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Victor et Macha
Victor et Macha ont seulement seize et dix-sept ans, mais ils en savent déjà long sur les vicissitudes de la vie. Après une enfance en Union soviétique, l’émigration en Israël au début des années soixante-dix leur fera connaître le goût amer d’une certaine adversité. Victor surtout souffre de la brutalité de ses nouveaux camarades, et trouve difficile de se faire une place dans cette société israélienne bousculée dans ses certitudes. Puis leurs parents meurent dans un accident de voiture, et avant que leur grand-mère Catherine puisse émigrer à son tour pour leur épargner les services sociaux, frère et sœur sont ballottés de kibboutz en internats.
Quand ils s’installent enfin tous les trois dans un appartement de la banlieue de Haïfa, Catherine a beaucoup de mal à se montrer à la hauteur et à donner de l’amour à ses petits-enfants. Macha, provocatrice et sûre d’elle, a d’autant plus d’ascendant sur son petit frère. Mais quand ce dernier se rapproche peu à peu de son camarade de classe Nimrod, un vrai "Sabra" qui le fascine, Macha réagit vivement. Trop vivement peut-être, et leur vie risque bien de basculer…
En s’attachant au destin de ces lointains cousins israéliens des célèbres Enfants terribles de Jean Cocteau, et en décrivant un pays sans cesse obligé de se réinventer, Alona Kimhi fait preuve d’un souffle romanesque tout à fait exceptionnel. Une nouvelle confirmation de son immense talent.
Quand ils s’installent enfin tous les trois dans un appartement de la banlieue de Haïfa, Catherine a beaucoup de mal à se montrer à la hauteur et à donner de l’amour à ses petits-enfants. Macha, provocatrice et sûre d’elle, a d’autant plus d’ascendant sur son petit frère. Mais quand ce dernier se rapproche peu à peu de son camarade de classe Nimrod, un vrai "Sabra" qui le fascine, Macha réagit vivement. Trop vivement peut-être, et leur vie risque bien de basculer…
En s’attachant au destin de ces lointains cousins israéliens des célèbres Enfants terribles de Jean Cocteau, et en décrivant un pays sans cesse obligé de se réinventer, Alona Kimhi fait preuve d’un souffle romanesque tout à fait exceptionnel. Une nouvelle confirmation de son immense talent.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Alona Kimhi
10 books9 followersAlona Kimhi was born in Lvov, Ukraine (then in the Soviet Union), in 1966 and emigrated to Israel with her family in 1972.
Following her army service, in a Kibbutz in the Negev Desert., she moved to Tel-Aviv and studied acting at the Beit Zvi Academy of Dramatic Arts, which she graduated with honors and began her career as a Film and Theatre actress. Alona starred in several Israeli and international films, including “Himo King of Jerusalem”, “Aba Ganuv”, and Toby Hooper’s Night Terrors as well as playing leading roles in plays by Shakespeare, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams.
In the late 1980s, Alona started writing lyrics to songs by her spouse, Israeli musician Izhar Ashdot, writing articles for major magazines and began writing short stories.
Her first collection of short stories won the 1994 anonymous ACUM literary contest and the resulting book I Anastasia was published a year later to critical acclaim and became a national bestseller, winning the Israeli Copyright Society prestigious Book of the Year Award.
By the late 1990s, Alona became a full-time writer. Her second book and first novel, Weeping Susannah, published in 1998, turned her into a major voice of her generation and started her international career. Weeping Susannah won the 1999 Bernstein award for best novel and the French WIZO award. It has since been translated to 16 languages, published in major international publishing houses, such as Gallimard in France where she is a well known author.
In 2009, her novel Weeping Susanna was dramatized as a miniseries for the Israeli cable TV channel Hot 3.
Alona is currently focusing on her upcoming novel “Time of Women” as well as a photo novel “Glory” and a play for Habima, the Israeli National Theatre, based on her latest novel “Victor and Masha".
2014 she got into newspapers because she demanded the murder of Tuvia Tenenbom in a private facebook post. Later, she said she was just making a joke.
Alona lives in Tel Aviv with her spouse Izhar Ashdot and their son Ilai, writing novels, plays and screenplays for Film and TV.
Following her army service, in a Kibbutz in the Negev Desert., she moved to Tel-Aviv and studied acting at the Beit Zvi Academy of Dramatic Arts, which she graduated with honors and began her career as a Film and Theatre actress. Alona starred in several Israeli and international films, including “Himo King of Jerusalem”, “Aba Ganuv”, and Toby Hooper’s Night Terrors as well as playing leading roles in plays by Shakespeare, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams.
In the late 1980s, Alona started writing lyrics to songs by her spouse, Israeli musician Izhar Ashdot, writing articles for major magazines and began writing short stories.
Her first collection of short stories won the 1994 anonymous ACUM literary contest and the resulting book I Anastasia was published a year later to critical acclaim and became a national bestseller, winning the Israeli Copyright Society prestigious Book of the Year Award.
By the late 1990s, Alona became a full-time writer. Her second book and first novel, Weeping Susannah, published in 1998, turned her into a major voice of her generation and started her international career. Weeping Susannah won the 1999 Bernstein award for best novel and the French WIZO award. It has since been translated to 16 languages, published in major international publishing houses, such as Gallimard in France where she is a well known author.
In 2009, her novel Weeping Susanna was dramatized as a miniseries for the Israeli cable TV channel Hot 3.
Alona is currently focusing on her upcoming novel “Time of Women” as well as a photo novel “Glory” and a play for Habima, the Israeli National Theatre, based on her latest novel “Victor and Masha".
2014 she got into newspapers because she demanded the murder of Tuvia Tenenbom in a private facebook post. Later, she said she was just making a joke.
Alona lives in Tel Aviv with her spouse Izhar Ashdot and their son Ilai, writing novels, plays and screenplays for Film and TV.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 20, 2016
Uma saga muito bem contada de dois irmãos unidos fortemente pelas vissitudes da vida. Imigrantes em Israel de origem Russa, ficam órfãos e completamente sós num país que ainda lhes é estranho e no qual não se sentem ainda integrados.
E a heterogeneidade de um país recém-nascido,cuja a única unidade e força são a religião e a vontade de dar consistência a esse país e a esse povo.
" Claro, eram todos -doravante e por definição- israelitas,mas nada parecia mais teórico do que aquele estatuto. (...) Ninguém considerava "israelita"a população do seu bairro. (...) Cada grupo tinha o nome do seu País de origem: havia os russos, os marroquinos, os caucasianos, os romenos, e todos se definiam precisamente pela sua diferença".
E a heterogeneidade de um país recém-nascido,cuja a única unidade e força são a religião e a vontade de dar consistência a esse país e a esse povo.
" Claro, eram todos -doravante e por definição- israelitas,mas nada parecia mais teórico do que aquele estatuto. (...) Ninguém considerava "israelita"a população do seu bairro. (...) Cada grupo tinha o nome do seu País de origem: havia os russos, os marroquinos, os caucasianos, os romenos, e todos se definiam precisamente pela sua diferença".
September 6, 2023
É um livro muito rico, de leitura desafiante, mas que demorei muito tempo a acabar pois tive de fazer uma pausa. O ambiente, o recorte das personagens, os episódios narrados são intensos e foi essa a razão da pausa.
Aprendi muito sobre História, política, mas a densidade das personagens Viktor, Macha, Catherine e a dos ambientes e das personagens com que se relacionam é soberba.
Os podres, valores e talentos em desfile.
Aprendi muito sobre História, política, mas a densidade das personagens Viktor, Macha, Catherine e a dos ambientes e das personagens com que se relacionam é soberba.
Os podres, valores e talentos em desfile.
January 15, 2013
הספר מתחיל חלש ומסתיים חלש, אבל באמצע יש מספר סצינות חזקות, מעוררות מחשבה ורגשות. אלונה עשתה לדעתי בחירה מוטעה בכך שלא התמקדה ברק אחד מבני המשפחה אלא ניסתה לספר את סיפור המשפחה מכל החזיתות. זה גרם לכך שעד שכבר נכנסתי לספר, התחברתי לדמות, פתאום באמצע הכל נחתך והיא לוקחת אותי לזמן אחר, סיטואציה אחרת, כשאני בכלל רוצה עוד ממה שהיה לי קודם. זה גרם לי לאבד עניין, מבחינתי מרגע זה הספר בגד בי וגם אם יחזור ויתנצל, זה כבר לא מה שהיה פעם.
בנוסף, אישית אני לא אוהבת את סגנון הכתיבה שלה. יש תחושה של משהו ארכאי בשימוש במשלב הגבוה (שלא תואם את עולמם של הדמויות בספר) ותיאור ארוך ומדויק, כזה שלא סומך על יכולתו של הקורא לדמיין כיצד נראים הדברים ללא עודף מילים ופרטים שמצד אחד אינם באמת רלוונטים לעלילה, מצד שני אין בהם טיפת אירוניה, עניין, הומור או זווית הסתכלות מיוחדת שתצדיק את שתי השורות לפחות הניתנות לכל וילון ומטפחת בספר.
חווית הקריאה לא הייתה רעה, היו מקומות שאפילו נהניתי. בכל זאת קשה לי להאמין שאקרא את הספר שוב.
בנוסף, אישית אני לא אוהבת את סגנון הכתיבה שלה. יש תחושה של משהו ארכאי בשימוש במשלב הגבוה (שלא תואם את עולמם של הדמויות בספר) ותיאור ארוך ומדויק, כזה שלא סומך על יכולתו של הקורא לדמיין כיצד נראים הדברים ללא עודף מילים ופרטים שמצד אחד אינם באמת רלוונטים לעלילה, מצד שני אין בהם טיפת אירוניה, עניין, הומור או זווית הסתכלות מיוחדת שתצדיק את שתי השורות לפחות הניתנות לכל וילון ומטפחת בספר.
חווית הקריאה לא הייתה רעה, היו מקומות שאפילו נהניתי. בכל זאת קשה לי להאמין שאקרא את הספר שוב.
January 7, 2013
I still can't stand her writing. Don't know why my family keeps buying me her books.
August 23, 2016
it was weird and unexplained but it was unique. 7 stars.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews