David Grossman Van event Nov. 4 08 (click to enlarge)David Grossman's Luz

by Adrianne Fitch

What is the role of a writer in a society? And what does it mean in a society like Israel, where a violent 100-year-old conflict pervades every aspect of life, memories of the Holocaust linger, where your language, setting and history are straight out of the Bible, and the eyes of the world are always upon you?

These were some of the questions asked and answered in “Voice of a Nation,” an interview between acclaimed Israeli writer David Grossman and CBC radio broadcaster Eleanor Wachtel.

The event, which drew a crowd of 320 to the Norman Rothstein Theatre, was part of the Dr. Robert Rogow Memorial Lecture series, co-sponsored by Canadian Friends of Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the 24th Annual Jewish Book Festival.

Held on Tuesday, Nov. 4, it was also a doubly historic occasion -- the 13th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin’s  assassination, and the night the Americans were electing Barack Obama as their new president.

As a journalist, Grossman has rebelled against the imposition of a ‘false language’ on him, especially in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (which he refers to as the ‘Matzav’ or ‘situation.’)

Grossman says he takes a ‘literary approach’ to politics, refusing to hide behind the ‘official story’ of his government and society. He constantly challenges Israeli and Palestinian assumptions, cliches, prejudices and generalizations, which he says are borne out of fear, denial and cynicism.

“Writing about the situation is a way to reclaim my individuality,” says Grossman. “In one hundred years of war, one of the first things to be manipulated is language, ways in which we phrase reality,” he says. “I believe writers are people who by nature refuse to use other people’s words.”

Twenty years ago, Grossman spent 9 weeks living with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The Yellow Wind, one of his most famous non-fiction works, testifies to Palestinian suffering and condemns Israel’s 20-year occupation.

When the book came out, says Grossman, many Israelis saw it as a betrayal.But over the past twenty years, there has been a shift in public opinion, he says, a greater willingness to see the Palestinian point of view.

“I would not say writers are very influential,” says Grossman. “If we were, the situation today would be different. But writers are able to see every situation from several points of view. Writers remind people that there is an alternative.”

“The worst thing is to believe we are doomed to our situation,” he adds. “Then we are trapped, paralyzed. Israel was created so that we should never be victims again. We may have the biggest army, but we are still victims of the situation, we can’t deliver ourselves or our neighbours from it. This is unacceptable.”

Though a talented, prolific journalist, Grossman is even more passionate about his fiction. In 1983, four years after completing his studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Grossman published RATZ, his first collection of short stories.

Since then, he has written seven novels, two of which were named among the ten most important books since the creation of the State of Israel. His books have been translated into over 20 languages.

Grossman inhabits his characters, slips inside their skin, feels responsible for their well-being, even writes them letters. Writing novels, he says, allows him to completely understand another human being, to surrender himself totally.

“When I write a character,” he says, “I want to know everything about her, how she walks, talks, her fantasies, how she makes love …”

“I want to write books that take me beyond my fears and limitations, that surprise me. I don’t know any other way to take me out of myself, and when I finish a book I feel totally devastated.”

“No one could volunteer to write my stories,” he adds. “It is the only thing I can think of in life where one is irreplaceable. If a baby loses its parents, others can raise him. But no one else can take the place of a writer.”

The theme which sparked Grossman’s desire to write was the Holocaust. As a child growing up in the 50’s, he was captivated by the ever-present spectre of the recent Holocaust and its painful silences, mysteries and taboos.

Many of Grossman’s neighbours were survivors who referred to the Holocaust as what had happened “over there” rather than “then,” as though the horror were an ongoing reality.

Though his mother was born in Palestine and his father immigrated before the war, Grossman strongly identified with children of survivors, sharing their anxiety, discomfort, and desire to understand what happened.

The Holocaust story which made the greatest impact on Grossman was that of Polish writer Bruno Schulz, whom Grossman prominently featured in his novel, See Under: Love.

As the story goes, he says, Schulz was compelled to do some painting work for an SS officer, who was involved in a dispute with a fellow SS officer. The rival met Schulz on the street one day, drew his pistol and shot Schulz dead. “I killed your Jew,” he boasted to his rival. “Very well,” said the other officer. “Now I will kill your Jew.”

“That was like a letter that was written to me,” says Grossman. “I lost the will to live. I didn’t want to live in a world that allows that to happen, that allows such language: I killed your Jew.”

The story inspired Grossman to write about the Holocaust in a way that would redeem the life and vitality of Schulz and other Jews. “Something pierced me,” he says. “I knew that in life I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write a book that would tremble on the shelf.”

Though secular, Grossman is also very Jewish, and his work bears a strong affection for his country and its unique place in history.

“It’s such a refreshing change from the 18 generations of Jews before me, who never felt at home anywhere. I am in my place,” he says. “For normal people, it can be tough to live in Israel, but for a writer it is paradise.”

Grossman also shows a fondness for Hebrew, a 4,000 year old language whose slang, he says, resonates throughout the Bible. In fact, at the start of the evening, Grossman took a few minutes to read from one of his novels, in Hebrew, to a largely English-speaking audience, ‘to let the language resonate.’

Much of his work speaks to the Bible’s relevance today. “Reading the Bible allows me to connect myself with so many layers of the way the Jewish people see our position in the world, and how we are regarded by others.”

“We are the people of the book,” he says. “But even more we are people of the story, of stories that are larger than life. The Bible, Masada, the Shoah, 1948, the Six Day War  ... Every year there are 2-3 larger-than-life stories that can only happen in Israel.”

“We start to think of ourselves as a story, not as human beings, and we allow others to project upon us their prejudices and superstitions,” says Grossman. “Other countries are unique, but not larger than life.”

“All through history we survived to live our life,” he says. “But now in Israel, we have the largest army, but we live just to survive. Israelis don’t make plans for even 10 years in the future. There is something inside us that is so uncertain about ourselves and our future.”

Grossman says it will take reconciliation within the Israeli public, well-defined borders, painful concessions and courageous leadership to change the situation enough to finally achieve peace.

“Only then, we may be able to stop being larger than life, and live the life we deserve,” he said. “We shall enjoy something we are deprived of, the solidity of existence, something you here in Canada take for granted.”

In The Book of Intimate Grammar, Grossman refers to the Luz, a small bone in back of the neck which, according to Jewish legend, contains the essence of a human being, the uniqueness of one’s self, which can never be destroyed.

As a Jew, an Israeli and a human being, the act of using his own language to write, create, find nuances, challenge the status quo and struggle for peace, is David Grossman’s Luz.

This interview was yet another successful community event offered through the Dr. Robert Rogow Memorial Lecture Series and Canadian Friends of Hebrew University (CFHU).

The lecture series was established by Dr. Sally Rogow in honour of her husband Dr. Robert Rogow, a labour relations scholar and SFU professor who died in 1998. The series, hosted by CFHU, has brought many distinguished Jewish and Israeli speakers to Vancouver.

“The hall was packed that evening, despite competition from the American election and the hockey game,” says CFHU Executive Director Dina Wachtel. “Since this interview was recorded live on stage by Eleanor Wachtel for her CBC radio show Writers & Company  people are calling our office constantly to check for the exact broadcasting time which indicate the extent of the success that this evening was. It was, indeed, an amazing program, and we are grateful to Dr. Sally Rogow for making the event possible,” said Wachtel.