel, he was the only person who strongly opposed the establishment of a Jewish state and advocated coexistence with Arabs. He interacted freely and widely with Arabs and built personal friendships with them.
But after several armed conflicts between Israelis and Arabs, he eventually died as a person ostracized and vilified by both sides, despised by all.
As the lives of Judah and Abravanel overlap, separated by 2,000 years, Shmuel finally learns what happened to Bald and Athaliah, the sorrow etched in this house, and witnesses the scars inflicted on the Jewish people by the history of Israel from ancient times to the present.

“Jesus was not understood by his contemporaries, and neither were Judas and Abravanel.
But in this small house, three people are learning to understand each other.
And they learned to love each other.”
From "Lecture after the Yasnaya Polyana Prize Ceremony (Moscow)"

There have been countless variations on Judas, but Oz presents readers with a new allegory in addition to his reinterpretation of Judas.
The Hebrew form of 'Yehuda (Judah)' in 'Keriot Yehuda' of 'Iscariot Judah' is 'Yehudah' in plural, meaning 'Jew', and is also related to 'Amha Yehudi (Jewish people)'.
In that case, 'Judas betrayed Jesus' can naturally be read as 'the Jews or the entire Jewish people betrayed Jesus', and so it can be seen as a context in which the fates of Judas and the Jews or the Jewish people are linked.

However, in 『Judas』, Oz focuses more on showing colorful thoughts about ‘betrayal’ and ‘traitor’ than anything else.
In interviews with various media outlets following the book's publication, he revealed that he was first called a traitor when he was eight years old, after making the mistake of befriending a British occupation officer.
He said that the experience of having the word "traitor" scrawled in black paint on one side of his house later led him to become obsessed with the concepts of "loyalty" and "betrayal," and that although he is still called a traitor at the age of seventy-seven, he now wears the label comfortably like a badge of honor.
The themes of 'betrayal' and 'traitor' resonate with Oz's life outside the novel, and extend to the entirety of human history within the novel.

Amos Oz asks:
Who, exactly, is a traitor? Isn't betrayal a form of loyalty, devotion, conviction, and belief? Isn't the world not divided into loyalists and betrayers, but rather into different types of traitors? Throughout history, there are many examples of brave people born far ahead of their time being branded traitors or madmen.
Traitor was another name for all the angels who dreamed of a better world and tried to bring it to earth, that is, the 'restoration of the world'.
- From the Translator's Note

And what encompasses all of these elements is the 'compassion for humanity' that Oz has always talked about in his works.
The moment the narrative, built up layer by layer with delicate and antique sentences, explodes, the individual tragedy and the sorrow of a family are transformed into the realm of the universal.

The Korean edition of 『Judah』 includes a detailed chronology of Amos Oz, who was particularly involved in the fate of Israel.
Additionally, for readers who may find the work's background unfamiliar, the book includes over 300 annotations related to Israeli history and culture, the Bible, and Jewish literature.


■ Once again, Oz has given us an absolute and indispensable masterpiece.

Alberto Manguel

■ Oz creates a kind of existential and ideological thriller through the voices and silences of the characters, from a reflection on the meaning of the existence of the nation of Israel to a utopia of salvation that inevitably ends in blood.
This is what a masterpiece is—the use of words, the mastery of composition, the ability to activate all the reader's senses.

La Repubblica (Italian daily newspaper)

■ Challenging, complex, and strangely captivating.
The ideas at the novel's center possess tremendous vitality and persuasiveness.
The philosophical passages are filled with linguistic energy.

[Spectator]

■ The fact that the novel flows so smoothly and evokes nostalgia while at the same time being intellectually stimulating and full of humanity is a testament to the author's talent.
The empathy for human frailty that has always distinguished his writing permeates this extraordinary and colorful novel.

[Times Literary Supplement]

■ A great novel.
As a writer who knows how important a political role a novelist can play, Oz perfectly captures the heartbreak and humanity of this book from the first page to the last.

[The New York Times]

■ Amos Oz's Judas is a paradox that is both static and provocative.
The Israeli author, long considered a Nobel Prize contender, narrows the action of the story to a family's grief.
But beneath the fermented scenes of sorrow, he unleashes a storm of theological and political discourse on the founding of Israel and the origins of Christianity.
At the end of this rare and intelligent novel, we are left to ponder Oz's reflections on the possibility of idealism in an imperfect world.

[Washington Post]

■ A great novel that only Oz could write.
Probably his best work.
Judas deserves the highest honor for Amos Oz.

Standpoint Magazine (British monthly magazine on culture and politics)

■ Modern prophet.
Chekhov in Jerusalem.

Il Folio (Italian daily newspaper)

■ In Judas, Amos Oz has created a mature masterpiece—a novel full of wisdom, melancholy, and humor—with candid and persuasive characters that draw you closer the more you read.
It's a book I want to live in.
Anyone interested in traitors and betrayal should read this book.
Anyone interested in Israel must read this book.
Anyone interested in humanity should read this book.

Die Literarische Welt (Germany)

■ This is why this novel by Israel's outstanding novelist is loved and highly regarded regardless of religious beliefs.
As he has done for decades, Oz, always a sharp and critical thinker, takes on complex issues that many writers avoid and tackles them head-on.
Judas grapples with the immense and historical questions of the founding of Israel and the founding of Christianity, questions that defy simple answers.
Both are topics that are rich in thought today.

[St. Louis Post-Dispatch] 2016 Books of the Year

■ Amos Oz brought so much beauty, so much love, and a vision of peace into our lives.
Please keep Oz in your heart and read his books.

Natalie Portman (*Judas was the first book in the Amos Oz Reading Group, which Portman founded.)

■ In Judas, a quiet invitation to the freest of contemplation, Oz boldly did almost everything.

El Pais (Spain)

■ After writing more than twenty books that trace the transformation of hearts and nations with tireless tenacity and delicacy, the Israeli master has finally produced the most daring work of his entire career.
Oz can portray all kinds of betrayals and can be imbued with all kinds of betrayals.
Still, he does not lose faith in fiction.

[Financial Times]

■ This craft proves that Oz has been used very well for a very long time.
Judas is a quick and smooth read, without a single wasted page.

Prospect

■ A story that is bigger than life, with a strong scent of romantic gothic.
Judas is a mature, thrilling, and intelligent novel from the hands of a great writer.
This book invites readers to dive in and enjoy deep observations without any illusions to obscure their eyes.

Haaretz (Israeli daily newspaper)

■ Oz masterfully combines international politics with the history of religion, thereby also placing it in a context that illuminates the fate of Europe.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

■ Amos Oz took on a great challenge.
History is made not by actions, but by protagonists, or more precisely, by people, by what has happened and what is still happening, revealed here and now through understanding and sorrow.

[Süddeutsche Zeitung]

■ 'Judas' is the title of the novel, but it is also a bomb thrown over the bookshelf.
A novel that delivers a tremendous impact with its unique richness and complexity.
Amos Oz presented a delicate and original Bildungsroman.

Corriere della Sera (Italian daily newspaper)

■ A brilliant work.
It is multi-layered and thought-provoking, and in love stories, it is as delicate as a chrysalis.
Judas is a brilliant, powerfully modern novel of old-fashioned ideas.

[Observer]

■ This book contributes to making us more attentive to the dissonance that appears deep within the politics and theology of Israel and Palestine.
It's painfully provocative, yet compassionate.

[New Statesman]

■ Oz is my hero, a giant of literature and morality.

Simon Schama (British historian)

■ Judas offers a coming-of-age story, a bittersweet romance, and an allegory for the nation of Israel, with the powerful biblical resonance suggested by the title.

[Library Journal]

■ Even a 'terrible year annus horribilis' can be offset by a new work by Amos Oz.
He wrote the most triumphant novel of his life.

[Forward]

■ As in his other novels, Oz presents a multi-layered text, not simply a conceptual and regional-historical narrative.
Throughout the novel, themes of 'morality, politics, and identity awareness', as well as themes and motifs of 'betrayal, love, alienation, anger, and disobedience' appear in diverse and colorful forms that provide a broad and rich conceptual platform.

[ynet] (Israeli Internet portal site)

■ Oz stands shoulder to shoulder with Kundera in portraying the kind of love that is accompanied by sighs of impatience and reproach rather than fulfilled desire.
It's so wonderful.
Even from the bleak perspective of the improbable possibility of peace, love, and understanding, whether between nations or within families.

[Kirkus Review]

■ There are many controversial elements in the world.
Oz addresses the issues at hand while exercising his right as a novelist to avoid answering them.
The fact that the results are not disappointing but rather inspiring is a testament to his achievements.

[Daily Telegraph]

■ Through the story of a young man at a crossroads, Oz presents a multi-layered reflection on traitors, a poignant mourning for the victims of the Israeli-Arab conflict, and a desperate cry for compassion.

[Publisher's Weekly]

■ Bildungsroman, a bildungsroman of epic scale.
Oz leaves us with a hope at the end of a surprisingly long page.

DeStandard (Belgian daily newspaper)

■ A novel worthy of being added to his dazzling list of works.
Oz presents a clash of ideals by connecting Israel's recent past with the much older Judah story that fascinates its protagonist, while also allowing it to resonate with the present.
It is a complex and impressive achievement.

[Guardian]

■ A grand and beautiful novel.
It's witty, clever, and provocative.

The Times

■ Amos Oz knows how to write.
The plot development is certainly gentle, but the tight tension of the knife, without a single inch of error, touches the soul.

Il Secolo Decimono (Italian daily newspaper)

■ Amos Oz's high-quality masterpiece resists harmonious balance.
Judas draws its power not from narrative action but from the noise of a conversation—a dialogue, full of ambivalence and beset by difficulties, that connects personal crises to the public dilemmas of our time.
The best of them all is definitely this one.
When does betrayal of something you love take the form of a deeper commitment to a god?
Benjamin Balint (American-Israeli writer)

■ The characters in Amos Oz's dazzling novels resemble those in Greek tragedy, and are equally resilient.
This speaks to the political power of the story, which allows us to imagine a better world without abandoning a skeptical view of human nature or a realistic view of history.

Gazeta Wyborcza (Polish daily newspaper)

■ Although Judas was conceived decades ago, the arguments within the work remain relevant, and Oz's characters breathe life into these arguments, enriching Judas beyond any other novel of ideas.
The characters bear the scars of Israel's history, and Oz guides readers with compassion and understanding.
He is also a master of narrative technique, and his descriptions of Jerusalem draw readers into the city's streets, making them shiver in the rain and worry about slipping on the uneven stones.
The crucifixion depicted in 『Judas』 is an unforgettable variation that will be etched in our bones.
Oz, Israel's most outstanding and famous writer, writes with elegance and power.
Whether read as a love story, a coming-of-age novel, or simply a thought-provoking collection of ideas, Judas will captivate readers throughout its length and linger in their hearts long after they've closed the book.

[National Jewish Book Committee

■ This novel, fresh and old-fashioned, has the power to suggest what is possible with literature (and why we read it seriously).
The power to create a mental space where it becomes clear why these vast, partly ancient, serious, and contradictory stories torment us.

[Tageszeitung]