Panther in the Basement

Amos Oz

ISBN 10: 0156006308 / ISBN 13: 9780156006309

Published by Mariner Books, 1998

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Description:

1998. Paperback. Fine. Seller Inventory # A21905

About this title:

Synopsis: “Countries need writers as their voices of conscience; few have them. Israel has Oz.” — Washington Post

The year is 1947: the last days of the British mandate in Palestine. Twelve-year-old Proffy, indoctrinated by his patriotic father and a zealous Bible teacher, dreams of dying heroically in battle, fighting for the creation of a Jewish state. Then he meets and befriends a kindly British soldier who shares with Proffy a love of language and the Bible. Accused of treason for the friendship, Proffy must learn the true nature of loyalty and betrayal. Panther in the Basement is a rich tapestry of character and political intrigue set against the birth of modern Israel.

“Insightful, inventive, and lyrical.” — New York Times Book Review

From the Back Cover: Oz revisits here the Jerusalem of his childhood in the last days of the British mandate in Palestine. Our hero's name is Proffy (short for Professor), and he is twelve years old, his head filled with dreams of dying heroically in battle. Together with his friends Ben Hur and Chita, he spends the summer of 1947 as a member of a make-believe underground movement fighting the British. Indoctrinated by his patriotic father and his zealous Bible teacher, Proffy becomes "an excited panther in the basement, seething with oaths and vows, knowing exactly...to what he will dedicate his life, for what he will sacrifice it when the moment of truth comes". But when his comrades accuse him of treason for his friendship with Sergeant Dunlop - a fat, good-natured British soldier who revels in the Bible and shares with him the love of language - Proffy must vindicate himself in the eyes of his family and friends.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Panther in the Basement
Publisher: Mariner Books
Publication Date: 1998
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Used - Like New