What makes an apple? Six conversations about writing, love, guilt, and other pleasures

Six conversations between Israeli novelist Oz (1939--2018) (A Tale of Love and Darkness) and screenwriter Hadad come together in this pleasant if scattershot collection. Their chats touch on such topics as Oz's childhood ("I was an only child and I did not have any friends"), his adult relationships, writing habits ("My main ritual is to have everything in its place"), and the Israel-Palestine conflict (Oz calls "reality strikes" such as intifadas and bloodshed much more influential on how people see the situation than op-eds). Among the most memorable commentary is on the writer's craft; in reflecting on his writing, Oz says that "no writer... can write about a person more intelligent than him or her," nor can they persuasively depict someone with a better sense of humor than themselves. These two limitations notwithstanding, Oz suggests that he relishes writing about characters who are different from him. Though there are many such insightful comments, it's hard to tell what the point is--at times the only thing holding the conversations together is Oz's personality, which won't be enough for those not already enamored of the author's work. For his fans, though, this works as a quick fix. (Apr.)

Perspectives on life and literature from one of Israel's most celebrated authors. In 2014, Hadad edited Judas, the final novel by Israeli novelist Oz (1939-2018). After that, their conversations continued periodically during the final four years of Oz's life, resulting in "dozens of recorded hours" of occasionally contentious conversations. In these six chats, Oz lyrically addresses such topics as his motivations as a writer, writing process, views on sexuality, decades on a kibbutz, and the ways in which his writing changed from early successes to later works such as A Tale of Love and Darkness (2005). Ask an opinionated person like Oz for opinions, and one is likely to get provocative answers, but most of his responses are benign, as when he states that writing never gets easier: "writing is like driving with one foot on the gas and one on the brakes the whole time." More disturbing are comments on "militant feminism" and his fear that the #MeToo movement "is in danger of sliding down the slippery slope from understandable and justifiable revolutionary zeal to Bolshevik cruelty." In another conversation, Oz complains that much of modern literature "is nothing but agendas or a cunning attempt to disguise agendas" and executed with a "totalitarian steamroller," a shift that makes the teaching of literature "like being an explosives specialist neutralizing a suspicious object." Readers can decide for themselves whether they concur with him or, like Hadad, strongly disagree. Fortunately, most of the book consists of witty observations on writing and more, and Oz shares a reassuring analogy for writers who get frustrated when the work goes poorly: "What you do is actually similar to a grocer's job. You come to work in the morning, you open up the shop, you sit there and wait for customers. If there are customers, it's a good day. If there aren't, you're still doing your job by sitting there waiting." Memorable viewpoints guaranteed to evoke strong feelings. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.