ALRE V IE W 45

n o v e lis t f r o m Is r a e l , f i n d s h i m s e l f a t m o r e th a n th i s w i ll b e to g iv e a w a y th e D e s p it e s u c h d a m n i n g m o n o l o g u e s —
th e c e n tr e of a s im ila rly ab su rd in c r e d i b l e c o n s p i r a c y — o n e s o w e i r d I w h ic h , one m ig h t th in k , o ffe r
la b y r i n th . A s th e s to r y b e g i n s , D e k e l c a n b e li e v e it a c tu a l ly c o u ld h a p p e n . h u m a n i ty v e r y li ttl e c h a n c e — th e n a r ­
js se n t out to N ew Y o rk by h is r a to r o f T he S ilen c er s o m e h o w r e m a i n s
n e w s p a p e r to c o v e r a n Is r a e l i- P a le s - Jo e D e k e l is , e v e n a t th e m o s t d ire h o p e f u l. H a v i n g w i tn e s s e d a v e r y d is ­
tin ia n p e a c e c o n f e r e n c e . W h i l e th e r e tu r b in g w o r ld o f s p y - s c a n d a l s , p o w e r
m o m e n ts , a s h it- h a n g e r . H e in f li c ts i n ­
h e m e e ts D id i S c h a f f e r , a y o u n g s u l t u p o n ju s t a b o u t e v e r y p o l iti c a l g a m e s , f e a r a n d h a te , D e k e l a n d h is
A m e r i c a n Je w , w h o p o l i te l y in f o r m s a n d r e l ig i o u s g r o u p w i th in th e c o n ­ w i f e s til l c h o o s e to h a v e a c h il d . L if e
D e k e l th a t h e i s h i s ' s i l e n c e r ' . D i d i f in e s o f h is e x p a n s iv e s to r y : m u s t g o o n , e v e n in th e f a c e o f s o m a n y
r e p r e s e n ts a r i g h tw i n g o r g a n i s a tio n p e a c e m a k e r s , r ig h tw i n g Is r a e li w a r ­ p r o b l e m s ; e v e n w h e n th e w o r l d s e e m s
n am ed th e A n ti- S la n d e r L eag u e, m o n g e r s , th e P L O , th e Is r a e l i s e c r e t o n th e b r in k o f e n d i n g . A t th e e n d o f
w h o se a g e n d a in c lu d e s k e e p in g p ro - s e r v ic e , f u n d a m e n ta lis t e v a n g e lic a l th e b o o k , D e k e l is b r a v e e n o u g h to
P a le s ti n i a n li te r a tu r e f r o m b e i n g p u b ­ C h r i s ti a n s , th e C IA , th e F B I, a n d s o o n . s i n g : " C o m e o u t, c o m e o u t w h o e v e r
lis h e d in th e U n ite d S ta te s . T h is H e p r e s e n ts a p ic tu r e o f Is r a e l a s a y o u a r e ! T h e m o r e o f u s m a l c o n te n ts
in c lu d e s D e k e l's o n ly n o v e l, an s c h iz o id la n d to r n a p a r t b y its m a n y th e b e tte r ."
e s p io n a g e th r i l l e r b a s e d a ro u n d th e d i f f e r e n t g r o u p s , a c o u n tr y w h o se
1 982 w a r in L e b a n o n a n d w h i c h s u p ­ f r a g m e n ta ti o n is e v e n m o r e a p p a r e n t
T h i s b o o k m a n a g e s th e i n s p ir e d : to
p o r te d th e P a le s tin ia n r e s is ta n c e i n th e f a c e o f a s e e m in g ly u n i f ie d a n d
r e m a i n v e r y f u n n y w h i l e , a t th e s a m e
m o v e m e n t. c o n s ta n t P a le s tin ia n r e s is ta n c e
tim e , c r a m m i n g in m a n y i n te l l i g e n t,
a g a in s t o c c u p a ti o n . B u t to w a r d s th e
in s i g h tf u l a n d c y n i c a l v i e w s o f th e Is -
L ed b y D i d i S c h a f f e r to a s e c r e t r e n ­ e n d o f th e b o o k , D e k e l c a n n o t r e f r a i n
r a e l i- P a le s ti n ia n f e u d . I le f t th e n o v e l
d e z v o u s, D e k e l f in d s o n ly an o ld f r o m m a k in g th e r e s t o f th e w o r l d a
w ith a s o m e h o w c l e a r e r p e r c e p tio n o f
Je w is h m a n w i th a b l u d g e o n e d h e a d ta r g e t f o r h i s lo a th in g :
th e c o m p l e x i ty a n d e n o r m i ty o f th i s
w h o , in h i s la s t b r e a th , a c c u s e s D e k e l
v e r y c u r r e n t a n d o f te n d e b a te d p r o b ­
o f b e in g a tr a it o r a n d ' h a t e r ' o f h is T h e p e o p le , m y p e o p le , a re ju s t a le m . A s h it- s ta in e d v ie w p e rh ap s—
'p e o p le '. T o q u o te D e k e l : " ...a f te r th a t, m ic r o c o s m o f th e s q u a b b lin g h e a p o f m u rk y an d c h a o tic — b u t w h a t e ls e
it g e ts a b i t s t r a n g e " . In f a c t, p u r e h u m a n ity ...O u r a rr o g a n c e , o u r te r­ w o u ld o n e e x p e c t?
c r a z in e s s . T h e n o v e l tr a c k s D e k e l ' s ro r, o u r in s e c u r ity , o u r b o y c o tts a n d
p a th f r o m N ew Y o rk to Je r u s a l e m , e x c o m m u n ic a tio n s , a r e n o t, a t th e
fro m th e W e s t B a n k to T h e C h u r c h o f e n d o f th e s a y , a n e th n ic in h e rita n c e .
th e L i v i n g C h r i s t i n U ta h , a s h e a t­ T h e g lo b a l s ta te . L a C o n d itio n
te m p ts to m a k e s e n s e o f a v e r y tw is te d H u m a in e . W e a re f u c k e d u p , th e re ­ M A T T H E W S C H U L Z is a S y d n e y p o e t
m e ss o f c l u e s , i n th e p r o c e s s u n c o v e r ­ f o r e w e e x is t. T h e r e is n o th in g in ­ a n d w ri te r. H e i s c u rre n tl y w o rk i n g o n
in g a n e x tr e m i s t p l o t to b lo w up a h e r e n tly Je w i s h a b o u t th is. It is a a m u rd e r m y s te ry s e t in co lo n ial
m o s q u e i n Je r u s a l e m . T o say m u ch b ip e d a l p r o b le m . A u s tra l i a .

Language Landscape
T o u ri s m by B e r n ard C ohen la n d o f p o s s ib il it y ." A t A d e l a id e , it A u s tr a lia n TV d ra m a an d
( P icador, 1992). R ev iew ed by s a y s , " T h e r e is a b a ttle f o r s ta s is , a n d tr a v e lo g u e s .
w e a r e its o b je c ts . D e c i s io n s a re m a d e
M c K e n z i e W a rk .
h e r e b u t n e v e r e n a c te d . T h e tr u th is T h i s i s a v e r y c o n te m p o r a r y s o r t o f
d if f e r e n t. E v e r y th in g e l s e s e e m s th e f ic tio n ; o n e m i g h t e v e n c a l l it a v a n t
It s e e m s a b i t m i s l e a d i n g to d e s c r i b e
s a m e . T h i s is b e c a u s e w e h a v e n o t g a rd e . Y e t it is e n g r o s s in g , fu n n y ,
Be rn ard C o h e n 's f irs t b o o k as a
le a r n e d to d if f e r e n ti a te s o u n d ." a m u s in g , s a tu r a te d w ith w it an d
'n o v e l '; f o r w h i l e it i s c e r ta i n l y n o v e l
C o h e n ' s u n i q u e s ty le . B r e a k i n g w i th
*n its f o r m , it i s n ' t e x a c t l y a n o v e l. It is
T h ese p la c e s , th e n , a re m o r e lik e th e te d iu m o f A u s tr a li a n f i c tio n n e e d
d iv id e d i n to 1 4 9 s e c ti o n s , e a c h le s s
C a lv in o 's in v is ib le c i t i e s th a n th e n o t b e a l e a p in to th e h ig h s e r io u s n e s s
th a n a p a g e lo n g . E a c h b e a r s th e n a m e
A u s tr a lia n la n d s c a p e w e know o f 'e x p e r im e n ta l' ( i .e . u n r e a d a b l e )
° f a n A u s tr a l i a n to w n . T h i s a t l e a s t is
th r o u g h th e s e e m in g ly in te r m in a b le p r o s e . B u t th e n , a s C o h e n w o u ld s a y ,
^ a s s u r i n g , b u t o n r e a d i n g th e te x t u n ­
s e r ie s o f 'l a n d s c a p e n o v e l s ' th a t p a s ­ " I n Y a s s , o n e a l w a y s o v e r ta k e s o n th e
d e r n e a th th e s e h e a d i n g s d is o r i e n ta ­
s e s f o r A u s tr a li a n li te r a tu r e . C o h e n is i n s i d e ."
tio n s e ts in .
h a v in g h is little jo k e h e re . T h e
T h e s e c tio n h e a d e d ' D a r w i n ' , f o r in ­ la n d s c a p e o f la n g u a g e c a n b e m o r e M cK E N Z IE W A RK w ri te s f o r th e
s ta n c e , b e g i n s : " I f o n l y w e r e c e i v e d i n te r e s ti n g th a n th e la n d s c a p e o f r u s ­ A u s tra l i a n 's H ig h e r E d u c a ti o n
v is ito r s , w e to o w o u l d e a t. T h i s i s th e tic r u r a l to w n s w h ic h p o p u l a te s s u p p l e m e n t.

ALR : JULY 1992