Stanley knives, new books and an amazing biography
It was with great excitement this week that I ran a Stanley knife along the tape that bound together the flaps of the box, inside of which sat 20 copies of the first new title to arrive in the office during my time at Elliott & Thompson.
The tape split, the flaps – well – flapped open and inside, underneath the packing material, lay pristine editions of Yair Lapid’s Memories After My Death. Several were sent to important personages to whom the book will hopefully be of interest and one made its way into my bag and from thence, a few hours later, onto the arm of the sofa where I rested it whilst I read what is genuinely one of the most intimate and fascinating biographies I have come across.
The subject of Yair’s book is his late father, Tommy Lapid. The names, I know, do not ring immediate bells in many people’s minds, but a sense of their importance in Israeli, Middle East and international politics can be taken from an article in current issue of The Economist. Tommy Lapid was the founder of the secular party, Shinnui, and went on to become deputy prime minister to Ariel Sharon in the Israeli government. Shinnui has since disappeared, but there is strong speculation that Yair may follow political ambitions of his own by launching into politics before the next general elections which are likely to take place in 2012. Some influential voices in particular suspect that he has what it takes to be prime minister. So if in a few years time, the name Lapid is a lot more familiar to you, do let people know that you were way ahead of the curve and heard it here first!
So this is certainly a political biography and the insight this gives into one of the most tempestuous political environments both today and of the latter half of the twentieth century is both deep and richly coloured. The bullish nature of Israeli politicians is sketched out on the page, and there is a wealth of anecdote and aside from moments of personal closeness with Sharon to jokes shared with Barack Obama.
Before Tommy Lapid dabbled in international politics, however, his life was already adventurous and moving enough to fill many an impressive biography. He was born in Hungary in 1931 and witnessed the rise of Nazism and its spread across Europe. A Holocaust survivor, he moved to Israel following the birth of the state in 1948 and had a hugely successful career in newspapers and television as a journalist and broadcaster. I have yet to complete the book, but am captivated already by the story of a Jewish family torn apart by World War II, and then Tommy creating a new identity at the same time as Israel, a new country, is establishing its own. It is a life, so full of spirit on the small scale, that on the large scale also tracks and engages with a narrative that is the tale of the world as it is today.
Yair has told his story with love and care, and he has done so by adopting his father’s voice, so placing this book in that rare category, the posthumous autobiography. It was an approach that sounded strange when I first heard about it, but he has done so by talking to his mother and his father’s friends, talking to those that knew him, studying correspondence and drawing on his own memories and understanding. So yes, sounded strange to be told it, but on paper the effect is profound and utterly convincing.
If this has caught your interest as much as it has caught mine, you can hear Yair discuss his book on Sunday 6th March at an event in Jewish Book Week. As well as talking about his father, Yair will also be discussing his vision for Israel and the part he may play in the future. He’s visiting London for a couple of days only so do try and catch him if you can! For ticketing information, and more on Jewish Book Week in general, have a look at: http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2011/yair-lapid.php
Memories After My Death is published on 19th February
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