Past Perfect

by Yaakov Shabtai

Employing his characteristic, inventive stream-of-consciousness style, Israeli novelist Shabtai (Past Continuous) once again deftly scrutinizes the mystery of life's meaning. If the narrative is repetitious and relentless, so are the manifestations of the protagonist's psychic malady: "At the age of 42, shortly after Sukkoth, Meir was gripped by the fear of death... a slight, almost imperceptible ache stirring somewhere in the innermost tissues of his body, and then spreading and thickening until it was a canker gnawing at him without respite."

A perspicacious master at depicting angst and anomie, Shabtai chronicles Meir's despair over his wife's unfaithfulness, panic over the diagnosis of his high blood pressure and depression over his mother's death and the Begin government (Meir may be a paradigm of a disillusioned Israeli society approaching middle age). Mired in a regrettable past and doomed future, Meir is an impotent observer of, not active participant in, life's immediate blessings, as epitomized by a trip to Europe that is marred by fear and disorientation. He dies, but the compelling novel ends on a surprising note of rebirth.

This bittersweet work is Shabtai's last; he succumbed to a heart attack in 1981 at the age of 47.

Genres: Novels

291 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Yaakov Shabtai (Hebrew: יעקב שבתאי) was born in Tel Aviv. After his military service, he moved to a kibbutz and started to write. Ten years later, he returned to Tel Aviv with his family and devoted himself to his literary career. He wrote two novels, a book of short stories, a children`s book, two collections of plays and a collection of poems and ballads.
Shabtai holds a unique place in Hebrew literature. His novel, Past Continuous, is considered one of the high points of modern Hebrew fiction. It received the Kenneth B. Smilen Award for Literature and is included in "The 100 Greatest Works of Modern Jewish Literature" (2001). In 2007, Past Continuous topped the list of the most important as well as "best loved" books since the creation of the State of Israel.
Yaakov Shabtai was awarded the prestigious Agnon Prize posthumously. His work has been published abroad in 10 languages.

Reviews

[Hanan Buhadana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a masterpiece of a novel.
And the ending... One of the best endings to a novel ever written - Right up there with ''Invitation to a Beheading''.
Again I'm so blown away by this novel.

[Eithan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't an easy book. Yaakov writes amazingly, so good actually that he manages to describe the hero of this book so well and with such compassion that you feel for him even though that if you'd stop for a moment and think about this person most likely you'll be very annoyed by him. The last chapter is the most difficult chapter i've read in a long time, i've thought about death so many times there, you can feel that this book was written by a person close to his death and he manages to make you think about it. The ending is superb!

[Ido Hadanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

קראתי את הספר בקריאה רצופה אחת ביום כיפור 2011, שבו החלטתי לצום, ולכן תיאורי תענוגות האוכל והמין שהוא מוצף בהם לא באו לי טוב :) הכתיבה מיוחדת ותיאור הדמויות של מאיר ואמו כל כך ריאליסטי ולא מתחנף שהיה לי קל מאוד להזדהות ולהיסחף איתו. גם התיאור של הטיול המשעמם והמייגע לאמסטרדם הזכיר לי מאוד טיולי בדד שלי.. הבעיה: הספר הולך והופך לפנטזיה והחל מאמצע הפרק השלישי התחיל להכביד עלי - כך ששיא האמירה עברה מעליי. כנראה שמדובר בפספוס שלי, ואחרי שקראתי קצת פרשנות אני מצטער שלא הבנתי בעצמי, אבל ככה זה.

http://www.mysay.co.il/articles/ShowA...

[Maria Shaul · Rating 2 out of 5]

את שני הפרקים הראשונים אהבתי מאוד - אלה היו "חפירות" , אבל חפירות כלבבי
הפרק השלילי התיש וייגע אותי , הגיבור טייל בחו"ל ואני הרגשתי כאילו העברתי שם יום יום איתו וטיילתי בצורה הכי לא מעניינת וסתמית 0כמו שהוא אכן טייל). אולי זה טוב , אך זה עייף אותי מאוד
בסוף של הפרק הרביעי התחילו תיאורים שפשוט כבר לא עניינו אותי , אז קראתי רק את כמה שורות האחרונות של הספר.
הרעיון יפה , אבל הביצוע טוב רק חלקית

[1 · Rating 1 out of 5]

mm......... i don't usually leave books unfinished (nevertheless i saw it right to create a whole new virtual shelf for them)...
it was just too tiresome, sorry