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To Know a Woman

To Know a Woman
First edition (Hebrew)
AuthorAmos Oz
Original titleלדעת אישה
TranslatorNicholas de Lange[1]
LanguageHebrew
PublisherKeter Publishing House[1]
Publication date1989
Publication placeIsrael
Published in English
1991
Pages262
ISBN0-7011-3572-7

To Know a Woman (Hebrew: לדעת אישה La-da'at ishah) is a 1989 novel by Israeli author Amos Oz, published by Keter Publishing House.

It tells the story of a Mossad Agent, who returns from a mission abroad upon the mysterious death of his wife.[1] Now retired, but with his instincts intact, he sets out to "know" the women in his wife, namely his mother, daughter and mother-in-law.[1]

Plot

Mossad agent, Yoel Ravid, returns to his home country from a mission in Helsinki upon the sudden death of his wife, Ivria, in an unexplained accident.[2] Following the tragedy, Ravid, 47, ends his career with the secret service. He settles down into domestic life in Tel Aviv, where he rents a house with his teenage daughter, Netta.[2] He sets out to get to "know" the women in his life, including Netta, his mother, Lisa and his mother-in-law, Avigail.[2]

Yoel reflects Ivria's mysterious death, as well as the trajectory of their relationship.[2] They had once had a highly sexual relationship that was upended by Ivria's focus on her Masters thesis.[2] Their growing distance led to marital discord and separate bedrooms. They were however, brought together again through their daughter's suspected epilepsy.[2]

Reception

The novel was praised in a 1991 review by William H. Pritchard, writing in The New York Times: "With his impressive new novel, "To Know a Woman," that [Israeli] scene is mercilessly domestic, and the human condition is observed -- kept watch over -- with scrupulous exactitude."[2]

In a separate 1991 review published by The New York Times, Michiko Kakutani described the novel as "rich and affecting", adding that: "When it comes to a more straightforward delineation of his hero's domestic life, however, Mr. Oz demonstrates his usual fluency as a writer.[3] His portraits of Yoel, his mother, his mother-in-law and his daughter are, at once, humorous, melancholy and touching, and his ability to infuse the stuff of everyday life with a subtle symbolism lends the book the powerful undertow of myth."[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Parini, Jay (14 April 1991). The Land of Oz The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved on 11 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Pritchard, William H. (24 February 1991). Unable to Crack the Code The New York Times. Retrieved on 11 April 2026.
  3. ^ a b Books of The Times; An Israeli Spy Retires, and Reflects The New York Times

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