Babelstårnet

by Morris L. West

Set in the Middle East on the brink of war, this novel portrays the Arab-Jewish confrontation. The successful terrorist becomes a statesman and a national hero. The unsuccessful one is branded a criminal. But they all know themselves to be heroes.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, War, Historical Fiction, Suspense, Novels

319 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Morris Langlo West was born in St Kilda, Melbourne in 1916. At the age of fourteen, he entered the Christian Brothers seminary ‘as a kind of refuge’ from a difficult childhood. He attended the University of Melbourne and worked as a teacher. In 1941 he left the Christian Brothers without taking final vows. In World War II he worked as a code-breaker, and for a time he was private secretary to former prime minister Billy Hughes.

After the war, West became a successful writer and producer of radio serials. In 1955 he left Australia to build an international career as a writer. With his family, he lived in Austria, Italy, England and the USA, including a stint as the Vatican correspondent for the British newspaper, the Daily Mail. He returned to Australia in 1982.

Morris West wrote 30 books and many plays, and several of his novels were adapted for film. His books were published in 28 languages and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. Each new book he wrote after he became an established writer sold more than one million copies.

West received many awards and accolades over his long writing career, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the W.H. Heinemann Award of the Royal Society of Literature for The Devil's Advocate. In 1978 he was elected a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1985, and was made an Officer of the Order (AO) in 1997.

Morris West died at his desk in 1999.

Reviews

[Sondra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit that I had some difficulty following the complexities of the plot at times, but that did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying this novel of espionage, intrigue, and betrayal in the Middle East. The story opens with a kind of false flag operation in which Israeli military forces plan to evacuate a Jordanian village before demolishing the village with air strikes designed to provoke a retaliatory attack from Arab forces, for reasons that were not quite clear to me. What sets this book apart from the average thriller/espionage novel is its depth of characterization, descriptive settings, and level of historical detail seldom found in other novels of this genre. The author has an impressive knowledge of Middle Eastern history, geography, politics and culture, which gives the novel an authenticity beyond what is usually found in fictional accounts of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The action shifts relentlessy between Damascus, Beirut, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem and these exotic settings are described with a level of sensory detail that creates a strong sense of place and really brings the characters and their struggles to life. The characters are multi-dimensional. Whether it be the arrogance of the Jordanian financier, Nuri Chakry, desperate to save his failing bank, or the artist in Haifa struggling to come to terms with her failed marriage to an Israeli spy, or the conflicting emotions of the double agent Adam Ronen, all the characters shine with their own individuality. Perhaps what impressed me most about this novel is how author Morris West managed to delve deep into the Middle Eastern conflict without taking sides. Whether Arab or Jew, Syrian or Palestinian, the characters on all sides are depicted as complex human beings motivated by the full range of human emotions. No nationality is overly demonized or praised, and this is a difficult thing for an author to pull off when writing about a globally significant struggle of this magnitude.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the works of Morris West. A great writer who writes intelligently with broad and insightful knowledge of politics, religion and the interactions and complexities of the human race.
However with this treatise of the Arab Israeli conflict I have to say I struggled to finish it. It lacked for me the page turning qualities of many of his other books. And though there are some gem lines and paragraphs the character development and interaction was confusing for me at times. But an average Morris West book is still a great book! And I always come way from his writing more knowledgeable and always moved and connected to the important aspects of the human experience!

[Dale Knapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing enough that I googled wars between Israel and neighboring countries to find this book was published a year after the 6-day war in 1967 and pretty much predicted the October war to come in 1973. It helped me to consider how international financing plays such a part in wars. It was also helpful in understanding the mindset for unrest that is still present in the area today, especially with Syria currently in such turmoil.

[JW van der Merwe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a spy novel with its setting in the Middle East. The book is written in a city format - what is happening in Haifa, then Jerusalem and then again Damascus as well as other places. As it unfolds the links become clear and the whole rationale for a spy network becomes clear. The opposite is also happening that is the detection of such a spy network its funding through banks and its operations. The personal love life of the operatives and their families, the problems which are unavoidable becomes very clear.

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful, suspenseful portrayal of the complexities of Israel and it´s neighbours, from cultural, religious, political and personal points of view. the same impossible questions raised in this novel still need answering today!

[Mike Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absorbing tale.

[Javier Sanchez Toledano · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me gustó. Ponen como los buenos a los invasores genocidas.

[Mo Der]

Quite the well written and interesting book. Though after learning more about the real situation in Israel one finds out that this book is quite heavily favoring the Israeli side of the war.

[Carmen Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of the Middle Eastern crisis events of late 1960 that took place in the days leading up to the Six-Day War. The story begins with a border incident that Israel must avenge and ends with Israeli reprisal, which will become a full-blown confrontation in the United Nations and in the desert of Jordan. The author dramatizes the fate of Israel and the tragic struggle that pits it against the Arab world. The five dominant characters are Jakov Baratz, Chief of Israeli Military Intelligence; his chief agent Adom Ronan (a Jewish spy posing in Damascus as a trader); Omar Safreddim, head of the Syrian security police; Nuri Chakry, a Lebanese banker, and his American frontman Mark Matheson. Through these characters, the novel explores the political, military, and personal complexities that characterize the conflict in the region. West offers a detailed insight into the intrigues and challenges faced by both Israelis and Arabs in their struggle for survival and power. The main themes are: 1) Arab-Israeli conflict, 2) political intrigue and espionage, highlighting the intelligence operations and covert strategies used by both sides, and 3) moral and ethical dilemmas, where the characters face difficult decisions that test their convictions and loyalties. With an engaging narrative, the author invites readers to reflect on the causes and consequences of one of the most persistent disputes in contemporary history. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

It may include too much "propaganda" from the Israeli government, but overall it paints a pretty interesting portrait of the political complexity of the Middle East. Sometimes this analysis does not seem objective to me, but I could not say if this is also my personal perception because I am not very aware of this political context and the years in which the story takes place. On the other hand, the plot and the stories of each character I liked a lot. The characters have personality and motivations that cover a wide range, although entering the role of the woman there are two moments that have seemed uncomfortable to me: Emilie's request for the baby and some paragraphs that described situations with prostitutes. I would have liked him to investigate much more about how the conflict affected the most civilian population, especially Palestinians, but perhaps that would not have a place in the book. In conclusion, I really liked the book, because of its pace and the way it is written, although I don't think it will pass some more "recent" historiographical filters and of course some things are, at the very least, questionable. Still, I will definitely read more books by this author.

[Mónica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ciertamente el libro se lee en dos días pues es intrigante y tiene algunos buenos toques que te hacen reflexionar sobre ciertos temas, sobre todos los que difunde el doctor Franz Lieberman; pero te deja un regusto el final del libro de, precisamente Torre de Babel, donde los judíos parece que siguen sin escuchar y repitiendo y creyendo las mismas viejas y embellecidas historias inventadas, como lo ocurrido en Masada, una tragedia mayúscula, con tintes de secta, que para ellos es un orgullo haberla protagonizado.
He de decir que la novela está contada desde el lado judío aunque no por ella deja de hacer crítica a la política llevada a cabo por los judíos, aunque bien es cierto que en este libro no se salva nadie de ser un fanático de su religión, aunque no olvidemos que los Palestinos han sido invadidos y han ocupado los judíos territorio que no les pertenece.
Al día de hoy el descrédito de la clase dirigente judía y extrapolable a su población, es la de un pueblo genocida, salvaje, revanchista e inculto, que parecen haber olvidado que fueron víctimas y se han convertido en unos verdugos peores que los que ellos sufrieron; triste pero cierto.

[Sara Vidal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it some time ago and in some ways it is dated but it does get to the core of the issue - In my book Bella and Chaim: the story of beauty and life, I wrote (in an endnote)

"In an article on I and Thou, Sarah Scott explains that ‘the self becomes either more fragmentary or more unified through its relationships to others.’ http://www.iep.utm.edu/buber/ Morris West in The Tower of Babel examines this dilemma in a story set in the Middle East on the eve of the 1967 War, where events unfold through the eyes of an Israeli spy living in Syria, a Palestinian leader, a Lebanese banker, and an Israeli military adviser (157). In this situation, with neither Jew nor Arab prepared to renounce their claim to the land, no solution is in sight. Still we try."

[Brandon Helsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Als de eerste 300 pagina's zo goed zouden zijn als de laatste 150, gaf ik het boek 5 sterren. Helaas, bestaan de eerste 300 pagina's uit een puzzel van een ingewikkelde verhaallijn die moeilijk te verteren is. De laatste 150 zijn dan weer een genot om te lezen en leggen die ingewikkelde puzzel op zijn plaats.

Een verhaal over de politiek van het Midden-Oosten en het Palestijnse conflict dat een lang taai begin kent, maar zeer mals wordt na stevig kauwen.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an old book that honestly bored me to sleep... I tried, but I really couldn't get into it 60% into the book. I scanned the end and called it good enough. Something tells me it would have been better if it hasn't been a Reader's Digest copy. =/

[Babel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's much more than a novel

[Carlos Rodriguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

me gusta que pone sobre la mesa los dientes puntos de vista de los conflictos en medio oriente, y de manera parcial, pero se me hizo bastante aburrido. luché para teeminarlo

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

RDC-B V 2 1968 - 5/80. Set in the Middle East. Arab/Jewish relations.