Abstract

WALDMAN, Berta. Amos Oz’s The black box: an epistolary novel. Ide (São Paulo) [online]. 2010, vol.33, n.50, pp. 54-63. ISSN 0101-3106.

The epistolary novel is a genre that was very much in favor in the 18th century. It merges with the dramatic form in that it does not have a narrator who coordinates the development of the story, or the characters’ presentation and behavior. Besides being an epistolary novel, Amos Oz’s The black box is also a political text, a factor that cannot be obliterated when we read it. The novel deals with the conflicts between the left and right wing parties in Israel, and their unfolding on a passionate plane of interaction among the characters. There is a structural correspondence between the novel’s polyphony and the character Boaz’ proposal of a horizontal and communitarian way of life, in which all have a say, away from the political, ideological, and religious antagonisms.

Keywords : Israeli contemporary literature; Epistolary novel; Political novel; Passion and money.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )