A Dress of Fire
$12.95
May 18, 2027
two novellas | pb | 152 pgs.
5.5" x 8.5"
978-1-960385-66-6
A Jerusalem student hired to read aloud to an enigmatic woman who is losing her eyesight, and a woman who moves into a nursing home with her mother suffering from dementia: across two stirring novellas, Michal Ben-Naftali explores love and devotion between women, touching the darkness and oblivion of loss.
In “A Dress of Fire,” set in the 1980s, a Jerusalem student struggling through an unconventional dissertation about the persecution of witchcraft falls under the spell of Liora, an aging woman losing her eyesight. As their connection grows intimate, the two fall into a dance of murky boundaries and spiraling thoughts, upending their lives as they look into the abyss that stretches between themselves and the rest of the world. Meanwhile, in “Margins of the Book,” a woman descends into oblivion as she processes the mental decline of her elderly mother, together secluded in a nursing home. Across a lonely plot of lost memories, mother and daughter seem to merge into one being; the dementia-clouded mind may yet relieve a lifetime of futile struggle for connection and meaning.
Sharing a moving expanse of emotions and the soulful depths of thought, Ben-Naftali’s novellas are stories of transformation: from the suffocation of ordinary life to the hidden realm of someone else; from an alienating social world to a mutual understanding forged through the coalescence of two women’s marginalized inner worlds.
Translated from the Hebrew by Gabriel Levin
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About the Author:
Michal Ben-Naftali was born in Tel Aviv in 1963. A writer, translator, and editor, she has published collections of essays, a novella, a memoir, and a novel, as well as many articles on literature, philosophy, and art, in Israel and abroad. Her translations from French to Hebrew include works by Jacques Derrida, André Breton, Marina Tsvetaeva, Maurice Blanchot, Julia Kristeva, Esther Orner, and Annie Ernaux. She has received the Prime Minister's Prize (2007) and the Haaretz prize for Best Literary Essay of the Year (2008). Her novel, The Teacher, won the 2016 Sapir Prize, while A Dress of Fire, was shortlisted for the 2019 Sapir Prize.
About the Translator:
Gabriel Levin was born in Paris in 1948. He is a poet, translator, and essayist. He has published multiple collections of poetry, translated from the Hebrew, French, and Arabic, and written a collection of essays, The Dune's Twisted Edge: Travels in the Levant.
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Praise for The Teacher:
"A vivid, meticulously crafted look at trauma’s legacy"—Hephzibah Anderson, The Guardian
"A poignant memorial to someone whom no one remembers. . . . absorbing and well crafted."—The New York Times
"This heartbreaking novel is highlighted by Ben-Naftali’s spare prose and insightful observations. The author seamlessly blends history and fiction to forge a riveting novel."—Publishers Weekly
"a shattering portrayal of utter loneliness, guilt, and despair."—New York Journal of Books
"Winner of the Sapir Prize, one of Israel's highest literary honors, Ben-Naftali's haunting tale portrays a vanished woman finally found. Translator Zamir provides a vivid translation."—Terry Hong, Booklist
"At the intriguing intersection of history with humanity lies Michal Ben-Naftali’s The Teacher, a powerful peek into the psychology of trauma and a great book club pick for those seeking a challenging, deep discussion."—Jessie Horness, Foreword Reviews
"History, memory, and speculation converge in Michal Ben-Naftali’s The Teacher. It’s at times reminiscent of Philip Roth’s American Pastoral in the way that the blurred boundaries between these genres is a feature rather than a bug. Ben-Naftali begins with the death of a beloved teacher, and gradually reveals the story of a life abounding with historical trauma and impossible ethical decisions."—Tobias Carroll, Words Without Borders
