L'uomo che vendeva l'aria in Terrasanta

by Omer Friedlander

Israele è il paese dove la geografia e la storia sono inscritte in ogni pietra, si respirano in ogni vento e intrecciano inesorabilmente i destini di uomini e donne, capaci di sfuggire alla violenza con un’immaginazione potente e sconfinata. Così, tra i vicoli di Tel Aviv, un truffatore e sua figlia vendono bottiglie di “aria santa” a turisti creduloni per non arrendersi all’evidenza della povertà; in un aranceto di Giaffa un vecchio coltivatore ebreo riconosce negli occhi neri di una donna lo sguardo dell’amico palestinese che ha dovuto tradire; in una Beirut devastata da una guerra logorante, si avverano gli ultimi desideri di tre giovani soldati, per mano di una donna affascinante che si fa chiamare Sheherazade. "L’uomo che vendeva l’aria in Terrasanta" è una costellazione di fiabe capovolte in cui la realtà opaca si colora delle tinte accese della fantasia, come in un quadro di Chagall. L’esordio letterario di Omer Friedlander è un libro intenso e delicato, una raccolta di racconti che, sulla scia dei romanzi di Eshkol Nevo, disegna una mappa dell’animo umano, un luogo vulnerabile e imperfetto ma sempre aperto alle possibilità della speranza.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Israel, Jewish, Middle East, Book Club, Anthologies

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2022

About the author

Omer Friedlander was born in Jerusalem in 1994 and grew up in Tel Aviv. His debut story collection, The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land, won the Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Award and was a finalist for the Wingate Prize. The book was longlisted for the Story Prize and chosen as a Sophie Brody Medal Honor Book.

Omer earned a BA in English Literature from the University of Cambridge, England, and an MFA from Boston University, where he was supported by the Saul Bellow Fellowship. His short stories won numerous awards, and have been published in the United States, Canada, France, and Israel.

A Starworks Fellow in Fiction at New York University, he has earned fellowships from Bread Loaf and the Vermont Studio Center. He currently lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories brim with sadness and heartbreak, but they are so beautifully written and affecting, I would read whatever Omer Friedlander writes next after this stunning debut. As sad as they are, they are also filled with so much love. I was able to find joy in feeling the love of two young boys who mourn their father, in a mother’s love for her sons sent off to war, in the lovely friendship between two young boys, one Jewish and one Arab, until they are pulled apart. I shed tears for the man in the title story, down and out on his luck as he struggles to keep at least partial custody of his daughter and her belief in him. I was touched by first love and memories about “ what could have been.” The Jewish/Arab conflict hovers in most of the stories taking place in Israel, but this is not a collection that focuses on sides, on the political, but on the humanity of its characters. It’s rare to love every story in a collection equally, and there was only one story that left me wanting to more at the end. All of the others were perfect.

I received a copy of this book from Random House through NetGalley.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook…..read by Assaf Cohen, Gilli Messer
…..7 hours and 15 minutes

Terrific debut short stories:
…Jaffa Oranges
…Alte Sachen
…The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land
…Checkpoint
…The Sephardi Survivor
…The Sand Collector
…Scheherazade and Radio Station 97.2 FM
…High Heels
…Jellyfish in Gaza
…Walking Shiv’ah
…The Miniaturist

One of my favorite stories brought out a theme of abandonment through abandonment ‘things’…..reminding me of how often we toss people, scraps, and ‘memories’ away too easily.
The story is called:
“Alte Sachen”……the name for the “Haulers of Old Things”…..
…..the last of a dying breed who searched for old things - collecting junk. Old radios were favorites. They also collected old sewing machines refrigerators, old chairs, desks…..etc.
“WE TAKE IT ALL”…. “Alte Sachen”, “Alte Sachen”….”Alte Sachren”….
the hauler yelled….like a chant.
At the end of the day they would either melt down the metal or fix the old furniture to sell and make a profit.
The nameless narrator heard his father’s voice…(he was deceased)….but we felt his nostalgic-grieving memories….. and without saying it directly….we knew his father was a Holocaust survivor.
“Holocaust survivors save the best things”. His dad liked collecting things left over from dead people….
And he wanted to donate his body for science.
For the nameless narrator….he felt more like an archaeologist than an old scavenger junkie.
By the end of this tender sweet story….soon after meeting a girl with a chair…..(an orthodox girl)….and others in the community…with their own grievances and full plates of concern…
a deeper experience of sorrow emerges…..
Like a puppet on a string…..this story wouldn’t have been as good if it didn’t include those jerky movements and visible strings.


In the title story, “The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land” …..Simcha wanted to impress his young daughter - [7 more years until her Bat Mitzvah] ….so ‘young’…around age six. ….
but there is a reason I mention the Bat Matizah….(in relationship with Simcha)…but readers can think about this aspect themselves…
Simcha’s wife (they were separated), felt Simcha was using his daughter, Molly, to sell his bottles of air to tourists…..(she wouldn’t be wrong)…..but “all in harmless fun”, says Simcha.

The opening story begins with this paragraph…..
“Simcha was the man who sold air from the Holy Land, not to be confused with those unimaginative con artists who sold oil from the Oily Land or water from the Dead Sea. One summer, he tried his luck selling oil; he picked enough olives from public gardens and private lawn to make a few bottles’ worth. As for selling water, he filled up bottles from the tap in the kitchen sink and added plenty of salt to make it authentic, as if it had been siphoned directly from the Dead Sea. These projects are approved too much work, too risky and too costly. Air was everywhere, he didn’t need anybody’s permission to bottle it, and most importantly, it was free”.

This story is heartfelt and heartbreaking >> with our endearing protagonist, Simcha, who just wants to be a hero in his little girls eyes…..
I thought about the balance between pretending (make-believe storytelling), against real life struggles that children observe anyway > financial struggles, loneliness, life fears….etc. in ways I didn’t when I, myself was in the heart of parenting.
I felt this story was a real gem….leaving the reader to contemplate its themes from several points of views

I enjoyed every one of these stories….
…..stories about….
families, culture Jewish foods, pet turtles, social issues, identity, displacement, loss, discrimination, Hebrew, the borders between the Israelis and Arabs, death, the desert, fairy tales, a high tech radio station, the orange groves, shoe repairing, a dancer who wore stilettos, going to cafes, the theater, parties, a soldier killed, underground paraphernalia, religion, faith, collecting junk,
coming of age, rituals, holidays, messages about grieving and death, immigrants, disease, oppression, clothing and hygiene needs, etc. ….
Thoroughly enjoyable contemporary universal storytelling…..filled with compassion for the human condition.
Omer Friedlander ……could easily be (warmly compared), with Etgar Keret.
Terrific debut!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written debut … 11 stories of life in Israel.. past and present.

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t often pick up books from my library’s new book shelf, but this cover grazed with Jaffa oranges and pomegranates stood out. When I found out that this debut book of short stories had been endorsed by Nicole Krauss, I knew that Omer Friedlander was an author I had to explore. With this endorsement on my mind, I hoped to be in for a treat, and Friedlander did not disappoint.

My knock on short stories as a whole, even by the best of the best authors, is that as soon as I get to know the characters, the story is over. I generally read one or two collections a year for this reason. I am at heart a nonfiction read so when I read a fictional account, I want a meaty book, full of multi layered characters and advanced prose. Friedlander is able to do this eleven times over in this collection. I couldn’t find any weak stories in the collection, while my expectation is usually to find two excellent stories, two duds, and the rest average out of a group of ten stories. Here, I could not find a weak link. What I did find was an exploration of life in modern day Israel, one that transported me as I got a feel for the people who make up the patchwork of the country.

Of the collection, it was tough to pick a favorite or favorites. As I read, each story got better than the next. If I’d have to pick a least favorite, it would have to be The Checkpoint, as Nurit mourns for her son Adam who died in the Golani brigade. She volunteers at a checkpoint to the settlements every Sunday, as soldiers mock her presence there. As a result she also neglects the living members of her family. Other than this checkpoint, I found the other stories intriguing in their own way. A favorite was The Miniaturist, which featured the family history of two Sephardic families who eventually immigrated from Spain to Iran to Israel in 1950. When these families arrived, two young girls Adina and Esther forged a friendship against the wishes of their families, using artwork to cope with life as early pioneers of the nature. This story made me ooh and aah. Other standouts included the Sephardi Survivor, Sand Collector, Jellyfish in Gaza, but all these stories were complex and intriguing to read.

Oranges and pomegranates play a key role in some of these stories, so I wonder what would have happened if a jellyfish or jar of sand was placed on the cover. Would I have been as moved to read it. Most likely, not. Omer Friedlander is a writer to keep an eye on. He is all of 28 years old and has a bright future ahead of him. I look forward to reading his future accounts on day to day life in modern day Israel.

🇮🇱 4.5 stars 🇮🇱

[Stacey B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had I not known about this book, I would have picked it up anyway based it's title.
As another reviewer stated "I laughed and cried" which I couldn't agree with more.
This collection of short stories integrates many of the emotions we share and recognize.
But because I haven't experienced some of the topics in this collection, new reactions seemed to have piggybacked on the familiar emotions I am used to.

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful stories!

[Donna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land marks the debut of a talented writer. Omer Friedlander’s short story collection has already made reviewers sit up and take notice. My thanks go to Random House and Net Galley for the invitation to read and review. This collection is for sale now.

All of Friedlander’s stories are set in Israel, and all of them evoke their setting in a way that is fresh and immediate. My favorite stories are the title story; High Heels (except for the ending; more on that in a minute,) and Alte Sachen.

Here’s my issue with these stories, and it’s true of nearly all of them: the author uses endings that don’t feel like endings, leaving the reader to figure out for herself what happens. This is particularly painful when a story builds in a most suspenseful manner and then ends on a cliff hanger.

I don’t think so.

I understand that this is considered a valid choice in literary fiction, but I doubt it will ever become a popular one. When an author leaves the rarified world of literary journals and writers’ groups and opens his work up to a general readership, adjustments need to be made.

The sweetness of a well-built story that culminates in tremendous frustration when the end is left dangling finally got the better of me, and I didn’t read the last story.

Now you know; if you want it, go get it.

[Ruben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clear 5 star read and one of the best short story collections I ever read. The stories are interesting, smart, moving and beautiful all at the same time. They are small, focussing on a one or a few characters, but also big as they all stand for a period or a situation in Israel since its foundation in 1948. They are not explicitly political, but tell a larger story by focussing on the individual.

The 11 stories give you a panoramic view of the state (and State) of Israel today. There are orange growers in Jaffa, kabbalist Jews in the Galilee, a father and daughter struggling to make ends meet in Tel Aviv, Bedouins in the Negev, left wing activists at a Gaza checkpoint, Holocaust survivors and more.

My favourites were the first five stories, in particular 'Alte Sachen' and the title story 'The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land'. The very last one is a gem as well. Many are bittersweet, but they can be hilarious as well: 'The Sephardic Survivor' made me laugh out loud despite being about a Holocaust survivor.

There is not a single weak story in the collection and if I were to rate them individually 8 out of 11 would get 5 stars. If I have to be critical, the only thing I can think of is that the endings were sometimes a bit too abrupt.

I don't know what Omer Friedlander will do next, but whatever it is, I will read it.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Briefly - Such a great collection of vivid moving stories.

In full
There are eleven stories in this debut book. The author comes over as a very good story teller. The warmth and bleakness of these tales shows a real humanity to me. The stories are set in the Middle East and I would suggest having some knowledge of the history and politics of the area would bring out the best in these stories.

I found these beautifully written and often understated. That if anything added to the power of the tales for me. I could say that these are "simple" stories but they are really far more than that. Underlying the simplicity is a real feel of "down to earthness". We have 11 very human tales of love and loss, life and death.

I'd generally pick out a story or two from such a book and probably they would be my favourites. That is just not possible with this book. For me there are no bad stories in the collection and most of them could be favourites. I made fairly brief notes on each story as I read them. Simply looking back over these notes now while writing my review sends shivers down my spine.

I guess I would highlight The Sand Collector personally. It is about similarities and differences as well as love and loss. It was powerful and well told. My notes for High Heels simply consisted of "WOW" - make of that what you will! Trying to find an "and finally" I really am torn. In the end I'll go for The Sephardi Survivor. It was colourful and almost tongue in cheek which is quite odd given the story. The characters seemed just right to me and I loved it.

There was never a question in my mind that this was going to be a 5 star review from quite early on in the book. I can't remember the last time I read a book of short stories and enjoyed the majority of them so much.

Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title grabbed and held my attention! I knew I had to explore the contents. These stories transported me to the land of Israel, what was and what is now. I have selected a quote from each enthralling story to illustrate the beauty and meaning of Omer Friedlander's writing:

Jaffa Oranges - "The air smelled of salt and fish from the sea, citrus and orange blossoms from the land."

Alte Sachen - "Finned monsters lurked in the back of our cherry-red Volkswagen truck; furniture and scrap metal that looked pre-historic, crawling with rust, splintered, peeling, many-toothed."

The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land - "He could tell they were rich by the shine of their teeth. The husband's wallet practically bulged out of his pocket, plump as a peach."

Checkpoint - "The concrete wall is spray-painted with slogans: DON'T FORGET THE STRUGGLE, TO EXIST IS TO RESIST, and my favorite, MAKE HUMMUS NOT WALLS."

The Sephardi Survivor - "His eyes the color of gray porridge, his pale wrinkled skin, and tufts of white hair sticking out on the sides like Ben-Gurion. He would make a strange looking grandfather, like a clownfish among sea urchins."

The Sand Collector - "I liked how he could be quiet like me. He didn't draw attention to himself but instead waited, endlessly patient, like a lizard basking in the sun."

Scheherazade and Radio Station 97.2 FM - "sonorous voice soft and low, as if she'd smoked two packs of Camel Lights every day for the past ten years [...] broadcasting her stories, while mortar shells fell from the sky, and Beirut went up in flames."

High Heels - "Shmalik has a Favorite saying: 'The Shoemaker's Son always walks barefoot.'"

Jellyfish in Gaza - "We hid in Aba's closet, touching our noses to his coats and pants, to his boots and sandals, his string of ties hanging like tongues [...] When he found us, he would sit down among the coats, in the dark, and tell us a story."

Walking Shiv'ah - "Rachel packed a jug of water, a loaf of bread, jars of walnuts and cashews, and an assortment of dried fruit-her favorite was the leathery mishmish apricot."

The Miniaturist - "We were all wanderers, ghostly apparitions plucked out of thin air like black sunflowers, searching for a place to lay down roots."

[BookOfCinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crisp and pulsating!

Eleven short stories all set in Israel… sign me up! I’ve always loved a great collection on short stories, even more when they are all well thought out, expertly written and explores a culture and history I want to learn more about. Of the eleven stories, here are my favorites:

Jaffa Oranges
The Man Who Sold Air In The Holy Land
Scheheherazade and the Radio Station 97.2
High Heels
Alte Sachen

Omer Friedlander’s writing is clever and will leave you chuckling and shaking your head because you did not see it coming. I love the themes that were explored- war, the impact of the war on families and livelihood.

If you love reading short story collections, this is it!

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every word of every story in this collection is exquisite. Even the Acknowledgments vibrate with Truth and heart. It's there that Friedlander quotes the words of Israeli writer and peace activist David Grossman:

. . . The power of a good story is that it does not protect us but instead exposes us and brings us into closer contact with our own life.

As I read, I flashed on personal things I've never told anyone. These stories brought me into myself.

And Friedlander's final sentence of the Acknowledgements:

I hope I've been a sympathetic listener to my characters, and my final thank-you is to them, for telling me their tales.

Friedlander is writing from the right place and listening as hard as a soul can.

*****
I've written a Substack column about one of the stories: High Heels.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Man Who Sold Air In The Holy Land is a collection of eleven short stories by Israeli-born author, Omer Friedlander.
In Jaffa Oranges, an elderly Jewish owner of an orange grove is visited by the granddaughter of his best friend during his youth, an Arab called Khalil Haddad. The visit brings back many fond memories of a wonderful person, but also a long-held guilt. It’s a chance to confess his terrible misdeed: does he?

In Alte Sachen, a family that wanders the streets in an old VW truck, haulers of Old Things, is now bereft of their patriarch, and the youngest son, heartbroken, remains mute until the children’s dress-up on a certain Purim restores his laughter.

In The Man Who Sold Air In The Holy Land, estranged from his wife, jobless, Simcha holds onto those activities that entertain his young daughter on her weekly access visit, including their double-act of selling bottles of air to American tourists.

In Checkpoint, a grieving Jewish mother of a soldier continues as a volunteer activist for a women-only human rights group at the border checkpoint to make sure “the Palestinians aren’t mistreated with casual cruelty and that the soldiers and border police are doing their job properly”, in a war she doesn’t agree with. Despite their differing viewpoints, another soldier assists her when a settler is violent, and she finds herself sharing the story of her son’s death, and life.

In The Sephardi Survivor, two schoolboys bring home a confused old man from the Superzol, planning to use him as their Shoah Survivor on Shoah Memorial Day. They coach Yehuda Finkielkraut on a suitably exciting story, but their plan backfires…

In The Sand Collector, a Jewish schoolgirl falls for a Bedouin smuggler who collects sand and significant memories, in jars, labelling them with his neat Arabic script. Their first kiss is kept in one such jar, but their lives are so different: is their love doomed?

In Scheherazade and Radio Station 97.2FM, three Israeli soldiers are sent to shut down a Beirut radio station sending out subversive broadcasts in the guise of fairy tales. The woman running it all alone calls herself Scheherazade: that should surely tell them something?

In High Heels, the shoe seller’s son tells the story of the Polish ballerina’s legendary high heels to a couple he meets while night climbing: he is dazzled by them, naïve to their predatory nature.

In Jellyfish in Gaza, twin brothers enact several rituals in the belief that it will keep their soldier father, their Aba, safe. When he returns, they are convinced it is not him – he is so different; they try to find the Aba they know and love.

In Walking Shiv’ah, a daughter takes her demanding, crippled mother in a home-made rickshaw on a difficult and dangerous seven-day trek to find out which of the family’s soldier sons has been killed in the war.

In The Miniaturist, dull, ordinary Adinah meets beautiful, graceful Esther in an Israeli refugee camp. Adinah’s father explains why she cannot be friends with the girl: their families have been rivals since their ancestors were miniaturists in Spain. Now, “We had lost everything, and all that remained was the memory of our rivalry.”

Some of the stories are very moving, and in each one, Friedlander certainly evokes his setting and mood with some wonderful descriptive prose: “The stuff you could find, the secrets people’s objects revealed to you. It wasn’t just garbage. These were objects that had stopped working, old technology, outdated devices. It was like working in a time machine. We were excavators and archaeologists, not scavengers and dumpster divers.” Heart-rending and beautifully written.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and John Murray Press Two Roads.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite extraordinary. Poignant, savvy humor, although at times more than heart breaking. Tragic complex. Parts of the majority copy would remind you of a MUCH more erudite and whip smart version of the TV show MASH. War comedy. Dark and brilliant laughter moaned in tears, while accompanied too in depths although often at frenetic pace.

But, and it's a big BUT. Think massive cruelty along with heartbreak of war situations as asides for daily attachment to such human companionships and life tasks in general. War within common jobs, war within terrible past legacies and even more disillusioned futures. If a future is posited! And some coming of age with every down aspect of the Romeo and Juliet scenario packed in there too beyond just religion or politico differences.

I considered giving this 5 stars. That is how excellent the writing and the grooves into current trends/mods/mores/tech etc. is within this. I would have if I stopped reading by the end of the middle portions. BUT. THAT BUT again. So spirit ripping. Emotionally insane juxtapositions! No, I could not give a 5. That would include enjoyment. Some of these I did not enjoy.

Checkpoint and the one Scheherazade and the Radio Station, those two especially. After I got past those two almost all my enjoyment laughs were totally over.

He is a pure 5 star writer. Superb talent. This collection is superlative. 4.5 stars plus for all 11 stories. His tale telling combos are "eyes" superb.

What this taught me about the Middle East, Israel and Palestine in particulars was 6 stars. Much more than any history book or observations I made in my own life. I was born the same year as Israel actually, 1948.

I cried reading some of this. It was hard for me to read the last two stories. What came before was too depleting. I actually took a break for a few days over a very busy weekend. That did help. The story about climbing the work Cranes made me even sadder after the time lapse though. Young have got to have this type of nihilist attitude? Streak of suicidal in all outlooks?

Do not take this body of work (stories) as a pro-Israel politico or the reverse/opposite position. Either. This is reality which is much more complex. And MORE fractional on top of it.

One story DID make me laugh out loud. The one where the brothers are finding a Holocaust survivor to take to school for show and tell. Every slant of that story sounds exactly like myself on the fiction reviews of these last few years re WWII fodder that is out there in droves. So called historical fiction which is soap opera, melodrama absurd sentimentality. That entire story was one of the full 5 star reads in this collection.

A+ Strongly recommend this series of superbly written current Middle Eastern LIFE. Many different sections of Israel and border lands are included to some massive reveals.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While short stories are not my thing the title of this one hooked me right away since I am exactly the kind of person who would buy air in a bottle from the Holy Land.

11 short stories set in Israel/Palestine at first appear to be very different with very different characters, young and old, but by the end I was left with the undercurrent of melancholy and sadness portrayed in every one, which of course is not surprising considering the location of the stories.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most short story collections, I liked some more than others, but enjoyed it all nonetheless.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories that all take place in Israel. It is very well written and interesting to become immersed in these stories. Most are heartbreaking, all are clever. I appreciated the glimpse into the lives of the characters. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a high-quality batch of eleven short stories set in contemporary Israel and the surrounding areas. These stories are beautifully written and engaging. Storytelling is a featured element, with numerous references to fables and classic tales (such as Scheherazade). There is not a dud in the bunch. Separately, I would give each one either four or five stars. It is an impressive collection and I look forward to reading more from Friedlander.

4.5

[Carmel Hanes · Rating 4 out of 5]

My most fervent lifetime wish is for inhumanity to evaporate; to float away through that hole in the ozone. Then stories like these would not be needed. We'd all become a living Hallmark channel.

Yeah, not going to happen.

So in the meantime, living the reality of those I'll never meet through well-told stories still offers me some sense of camaraderie, some sense of I'm-not-in-this-crazy-world-by-myself. It also makes me appreciate, all the more, my relatively peaceful existence in my little corner of that world.

I've read about the conflicts in this part of the world (Israel), but these stories bring the intellectual to an emotional level, a personal level that makes it more salient, more touching. More devastating at times. Conflict can bring out the best and the worst of us, our lives collateral damage to the warring factions around us. This mixture of short stories touches on that damage in unique ways. To picture what young people must live with, what they are driven to do, what dangers and tragedies embed their existence, as common as the rain falling....well, it can break your heart.

The audio narration was good, using both female and male voices for the individual stories.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've said before, a strong collection of short stories can provide a richer experience than a novel of equal length. This particular set shows an awareness and knowledge of life in today's Israel, with all its challenges, and in the case of the eponymous story, some flashes of humor. Most, though, involve a life spent either in regret or in mourning at the loss of a loved one due to the unending Palestinian conflict experienced on a daily basis. While these stories are not particularly entertaining, they provide a necessary window into an important area of the world, a microcosm of life done beautifully and with a great deal of heart.

[Martina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75*

Hoci sa debutová zbierka izraelsko-amerického spisovateľa Omera Friedlandera otvárajúca dvere do neobyčajného sveta plného clivých spomienok, zabudnutých priateľstiev, či nekonečných rozbrojov a konfliktov, do sveta úzkych uličiek, prašných ciest či nádherne rozvoniavajúcich pomarančov, na pultoch kníhkupectiev neohrieva zrovna dlho, svojim zovňajškom i dojemným posolstvom už stihla uchvátiť nejedného z nás.

Mohla za to ľudskosť i svojsky úsmevná, kde-tu s absurdnosťou hraničiaca jedinečnosť ukrytá v nevšedno-všedných príbehoch, mohla za to farbistá, citlivo pestrá paleta tých najvšakovakejších, odlišný uhol na svet i ponurú skutočnosť ponukajúcich osudov. Na zázrak čakajúce matky, padlí vojaci či do vlasti sa navrátilé potomstvo. Nádej, túžba, strata či neprekonateľný pocit viny.

Omer Friedlander skrz príbehy prostých, do búrlivého konfliktu menej či viac zainteresovaných postáv, priblížil ťaživú, tragickou minulosťou i súčasnosťou poznačenú, realitu zbedačeného izraelsko-palestínskeho sveta, no hoci by sa dalo čakať, že v poviedkach prevážia nelichotivé negatíva, pravdou bol opak. Tu dominovala bolesť, ktorú však neustále sprevádzala láska, tam zase prevládal boj neodlúčiteľne spätý s túžbou po mieri či viera v odpustenie.

Citlivé, ľudské, krásne. Do rúk sa priam pýta (len škoda toho množstva chýb - gramatika, skloňovanie aj preklad čas od času haprovali).

[Yasemin Macar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filistin edebiyatından pek kitap okumamıştım Harari yi saymazsak tabi ama başka da okur muyum bilmiyorum😅 Hikayelerin konusu olsun, yazım dili olsun bana pek hitap etmedi. Çeviri de sıkıntı yok ama okurken havada kalan cümleleri çok hissettim bu da duyguyu geçirmedi bana. Belki bana has bir durumdur, beğenemedim kısaca😑

[Leka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una bella scoperta.

[Pamela Samson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of short stories without a single extraneous sentence or word. Each story encapsulated loss, grief and tragedy often on both the personal and societal scale, across borders and cultures which was impressive to me.

[Matt Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of short stories focusing on people living in modern day Israel. Friedlander gracefully manages to sketch beautiful stories about interesting characters who struggle through grief and remembrance, who hustle, and who aspire to more in the face of their personal, palpable, relatable hurdles.

Religion, race, and history are present, but seem like impressions in the background of a character’s daily worry about money or family or purpose. The result is a montage of graceful stories about everyday life.

Each story’s setting and dramatic tension emerges quickly but subtly through well crafted details sketched by Friedlander’s unique poetic voice. Through these stories, he manages to bring nuance to a place and to times where too many people are content with polarity.

The titular story, the Man Who Sold Air . . . showcases Friedlander’s laugh out loud (dry) humor that could be a wonderful starting point to script White Lotus’s must see season in the Levant.

I purchased the book based entirely on the all star cast who provided blurbs and it still exceeded all of my expectations. It’s a wonderful read.

[Tamara Leontievova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veľmi smutné, veľmi múdre a veľmi veľmi kritické. Pochopenie Izraela a Palestiny v kocke, ktoré stačí na to, aby bolo jasné, že, ako povedal klasik, nie je všetko zlato, čo sa vyští.
Ale všetky tie oslavné komentáre, ktoré má pán friedlander na svojej stránke sú vcelku k veci, teda až na toho mladého čechova, to je trocha prehnané. Ale teda, ozaj som zvedavá čo ďalej napíše, mohol by sa pustiť do väčšej plochy, hĺbku a talent na to má.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Omer Friedlander when his short story “Alte Sachen” was one of the finalists for the Chicago Tribune’s Nelson Algren Literary Award and the story was published in the paper in June 2020. I located two of his other stories online and discussed them with my short story discussion group. So I was really excited to see that his debut collection of stories was being published this year. As he writes in his afterword: "I wanted to unearth the hidden, intimate stories of individuals [living in Israel] beneath the fossilized official narrative.” "Alte Sachen" and "Jellyfish in Gaza" are still my favorites but "Jaffa Oranges," "Checkpoint," “The Sephardi Survivor,” and the title story are excellent too. While some of the other stories aren't as strong, Friedlander is a fresh, new young voice and this solid collection definitely deserves a place alongside Israeli and expat writers like Etgar Keret, Ayelet Tsabari, Eshkol Nevo, and Nicole Krauss.

[Isabelle Boutin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably my favorite read of the month!
The short stories are all very different and feature a wide variety of characters and conflicts. From fairy tale to drama, the author brings the reader everywhere and make us experience a whole array of emotions. The author was born in Jerusalem and all the stories take place in Israel. Of course the Israel/Palestine/Gaza conflicts are addressed but it's not just about war. It's there in the background and sets the tone to the characters's stories. I really enjoyed being immersed in this environment from which I don't kwow anything. The writing was fluid, easy to read, while being poetic and picturesque. This is a must-read and an author I will definately follow in the future.
4,5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the editor for the advanced reading copy!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good read but nothing show stopping as some of the reviews suggested. Enjoyed learning about the lives of people living in Israel and some stories, Jaffa Oranges and Walking Shiv'ah, certainly stood out for me.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born in Jerusalem in 1994 and growing up in Tel Aviv, current New Yorker Omer Friedlander is the talented under-thirty author of The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land. Set predominately in Israel, this short story collection depicts the often difficult, heart-breaking lives of ordinary people, soldiers and civilians. Yet Friedlander deftly captures the humor that is part of those troubled lives, making readers wonder at the complexity of human experience..

The stories cover central characters of all ages, frequently employing first-person narrators. In the opening story, “Jaffa Oranges,” a Jewish octogenarian, the narrator, receives a visit from his childhood best friend’s granddaughter, who wants to learn more about her grandfather Khalil Haddad, a Palestinian who had escaped Israel for London where the granddaughter grew up. Although the narrator shares the two boys’ amusing childhood adventures, he wants to tell her something more.

In “Alte Sachen,” the teenage narrator has taken over his deceased father’s junk business while also looking after his eight-year-old brother Shoni, who desperately wants to believe his father has been reincarnated. Torn between his responsibilities and his desire to be a more typical teenager, the older boy faces difficult decisions.

The third-person title story, “The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land, depicts a divorced father’s adventures with his young daughter Lali during the one day a week he can spend with her. Their con-game of selling bottled air is only one of these amusing, but ultimately poignant, adventures. The Chinese fusion restaurant menu made me laugh aloud as did the father’s almost endless imagination, but all laughter stops with the final sentence.

“Checkpoint” is the first-person narrative of a middle-aged Israeli human rights activist who has volunteered for nearly two decades at a West Bank checkpoint, using her video camera to ensure the Israeli military guards’ fair treatment of Palestinians. Haunted by memories of dead son, a soldier, she faces her own danger and her emotions.

One of the funniest, but also saddest, stories in the collection is “Jellyfish in Gaza,” narrated by one of two young fraternal twin brothers living in a kibbutz situated on one side of a barbed wire fence separating them from Palestinian Gaza. Filled with creative ideas to protect their father when he is sent to Gaza to help with the demolition of Palestinian property and force Palestinian removal from the area, the boys again call upon their creativity when he returns as a stranger.

Packed with vivid and frequently amusing or absurd details and anecdotes, Friedlander’s eleven touching stories will open readers’ eyes and imprint themselves on readers’ minds.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance reader copy of this highly recommended short story collection.